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VA Directory

VA Directory - Connecting clients with Virtual Assistants

AU: +61 437 889 400

How do I find my niche?

This is a question I see from time to time in VA forums from new VAs struggling to work out what they should be offering and how to attract clients. Personally, sometimes I think the focus on ‘niches’ gets in the way of people starting up their businesses and here are my thoughts.

Can I tell you I never had a niche when I started over 23 years ago? I just did whatever was needed, typing, data entry, minutes of meetings, bookkeeping, phone answering. Whatever I could do. It was three years before a niche came to me. Yes, it came to me.

A lady contacted me to find out if I would be interested in running the Secretariat for their not-for-profit organisation as the person doing it was leaving them. They’d heard about me from someone else. I went for an interview with the committee and they took me on board.

I was doing something like 10-15 hours a week for them. That was the start of something new for me but utilised all the things I had been doing – typing, taking minutes of meetings, data entry and managing membership databases, promoting events via email and so on. Today that also includes maintaining websites, social media and broadcast emails through Mailchimp.  I no longer work with that group but was with them for 3 years and have since worked with several NFP groups in the past 20 years. I have 20 years’ experience as a Secretariat operator! Who would have thought that when I started? Not me! The NFPs have been in the medical industry (pedorthists and palliative care), o/seas business councils (South Africa and Malaysia), an organisation dedicated to arborists, another I provide social media support to a group for independent contractors in our country, and so on. Some I provide 15 hours a month service, and others less. In fact, before I started my business full time, I was operating the office for the Institute of Professional Secretaries Australia (IPSA) not even guessing that is what I would end up providing as a professional service operator.

I know people promote ‘get a niche, get a niche’ but sometimes you just have to start with what you know. And that’s what I did. Today I have a couple of niches – NFPs and also Professional Speakers/Business Coaches because they all need the same type of service offering.

A niche can be a set of services OR can be a particular industry. For me it’s about industries that need what I have been doing all along.  What is it you know best and can offer as a service? There may just be an industry out there waiting for you.

Calling all NFPs

NFPs or Not-for-Profits are usually run by a group of volunteers who take on the role of committee members with an executive: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary as well as a number of general committee members.

Last time I looked at an Association Directory there were over 800,000 such groups here in Australia alone.  There comes a time when some of these NFPs feel that managing the association gets too much for the volunteer committee and they have to bite the bullet and employ or engage someone to manage the day-to-day activities of the association.  Members who apply to join, or want to speak to someone about something. Registrations for networking and educational events. Minutes of meetings, website management, social media support. Managing the database. Bookkeeping. The list goes on.

Woman in home office using computer smilingEven with a small membership base and a couple of events a year, an NFP could be in the position to engage the services of a VA to manage the Secretariat for that association. Just 4-5 hours a month is a good start and would free up the time and roles of the various committee members so they can go back to enjoying the reasons why they joined the association in the first place. Certainly would help cut down on late night activities working instead of being with family and friends when not in their ‘real’ jobs.

In our VA Network we have several VAs who are experienced operators in Secretariat Support and Association Management. If you, or someone you know, are looking for a better way to manage an association, why not contact us today for a quote and advice?

VA + NFP = Perfect Marriage

Chatting to a VA over the weekend made me realise how much a Virtual Assistant working with a Not For Profit is a perfect fit.  You could say it’s the perfect marriage.

Organisations run by volunteer committees at some time or another get to the point of overload.  The committee members have to make a decision of where to go next, they’ve come to the cross road. Some struggle or find more committee members but more often than not, many get burnt out and move on, leaving the organisation lacking in skills and experience.  Others decide to engage someone to support them but then comes the question of who, when, where, how much and so on.

Enter the Virtual Assistant who has suitable skills for this role.  They already have their own office, equipment, software and furniture and this immediately elminates the need for those items to be considered by the committee of the organisation. So, the next thing they really need to do is decide what needs to be done and how much they are willing to commit to financially.

Some organisations agree to an annual rate which is paid on a monthly basis on contract and others simply pay on invoice to the VA who supports them. I have done it both ways and for 10 years supported several NFPs, some for several years.  At one stage I was supporting 3 simultaneously and really enjoyed this line of work.

The services I provided as a Secretariat (Association Management) for NFPs are:  database management, website maintenance, membership management, broadcast emails, daily contact with members (provided a phone line), receiving and opening mail, banking of membership payments, reporting to the treasurer and president as needed, prepare agendas for meetings, take minutes of meetings and organise networking and educational events for the members.  The majority of this work was done in my own office but once a month I may have been required to attend committee meetings or networking events held for members – it really depended on the organisation.

If you enjoy working with groups of people and have a personal interest in certain areas, then you could look to see what NFPs operate in that area, for example: sport, medical, ethnic groups, business councils, specific industry groups and so on.

About

A Clayton’s Secretary T/as VA Directory was established in March 1994 by
Kathie M. Thomas.

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