One of the best places to network is in volunteer organizations. Besides putting your skills to good use at a cause you believe in, you demonstrate your expertise and commitment to other like-minded individuals, who may become, or refer you to, prospective clients, partners, or employers for you.

Nonprofit organizations all over the world are benefiting from the addition of virtual volunteer opportunities to their volunteer programs. With these online opportunities, volunteers often find that they have more time to give because there is no travel time required and they can often be even more efficient in their own environment. Listed below are some of the types of projects that are easy for virtual volunteers and valuable for the organization.

Typical virtual volunteer job opportunities include:

•  
  • Web development - An online community must have a strong web presence designed to provide maximum ease and efficiency of participation
     
  • Translations - With global online networking there is more and more need to have websites, press releases and other literature available in numerous languages so that diverse communities can connect.
     
  • Writing press releases - Writing and sending press releases online can make the difference in a cause getting public attention and support.
     
  • Writing and Proofreading - Sites that want people coming back on a regular basis have to keep updating their information and must make sure everything is accurate and professional
     
  • Graphic design - Graphics are compelling and help to paint an emotional picture and create a powerful image of the problems and solutions addressed by online communities
     
  • Research - If you love to surf the internet, you’ll love this. And you’ll be generating valuable information for a good cause.
     
  • Track legislation - If you are fascinated by the ins and outs of government, you could be a valuable resource for a nonprofit advocating legislation to further their cause.
     
  • Creating online forums - These organizations need people who are tech savvy to host chat rooms, create online forums, develop blogs and other internet activities.
     
  • Writing emails - You can be a valuable resource by helping to respond to the many emails that these online communities are generating
     
  • Generating sponsor support - Utilize your sales, marketing, and negotiation skills to get sponsorships, support and alliances that help further their cause.
     
  • Database management - You can help an organization be more efficient and effective with their online contacts
     
  • Professional advisor - If you have legal, financial or management expertise, you could be a valuable on call advisor or member of a virtual advisory board
     
  • E-zine and newsletter development - Making regular contact with members of an online community are vital for its longevity.
     
  • E-mentoring - Depending on your background and expertise, you might be a great e-mentor at an executive, management or leadership level; or as an e-mentor for volunteers in the organization or the people served by the organization.

Some people don’t like to donate their services, thinking that it somehow devalues them. In truth, there is nothing that demonstrates the value of what you do more than to put it to good use for a cause you believe in.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.

We recognize that small business is critical to our economic recovery and strength, to building America’s future, and to helping the United States compete in today’s global marketplace.

Although SBA has grown and evolved in the years since it was established in 1953, the bottom line mission remains the same. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam.

For more information about the SBA visit: Overview & History of the SBA.

Even if you work from home, there are a number of benefits to dressing for success.  There are typically two (2) types of individuals — those who work best when comfortable in a raggedy pair of sweat pants and “big” T-shirt and those who are dressed to go to the office.  If you fall into the later category, you will probably benefit immensely from dressing for success.  It has been reported by many that the more professional you dress, the more professional results you will likely produce.

It  helps also to examine your current working situation and ask yourself the following question — Does my homebased business require me to meet regularly with customers?  If you answered yes, you may want to dress for business success even if it is not necessarily expected of you.  Taking  this step when meeting with clients and/or customers is a great way to improve your public perception.  If your clients normally see you in casual clothing, it may be a nice surprise and change for all parties involved, including yourself!

Although business suits are ideal for both men and women, you do have options.  A simple pair of dress pants and a nice blouse/shirt would be satisfactory.    Try different types of clothing combinations to see what works best for you.

As a homebased business entrepreneur, the public perceives homebased business workers have difficulty because of their lack of professionalism.  Professionalism is not in how you present yourself to clients and it does not concern the work that is produced.  Instead, the lack of professionalism stems from the appearance of the homebased worker — the clothes that are worn! 

Are you a homebased business owner/freelancer/contractor?  What are you wearing right now?  If you are wanting to improve your professionalism and possibly even your performance levels and productivity, you may want to change the way you dress for work.  The decision is yours!  Why not give dressing for success a try as you have nothing to lose by doing so.

Come join Janet Cargill, www.jcargillimage.com, on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 11 a.m. (EST) on www.blogtalkradio.com/wbo-radio.  The dial in phone number is (347) 205-9229.  She  will share her insights and suggestions on dressing for success.  If you are not able to stop by at the time indicated, you are welcome to listen to the show at your leisure.

Twitter is a social networking website that is rapidly increasing in popularity.  It is a great way to stay in contact with friends and family, but it is also an amazing way to market a website, blog, product, or service.  If you have any one or all of these four, are you using Twitter to its fullest extent?

The longer you wait to join Twitter, the more opportunities you miss, where you sell a product,  a service, or make money through affiliate links, the longer you wait, the more income you lose.  You are not paid for using Twitter, but you need to consider it a moneymaking opportunity, as it is.

Determining who is your targeted market is a lot easier than it sounds.  Ask yourself what products you sell and who can benefit from buying them.  For example, pet owners will buy pet products, parents will buy products for children, and so forth.  These are individuals you want to target on Twitter.

An easy way to find your targeted market on Twitter is to visit Search.Twitter.com  You will need to twitter search for “Tweets” where blogging, internet traffic, or making money online is discussed.  These people can use your services!  All you need to do is send a quick @reply explaining your product, service and/or blog/website to them.  And, become a follower.   This means you will be receiving updates from the user in questions.  Many times, they will return the favor.

Another way to market on Twitter, is to use Search.Twitter.com to answer questions that you are confident in answering and send @replies.

Master the trade of selling without  really selling.  If you use Twitter as an internet marketing tool, your goal is to drive traffic to a website or blog which can result in a sale…no guarantees!  Unfortunately, advertisements are frowned upon.  No one wants to believe that they are being used simply for advertising.  So, you will need to be very clever in marketing yourself.  Instead of saying, “buy” my product or service, please provide a link and ask for feedback.

Do you feel more confident about Twitter after reading this article?  If not, please join us on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 11 a.m. (EST) on www.blogtalkradio.com/wbo-radio.  The dial in phone number is (347) 205-9229.  Holly Buchanan, of http://marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com, will be sharing her marketing strategies to women (and, moms online) on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social networks.  She is also the co-author of “The Soccer Mom Myth - Today’s Female Consumer, Who She Really Is, Why She Really Buys.

Today ONLY, if you buy it on Amazon.com you will receive a FREE BOI poster and a FREE sketch of one of the characters that was not published in the book. Here’s a link for you:

A portion of all sales today of Band of Innocence on Amazon.com will be donated to The Make a Wish Foundation.

Share. Learn. Grow. Expand Your Business. Add to Your Dream Team. Make a Difference.

Powerful Women International’s Houston-Connection will hold an inspiring and relevant luncheon on “Social Entrepreneurship” on April 17, 2009 at The Briar Club, 2603 Timmons, Houston, Tx. The luncheon will provide excellent networking for women who are business owners, who run non-profits, and who are socially conscious business professionals.

Hopefully, everyone falls in at least one of these categories because now more than ever we need solutions to society’s most pressing social issues for eliminating poverty, hunger and the myriad of social ills that plague our planet. One country’s problems becomes another country’s problems as we are intricately linked to each other in some way.

Fortunately, social entrepreneurship has taken a front seat in today’s world as more and more people and their companies are taking on social change for the greater good. One such business owner is Barbara Spier, President and sole owner of U.S. Protection & Investigation Services. Barbara’s firm specializes in security detail to international corporations in the middle east and worldwide.

Barbara saw a need to help Afghan women who had become widows and with the help of three other Houston business owners, started the Helping Afghan Women Project. Barbara will be the keynote speaker and will share how she started HAWP, how it is run, and what it needs.

To illustrate what HAWP needs, Barbara will share, for example, how she has arranged to use international shipping containers to ship items to Afghanistan. Attendees for the luncheon are encouraged to bring the following items: stuffed animals, children’s clothes, women’s clothes, and any item a women, mother or child might need – anything.

Everyone has a “social entrepreneur” inside of them. PWI was formed to “Empower Women to Empower the World.” This luncheon will demonstrate how the vision of one person can affect social change for the greater good and how you can be a part of it, expand your business in the process with powerful networking and expand your dream team for your vision for a better world.

To register for the luncheon, please visit www.powerfulwomenintl.com/041709hou.html. For questions or to register over the phone, call Glena at 832-647-1553. I can’t wait to see you there!

Money Week Houston

Free financial workshop coming to Houston on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Women’s financial fitness day provided by Money Week Houston (www.moneyweekhouston.org) will encompass three broad topics about Credit and Debt Management, Investments and Wealth Building, and Retirement Planning.

Our event will be held at University of Houston, Downtown Campus. One Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 in the The Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium. Visit the college website for more information www.uhd.edu or call them directly at 713-221-8000. For parking information please call 713-221-8127.

A sampling of our panelists include: Dayna Steele, LaTanya Flix, Alverna D. Austin, Irene Walker, Tammy Flemming, Elisea Frishberg, Rosalind Wilkins Haith, Nancy Granovsky, and Laury Adams. Our moderators includes Beverly Lyle, Starr Shephard, and Nola Lusk.

Our Mistress of Ceremonies is Beverly Lyle. Beverly Beavers-Lyle is the Regional Administrator for the Women’s Bureau with the U. S. Department of Labor where she serves as the Field Operations Manager of the ten regional offices, as well as the Regional Administrator for Region VI, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico.

Our Key Note Speaker is Muriel Seibert. Muriel “Mickie” Siebert is the founder and president of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) brokerage firm that bears her name, Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc. She established the firm in 1967 when she became the first woman member of the NYSE and transformed it into a discount brokerage house on May 1, 1975, the first day that NYSE members were permitted to negotiate commissions. Muriel Siebert and Co. is the only woman-owned NYSE brokerage firm with a national presence. Ms. Siebert continues to oversee the firm’s day to day operations at its seven branches. The firm’s Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. municipal affiliate is ranked in the top 20 public finance firms in the country.

Event will open at 8am for light refreshments and meeting with our speakers and partners. Our panels will run for 45 minutes starting at 9am, 10am, and 11am. Our Key Note Speaker will be from 12pm-12:30pm.

This event is made possible in part by: Money Week Houston, University of Houston Downtown, A’LON Group, Inc., Women’s Bureau, US Department of Labor, Women Business Owners, Biz Radio, Women’s Council of HREA, The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Austin Properties Unlimited, Micro Enterprise Lending, Adams’ Mediation & Financial Resource Center, and Houston Area Urban League.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau

presents

the second in the 2009 series of

Wi$eUp Teleconference Calls

Putting the Pieces Together

to Weather the Economic Downturn

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

2:00pm to 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

Register online at www.dol.gov/wb/mentor2.asp or by phone at 202-693-6767

to receive the toll free call-in number and passcode.

Has today’s economic downturn hurt the outlook for your financial security?  Do you need to develop a modified spending plan as a result of reduced income, increased debt, or other changes in your financial situation?  If you are facing a layoff, do you know if you’re eligible for unemployment benefits, what’s the maximum benefit amount you may receive, and how to file a claim?  Do you know how to negotiate a severance package?  What are your options for protecting or extending your healthcare coverage and retirement benefits after a job loss?  Are there any special tax considerations to be aware of during such challenging economic times?

Join us to hear the following speakers discuss resources available to help you weather the economic downturn:

Bedda D’Angelo, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, is President of Fiduciary Solutions, Inc. in Durham, North Carolina.  Fiduciary Solutions provides financial management services, including comprehensive tax, insurance, and estate planning services.  With over 25 years of industry experience, Ms. D’Angelo draws on a broad knowledge base in financial planning, investment management, and trust administration to develop personalized financial plans for her clients.  Before founding Fiduciary Solutions, Ms. D’Angelo held executive positions in the banking and investment management industries.  She has been quoted in Business Week, Newsweek, Forbes, CBS Marketwatch, Smart Money, Wealth Manager, and the Journal of Financial Planning.  Ms. D’Angelo is a member of the Financial Planning Association.

Stephanie Garcia is Team Leader for State and Federal Programs in the Division of Unemployment Insurance Operations in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce Security.  She has 16 years of combined state and federal experience in the Unemployment Insurance program.

Jack A. Heil, Certified Public Accountant (CPA)/Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), is the owner of Jack A. Heil CPA/CFF/PFS, founded in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Mr. Heil serves a wide range of clients, including individuals, small- to medium- size businesses, law firms, insurance companies, and independent adjusting firms throughout the Carolinas and other southern states.  He has over 29 years of accounting, auditing, taxation, litigation, business advisory, and financial advisory service experience.  Prior to opening his own firm, Mr. Heil was the Manager-in-Charge at the now combined global accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.  Mr. Heil is an approved instructor and continuing education provider with the North Carolina Department of Insurance.  He received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Kentucky and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in Financial Forensics.  Mr. Heil is a member of the AICPA Litigation Services Section, Tax Services Section, and Personal Financial Planning Section.

A question and answer session will follow the presentations.

Transcripts and audio recordings of past Wi$eUp Teleconference Calls are available online at www.wiseupwomen.org.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau’s Wi$eUp project is dedicated to helping workers reduce debt and increase savings and investments.  In addition to bimonthly teleconference calls, the Wi$eUp project consists of a curriculum offered online and in classroom settings and an online “Ask the Experts” feature.  For more information, including how to register to become a Wi$eUp participant, mentor, or service provider, please visit www.dol.gov/wb or www.wiseupwomen.org. Also, now check out Wi$eUp on YouTube www.youtube.com/WiseUpWomen.

In the spring of 2007 Crystal was diagnosed with a rare, genetically inherited and extremely aggressive form of stage 2 Mammary Ductal Carcinoma.  She had a radical double mastectomy, and was informed that this treatment would give her a few more years to spend with her family.

In December, Crystal noticed a growing malformation on her clavicle.  This malformation was diagnosed as a metastasization of the same aggressive cancer, this time stage 4.  Most of the specialists she has seen have given her a poor prognosis, and have recommended limited treatment options in an effort to extend her life as long as possible.  These treatment options have no plan for eliminating the cancer.   Unfortunately, because this form of cancer is so rare, there is not a standard protocol for treating it, so any approach is considered experimental.

The treatment that Crystal has chosen to fight her cancer has a very high success rate, but is not covered by her insurance due to its experimental nature.  Crystal and her husband Jay both work full-time jobs, and are able to pay their bills for now, but have nowhere near the means to afford the what her treatment and living expenses will cost over the next 6 months.

Crystal with her daughters
Ella, 2 and Alyssa, 4.