Volunteer Information

If interested in participating as a volunteer professional in WCTC's Take a Professional to Lunch (TPL) program, please review the information below. if interested in being considered for the list of volunteers, click the profile button at the bottom of this page.

You will be contacted within 2 business days via email to confirm your submission. Professionals added to the list are notified when added.

To help with your decision, please consider the following points before submitting your volunteer profile via the link at the bottom of this page:

• Basic Requirements for Volunteer Professionals
  To help verify volunteer professional qualifications, the following general requirements were established:
  - Professionals should be associated with a LLC or Corporation
  - Professionals should have a website or be associated with one that describes their services.
  - Professionals need to have an email and phone number.
  - Professionals need to have at least 5 years of experience providing their services.
  
  
• List
  Entrepreneurs interested in the program are emailed a current list of volunteer professionals who they can contact to arrange a lunch meeting. This list is updated periodically based on entrepreneur feedback and volunteer professionals' interest in continuing with the program. The list is not posted online to ensure that entrepreneurs read the program guidelines and understand that the program is not a means of obtaining free professional services. It is intended to provide useful insights into the general business issues encountered while starting, operating, and growing a business.
  
  
• Volunteer Program
  This is a volunteer program intended to help entrepreneurs connect with practicing business professionals that are willing to share their insights and experience over a lunch.
  It should not be viewed as a 'sales meeting' focused on securing new business with the entrepreneur, nor should the entrepreneur view it as an opportunity to obtain 'free' services from a professional.
  The purpose is to provide an easy way for entrepreneurs to learn what various business professionals can do for small businesses while learning some tips from a professionals real world experience.
  
  If the lunch meeting evolves into a longer-term business relationship, that is at the option of both parties and is an acceptable outcome of the program. Due diligence is the responsibility of both parties.
  
  
• Meeting Cost
  Unless you are unable to accept 'gifts' from the public or potential clients, entrepreneurs are expected to pay for the meeting meal. This should be the only 'charge' or 'fee' paid by the entrepreneur for meeting with you. Alcoholic beverages should not be purchased or consumed during a TPL meeting.
  
  
• Right to Decline
  As a volunteer, the professional is under no obligation to accept a lunch invitation from an entrepreneur. This is without limitation and might be driven by conflict of interest, poor fit of real world experience with the entrepreneur's business model, scheduling conflicts, availability, or other reasons.
  
  However, once a meeting is accepted with an entrepreneur, professionals are expected to attend or reschedule in a professional and timely manner.
  
  
• Scope
  The primary purpose of the lunch is to share your insights and experience with the entrepreneur in the context of their specific business venture. Answering general questions and offering your opinion is likewise within the intended scope of the program.
  
  However, volunteers are not expected to begin providing 'free' services during the course of the lunch meeting unless they are comfortable and willing to do so.
  
  For example, providing a legal opinion/review of an LLC operating agreement over lunch would exceed the intended program scope. Providing advice on why an agreement is needed, what usually is included, special cases to watch out for, and your past experience dealing with well written and poorly written operating agreements would fall within the program scope.
  
  The amount of advice and guidance provided is at the discretion of each professional, but entrepreneurs should be focused on learning from your real world experience and insights.
  
  
• Amount of Time
  The length of the lunch should be predefined while scheduling with the entrepreneur. Again, this is up to each professional to decide - just be clear with the entrepreneur how much time you have scheduled to spend with them over lunch.
  
  
• Professional Conduct
  A mention of professional conduct is included here as a reminder of basic good business practices and common sense.
  
  Non-disclosure
  Be clear about what level of confidentiality you can and can not offer if a entrepreneur wants to divulge sensitive information. Also be clear about any potential conflicts of interest.
  It is also good to explain why your profession does not divulge information about competing companies.
  
  Dress
  In today's casual business dress environment, it may be worth considering dressing a notch up for the lunch meeting to set the proper tone for the entrepreneur. If they meet with someone dressed to go golfing, they may treat the advice less seriously.
  
  With that said, the dress code is entirely up to the volunteer professional. Just view yourself through the eyes of an entrepreneur when considering how you'll show up to lunch.
  
  Schedule Changes
  Everyone's schedule changes. Please show the same consideration to the entrepreneur as you would a client if the need to reschedule arises.
  
  
• Feedback Form
  After each lunch meeting, you are required to visit this site and complete the brief online feedback form on your experiences. Failure to do so may result in being dropped from the list.