What’s a network good for?
On a recent Saturday, a friend who leads a non-profit reached out to me and asked for introduction to the Rotary Club I used to be a member of so she could apply for a grant.
I was happy to make the connection, and I asked “What’s the grant for?”
“We need a new freezer,” she explained. It is a community meals program that offers free meals to the public and they need somewhere to store the food that is donated.
Not knowing what freezers cost, but assuming we were talking about big bucks, I asked, “How much are you looking for?”
“A thousand dollars,” she replied.
There was a time when I thought a thousand dollars was a lot of money. That time has passed. Networking with millionaires will do that to you.
“OK, I’ll still connect you for the grant, but let’s see if I can get that money for you. A thousand isn’t that much.”
She gave me the donation link from their web site. I donated $100 and went to work.
This was a Saturday, and I was out with my daughter, so I didn’t want to put too much time into this. I started sending out messages to people in my network whom I know are inclined to abundance thinking and generousity. I posted in a couple Facebook groups I run.
By the end of the day, we had raised $430.
On Monday, I got some replies from more of the people I had reached out to.
On Thursday I got a message that a local church member had stepped up to donate whatever was left.
Five days, a series of Facebook Messenger messages, and a couple of Facebook posts and the fundraising was complete.
This is not a story about me. Anyone with a network and desire to help could have done what I did.
Having a network is not all about finding clients and jobs.
Having a network is about having the power to solve problems. It is about being able to help. It is about sending some chats and helping people who are doing good work to keep doing their good work.