I've probably written about some flavor of this topic a dozen times over the years on this blog. So that you don't have to go back and re-read through the hundreds of posts here's short version. My belief is that one of the single most powerful ways to build great lasting relationships is to get deeply involved in a cause that you're deeply passionate about. This could be your church, a chamber of commerce, a local business association or one of the hundreds (actually I think it's thousands) of local non-profits.

The challenge I've seen many people struggle with when it comes to this suggestion is finding that organization that they can get super passionate about. Today I get to bring you a couple of answers!

Last week I had a great early morning coffee meeting with Courtney Clark the Executive Director of a new non-profit called Austin Involved. We connected right away when she gave me an overview of what her organization was about when we initially met at a Leadership Austin event. I want to share with you what her organization is doing as well as what another good friend, Marissa Vogel is doing with her organization: Little Helping Hands.

The Austin Involved model is targeted at young professionals. Their model is super simple. Membership is just $25 per month and each month all of the members vote to choose the one organization that will receive 100% of all of the member contributions from that month. That's a pretty cool place to start, but where it gets really interesting is what happens next. Once an organization is chosen to receive the funds they then organize a volunteering event where members can also do a little bit of hands on work for the recipient as well as see and learn more about their chosen organization. So each year Austin Involved members will have an opportunity to learn about and get to know 12 different organizations.

The ultimate goal is to help connect people with organizations that are most meaningful to them. They're totally fine if you want to leave Austin Involved at that point to become more deeply involved in the new group that they helped you fall in love with. In their mind that is a success.

While it's not for everyone I encourage you to learn more about Austin Involved and consider joining them as a founding member in a very participatory adventure.

Another opportunity that is great if you have kids is Marissa Vogel's Little Helping Hands. Their mission is all about exposing kids to volunteerism. Little Helping Hands often works with companies and other groups to provide turn-key opportunities for families to volunteer together. What better way to begin some really meaningful relationships than to involve your whole family in an activity where you and your friends families are all working together for a good cause.

Marissa did an amazing job helping me bring together a group from Bazaarvoice to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House where we all prepared a meal for the families that were in residence at the time. It was a great experience that my oldest daughter and I shared together along with the families of several of my co-workers.

If you have kids or there are a lot of families in your office or other organization I highly recommend reaching out to Little Helping Hands to help you put together a really meaningful experience. They're an absolute dream to work with since they do just about everything and make the whole process super easy.

So whether you're still trying to find the right cause for you or you still need help trying to figure that out through a group like Austin Involved or Little Helping Hands it all starts with a single step. Join a group. Ask about volunteer opportunities. Talk to a board member about how to get involved. Whatever you do just take that first step that you probably already had in the back of your mind before you even started reading this post. Do it now.

Happy Networking!