In his Guerilla Marketing Weekly Intelligence email today, Jay Conrad Levinson writes:
 
 “If you volunteer to work on a committee but are never available for meetings, or if you sponsor a little league team and don't show up for games, you're proving yourself to be crass and superficial, probably sucking up the community to get business instead of working for it for altruistic reasons. Consumers are more sophisticated than ever these days. People know the difference between serving the community and serving yourself. If you're not willing to devote honest time and energy to your community, you're better off skipping this weapon and leaving it to the real guerrillas in your community. I just hope for your sake that none are your direct competitors."
His post struck a real chord with me.  As a dedicated community volunteer, I sit on  many boards and committees.  And I am frequently frustrated—even angered—to read the membership lists of various volunteer groups  and note the names of many folks who never show up and/or do the work of the body.  I also get irritated when I am the only REALTOR involved in issues that have a direct bearing on the quality of life in our beloved Montgomery, Alabama.
 
Those of us who make a living selling real estate in this community have, in my not-so-humble opinion, an immense obligation to give back.  We are in positions of influence and can, if we choose, make a real difference.  And if more of us were involved, what a difference that would be!