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... more in terms of public relations. Just as with trade associations, such memberships are only as good as your level of participation. Seek out elected offices, serve as a spokesperson, take on special interest committee work. Among the personal benefits you may experience, other members will come to think of you as a mover and shaker and rely on your guidance. Not a bad persona for an insurance agent. Plus, the more active you are, the more chance you will be seen as a spokesperson for your group when local media cover your activities. CHARITY WORK. Nearly all the civic membership items just mentioned apply to charity work. One distinct advantage is that you don't have to look for a charity to join, you can start your own. Just pick a local shelter, hospice, or any other nonprofit organization that benefits your community and build your own fund-raising program for them. A Ford dealership in Southern New Jersey selected five charities to help, ranging from an orphanage to a hospital. Starting with raffles, this dealership now actually produces major concerts to raise funds. The dealership has also joined forces with one of the banks and one of the supermarkets for co-op promotion and ticket sales: You have to go to one of the three to buy your tickets. Everyone within a hundred miles knows of this dealership's philanthropy, and business is good. The list of ways you can build your agency's image through PR is endless- but most agency owners make one major mistake. In many cases, participation in various activities is limited to how much the owner or executive ...