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Making Lemonade from Lemons

Yeah, this economy is rough. The business cycle has been slow. Now things are looking up, but still things are slow. Can this be at all good for your Learning Center?

Well, in one way it may. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal describes how to wrest opportunity from this economic climate.

The article describes the plight of professional services companies that are reaching out to non-profits as a way to keep their staff occupied as demand for their services is slow. (Read the full story here.)

What this means for you may be high quality support for services you may now have gotten otherwise. The types of services you may be able to get pro bono are:

• PR
• Advertising and marketing
• Web development
• Video production
• Event management

Be sure to look at both obvious service companies as well as large corporations, which may have staff or departments that are currently slow. A few tips may help:

• Clearly define a project with a short (3-6 month) time frame.
• Be prepared to be patient as this is a 'second priority' to paid work
• Consider how this project may also benefit the service provider (visibility, contacts, etc.)
• Make sure the project is something you really need.

Make your list of dream needs and who could help achieve these goals. Then reach out and ask for help. In this economy, you might be surprised.