10 Commandments for Pro Bono Work

It's 10:09 a.m., you've found a quiet table away from the cappuccino machine, your cell phone is on vibrate and you have your notes in front of you. So where's the person you kindly offered to help?

I have found myself in this situation twice in the past few months and both times I packed up my things and walked out. Though it's aggravating to be disrespected in this way, being crystal clear about the value of my time and resources made the decision to leave an easy one.

It can feel great to give back to the community as an acknowledgment of the mentoring and support you received in the early days of your career. But now that you're in a position to give back, it can seem like a fine line between being generous and being taken advantage of.

My 10 Commandments for Pro Bono Work will help you to find that line and decide how and when you will share your expertise. But before you get started, you need to get clarity. The critical piece to using these guidelines is your certainty that what you possess has great value and demands to be respected.

At a recent training session, Helen House, a Master Certified Coach created an awed silence when she made a simple confession. She told our group that she did daily mirror work repeating to her image, "I love you, I love you." ("How do you think I got to be this fabulous?" she added with a laugh.)

My version of mirror work is to recite affirmations daily with a partner, a practice I've had for several years and often recommend to my clients. They are powerful sentences claiming what it is you want to have and be in your world. One of my daily mantras is:

~I value my own and others' time and services and trust that we will provide mutual respect to each other.~

After saying this day after day, I am now keenly aware when there is mutual respect and when there isn't. Wasting my precious time in a coffee shop, without even a courtesy call from the other party, produced a powerful feeling in my solar plexus telling me - "You are not being valued here!"

But rather than falling into the abyss of resentment when these situations arise, I am able to confidently move on using my 10 Commandments for entrepreneurial generosity as my guide.

1. I shall be 100% crystal clear on what I am comfortable giving to others in terms of business help and/or volunteer work.
• I'm delighted to pass on resources, make introductions and in general point entrepreneurs in the right direction.
• I'm happy to eyeball one screen of pretty much anything.
  
• I am not willing to read, edit or proofread more than a couple of paragraphs.
  
  
2. I shall be 100% responsible for making it clear to the recipient what s/he can expect.
   
   
3. I shall give priority to the commitments I have made to my existing clients when considering pro bono work.
   
   
4. I shall take 100% responsibility for having the contact information for the person I'm contributing my time to.
   
   
5. I shall be 100% responsible for recording information regarding appointments and will honor them as scheduled. If I need to change an appointment, I will let the receiver of my generosity know in a timely manner.
   
   
6. If I'm going to be late for an appointment, I shall call the receiver at, or ahead of, the appointed time to let him/her know of the delay. (See Commandment #4)
   
   
7. I shall take 100% responsibility for maintaining the boundaries of what I will and will not contribute in terms of my vast knowledge.
   
   
8. I shall be clear on my own expectations- an opportunity to give back, acknowledgment, gratitude or paying it forward-and not carry a grudge if these are not met.
   
   
9. I shall listen to my gut at all times and trust when to say no. When I feel the need to check it out with a colleague, chances are that the answer has already been determined.
   
   
10. I shall make exceptions to my Commandments at my own discretion.

Time is your most precious commodity. How you spend yours - what you decide to keep and what you give to others - is up to you.