Community involvement can help you build your business in a fun and rewarding way.

Volunteering for community causes and events you care about will introduce you to like-minded prospects, says April-Lynn Levitt, a coach with the Personal Coach in Calgary. As well, community work will help you maintain a more balanced lifestyle because it encourages you to focus on things other than your business.

Here are five ways for you to start building your reputation in the community:

1. Run, walk and invite your team
Getting involved in charity events can help you to build your business’ profile in the community — and stay healthy.

Help a cause that is important to you, says Rosemary Smyth, coach and owner of Rosemary Smyth and Associates in Victoria, which specializes in coaching financial advisors, by signing up for a charity run or walk.

Talk to your team to see if they wish to get involved as well.

2. Join a committee
Make a difference for your community by becoming a decision-maker for a favourite charitable association.

Volunteer for a committee or become a board member for a foundation, Smyth says. Whether it’s for a hospital foundation or a local cultural festival, make sure you choose an activity that you are passionate about.

3. Sponsor a team
If you can’t give your time to the community, consider giving money instead.

Sponsoring a team can help build your profile in the community, says Levitt. You could support a golf event or a local amateur hockey or baseball team.

4. Donate a prize
If you don’t want to hand over a cheque and are unable to donate your time, consider other types of donations.

Offering prizes or auction items for community events can make you more visible in your community, says Smyth. It will also give you the satisfaction helping your community.

Remember to take a look at your budget first to figure out how much you can give and where best to do so.

5. Start your own event
Another way to get involved on your own time and support something you truly believe in, Levitt says, is to organize an event of your own.

You can start small, Levitt says. She gives the example of an advisor who held a party to raise finds for a local charity, involving only seven friends. The party was such a success it has become an annual event, supporting a different cause each year.

“He found that by starting his own event,” Levitt says, “he could call the shots.”

This is the first in a two-part series on volunteering in the community. Next: Making your charitable activities successful.