David's Life in the Pro Bono Movement
A New Career, A New Purpose
Taproot Consultants on How Service Has Changed Their Lives
David Schoenberger on Pro Bono
"Pro bono work allows you to give yourself away. Taproot allows worthy charities to borrow brains from the best and brightest companies As a donor of brain power, you can have a profound and immediate impact upon an organization.”
As a successful marketing executive, David Schoenberger felt like a round peg in a square hole. "I could fit in, but there was always a lot of wiggle room in the corners," he recalls. "I had to suppress my personality and my natural creativity."
Still, David had no intention of changing careers until he discovered Taproot and the power of pro bono work. It was the experience of leading three back-to-back Taproot Service Grants that inspired David to reflect on his current path and opened his eyes to his true potential. He gained the confidence to launch a new career and a new business. His company, Better Indeed LLC, is the lifestyle innovations consultancy behind his award-winning, get-to-know-your-family-better board game, Family Matters.
David says his experience at Taproot helped him see that he was capable of pursuing his dream of entrepreneurship. "Once I saw that there were other ways of leveraging my marketing skills, I become more open to the concept of creating something on my own -- without the backing of a large company," David explains.
David's Pro Bono Path to Entrepreneurship
At first, David viewed Taproot as simply a way to give back. He didn't have a lot of money to give, so he donated his time and abilities instead. "Pro bono work allows you to give yourself away. Taproot allows worthy charities to borrow brains from the best and brightest companies," David says.
He was astonished at the difference he was able to make as a Taproot pro bono consultant. "As a donor of brain power, you can have a profound and immediate impact upon an organization," David says. "It's almost like having a seat on the organization's board of directors."
After just a month on his first Taproot project, David started to see how his work delivered tangible results for his nonprofit client. "Years later, I continue to see the results of that work when I receive their e-mail updates (announcing new programs and new milestones)."
David also discovered that his pro bono work had surprising fringe benefits. "You definitely get pro quo for your quid," David jokes.
Through Taproot, David connected with valuable networking contacts - including fellow consultants from some of the world's most prestigious companies. He also became friendly with staff and board members from his nonprofit Taproot clients. In fact, he still dines regularly with the Executive Director from one organization and has called on her for professional recommendations
Even more importantly, David's Taproot experience helped him to expand his skills and build his professional confidence. "Taproot has made me a better person and a better marketer," David says. "Pro bono work let me test myself while I was still employed. It really expanded my thinking to apply my marketing chops to an entirely new type of project."
Stepping outside of his comfort zone also helped David gain a whole new perspective on his life. "I saw that there was a world bigger and broader than the one in which I was working," David continues. This new outlook gave David the courage to start his own company and create his first product, a game designed to build stronger and closer families. His business model reflects his passion for giving back; Better Indeed is creating sales promotions with specific organizations where up to 10% of all related revenue goes to the charity of the partner's choice
Today, David finally has a career that is closely aligned with his values and his greatest talents. Pro bono work helped David to see the possibilities that he is now living.
"Now there is a spiritual component that is part of my day-to-day," says David. "I am building my legacy."
