Volunteers - The Unsung Heroes

A friend had to “remind” me that I haven’t blogged in awhile…so that just tells you how busy I’ve been of late.  Fortunately, despite the economic woes the past month or so, all the things I’ve been busy with have been generally good.  I thought I’d take a break to post some thoughts on volunteers.  I volunteer my time on a couple of non-profit boards and am continuously amazed at the passion and commitments that my fellow volunteers have to their organizations.  I’m also on the board of a few for-profit boards and have recently been blown away at the help these companies have received by their advisory boards.  To be sure, this latter category of volunteers are granted stock options in the underlying companies on whose advisory boards they serve, but they are not monetarily compensated in the traditional sense in that they are not paid — they are granted options (essentially a right to buy stock in the underlying company at a future date at, ideally, a cost far below the value).  So, is it just the promise of potential future gain that makes these advisors tick?  I don’t think so.  The advisors that I’ve worked with are very knowledgeable and passionate about the industry in which the companies’ whose advisory boards they serve on operate and seem to genuinely enjoy giving advice and making introductions on behalf of the companies.  So, where am I going with all this?  Well, it seems to me that there will be a number of such qualified folks with more time on their hands in the months to come and start-ups would do well to identify and attract them to their endeavors.  It truly can be a low-cost way to help your companies if you choose wisely.  Until next time, happy venturing.