New Year’s resolutions that we hear people discuss in January every year revolve around such common themes as losing weight, finding a new job, setting new financial goals and planning to take more time for friends and family. How many people actually set the important resolution of taking time to volunteer more? So many professionals think that they do not have the time or energy to commit to another organization, but today’s volunteering opportunities make it easy for even the Trump’s of the world to tailor a community involvement activity to seamlessly integrate into their current schedule.

First utilize such Web sites as VolunteerMatch.org and SmartVolunteer.org to find an opportunity based on location, type of organization or level of commitment necessary. These sites make it a quick and easy process to identify an organization that easily fits your lifestyle. After you commit to a cause be sure to treat your role as a job even though you are not being paid. You are still obligated to attend events when you say you will and to behave professionally. Also, be sure to commit at least three weeks to the organization before deciding it is not a fit for you. Just like a new workout regimen, it takes some time to get into the swing of the activity before being able to determine the benefits.

If long term commitments are not your style, make a vacation out of your community involvement and signup for a great vacation that allows you to give back to others while giving back to yourself. Study animals in South Africa or Costa Rica through EarthWatch.org and VolunteerAbroad.com, or help to restore the environment in the Caribbean, Key West or Tuscany through SierraClub.org, ReefRelief.org and WWOOF.org. Most of these organizations even give you a discount, if not free, lodging and meals.

The rewards for volunteering significantly out way the simple dollar amount of a paycheck. You can expect to make friends, establish business contacts, reduce stress and boost your overall physical and mental well-being, all while helping others. The important thing to remember is that volunteering, whether a lot of time or a little bit of time, is greatly beneficial and empowering to the community we live in and without it so many things would suffer. Take time as the New Year takes off to identify the ways in which you can schedule volunteering into your schedule, the benefits will seriously surprise you.

Posted by: Monica Kenney, monica@boltpr.com

At Bolt Public Relations, we believe that a huge part of PR is staying on top of the latest trend and keeping a pulse on general happenings, that way we never miss an opportunity for our clients’ names, brands and products to be in the news. To take that idea one step further, we also try to be a resource to others.

Today, our whole country – both Democrats and Republicans – came together to watch President Barack Obama swear in to office. The Bolt team was glued to the TV for Inauguration day 2009 and covered the event, plus a little fashion commentary, via Twitter. Below is our tweet by tweet of the historic inauguration of the 44th President:

Working from home today to watch the Inauguration – history happening right now!
The first President Bush and his wife have matching purple scarfs
Loving Hillary’s royal blue coat!
Decided to watch c-span
The Obama girls are little fashionistas!
The whole crowd is waiting, unsure what to do
Now the cheers for Obama are starting
Still making up my mind about Michelle’s outfit…
The anticipation is building…A lot of mingling going on.
Here comes the VP-elect
c-span now showing our Pres-elect!
I think he is trying to hold back from smiling too much
Obama in a red tie and Biden in a blue – so patriotic (good branding)
The music is starting… and there is he is”ladies and gentlemen the President-elect of the United States, Barack H. Obama!” Everyone is seated.
Diane Feinstein is giving the welcome, “the world is watching this peaceful exchange of power”
‘No triumph tainted by brutality could be as sweet as the triumph of this hour’
Regardless of your political views, this is an exciting day
Prayer by Rev. Rick WarrenWow!
RT: @shelisrael #inaug09 posting faster than 1000 per minute.
Aretha Franklin with a large gray, sparkly bow on her head is singing ‘my country tis of thee’ – still has an amazing voice!
Everyone is standing for the oathsBiden is being sworn in
Incredible composition and performance – can feel the emotion in the music. The cello player is incredible and expressive
How cute – the girls standing on boxes. Obama is excited. Is he nervous? blanked when repeating words for a second.
*It is official. We have a new pres – speech time!
“We understand that greatness is never a gift, it must be learned.” – Obama**
poet Elizabeth Alexander – “say it plain, that many have died for this day”***
***”What if the mightiest word is love?” E.A.
Jill Biden looks fab! way to rock the boots and red coat
Great PR move by Obama – including/mentioning ALL of the American people, regardless of belief. Promotes good will.

*According to ABC News, Chief Justice John Roberts misspoke.
**Full Transcript: President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address, ABC News
***Transcript of Inaugural Poem, NYTimes.com

Posted by: Anne Carr, anne@boltpr.com

I attended a Relationship Building Network (RBN) focus group today and the topic of discussion was networking. Below are a few tips I learned from the experts at RBN on the most effective ways to network:

Network with a Vision. Know your goals for attending the event before you go. Whether it’s finding someone who knows a particular person you want to meet or if it’s finding at least one quality lead, have a goal in mind and commit to achieving it. This will help you move away from conversations that are counter-productive while giving you a specific topic to address with everyone you meet.

Network When Business is at its Best. When business slows down, you’ll have a rolodex full of contacts to follow up with.

Offer Gifts/Raffles/Prizes. Not only does this make you a popular person at the event, it’s also a great way to give someone a constant reminder of you every time they use or see the gift. But make sure your gift doesn’t come with strings attached, such as “free” consultations or “free X with the purchase of X”.

Arrive Early and Leave Late. If you’re going to take the time to attend an event, maximize your presence there. At the end, offer to help the hosts clean up after the event.

Let Others Talk First. This is one of the best ways to build rapport with others you meet. People love talking about themselves, so let them. They’ll not only like you more for it, you’ll have an understanding of their business so you can better frame how your product/service may be of benefit to them.

Demonstrate Value. At the end of the day, we all need to sell our products/services. Find a way to demonstrate that the benefit of what you’re offering far outweighs the cost. Communicate with the buyer’s perspective in mind… and you’ll understand their perspective if you let them talk first

Posted by: Caroline Callaway, caroline@boltpr.com