A Thought for Hump Day: Involved in Your Community?

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth!
Muhammad Ali

by Skip Cohen

​It's Hump Day, the middle of the week for some of us, and just another day for event artists working the weekends. But, this is a great time for short posts planting a few idea seeds to help you grow your business and elevate your brand. Besides - the camel shot is still one of my favorites!

If you're not involved in your community, you're missing one of the best ways to expand your reach. You need to give back and be perceived as more than just another retailer. And, if you do it right, it's a great way to build more relationships and get people to know you.

What good is working hard to create the finest images of your career if nobody knows who you are?

• Look for nonprofit organizations that are aligned with the causes you believe in.
• Getting involved can be done with or without a camera in your hand. Your goal is to get your name out in the community.
• Use your "real estate" in social media to write about events sponsored by your chosen nonprofit. So on Facebook and your blog, for example, share stories about the organization you're working with, and include images from various fund-raisers they're doing.

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And for those who like to say, "Our community doesn't have much going on," take another look. Every community has something. Sometimes your most rewarding involvement will be with the smallest nonprofits. If you're still stuck, check out senior centers, programs for veterans, high school art programs, adult education centers, pet adoption centers, and local hospitals, just to name a few.

We make a living by what we get.
We make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill