"I believe firmly in the idea of paying it forward, and my work with the Taproot Foundation once again proved that philosophy to be true," says Doc Kane, founder and president of Roscommon, a Chicago-based copywriting and marketing firm.

Pro bono helped Doc launch and build his business and complete his transformation from forklift salesman to entrepreneur and award-winning writer. "Taproot helped me take my business to the next level as a result of the relationships I built on my team, and the portfolio samples I created for Taproot projects."

Doc definitely took the non-traditional route to entrepreneurial success. Before launching his business, Doc was knocking on warehouse doors as a forklift salesman.

"I might not have been the world's greatest forklift salesman, but I became the go-to writer at the company, volunteering to work on press releases and marketing materials in my spare time," Doc says. It was soon clear that Doc's greatest talents were in communications, not warehouse equipment. He decided to take a chance on starting his own copywriting business.

As with most small businesses, it took Doc's company some time to get established and he started looking for creative ways to find clients. "When I heard about the Taproot Foundation, I knew it would be a great opportunity to connect with potential clients in the marketing industry while doing something good," Doc says.

At the time, though, Taproot was primarily seeking pro bono copywriters with advertising agency backgrounds. Doc had proven skills, but no agency track record. "I had to fight to get into Taproot, but I eventually won them over."

Shortly after orientation, Doc got an emergency call from the manager of a Taproot project for the Chicago Foundation for Education (CFE) team. "They were knee-deep in the project, running out of time, and not finding the right words for CFE's new brochure."

Doc was called in to help and was able to draw on previous experience as an academic advisor to ask the right questions and connect with the client. "I was able to turn around the brochure copy in two weeks and the client loved it," Doc recalls. "The brochure was ultimately submitted for a marketing communications award and earned an honorable mention prize."

Doc's experience on the CFE project was incredibly rewarding - both personally and professionally. "I got immense satisfaction from helping this very worthy organization," Doc says. "It also really strengthened my confidence to see how I could deliver for a client, even in a challenging situation. It showed me that I would be able to deliver for clients in my own business as well."

"My pro bono work also helped me build my business because I got referrals from Taproot team members," Doc says. "In fact, one of my biggest clients came from a Taproot referral and we have been working together for almost two years now."

Today, Doc counts several nonprofit organizations among his clients and Roscommon is known for expertise in the nonprofit sector. Taproot also inspired Doc to get more personally involved in the causes that he cares about. He currently sits on boards for nonprofit organizations including Singapore Chicago Connection, the International Association of Business Communicators, and is involved in supporting Rock for Kids.

He stresses the value of the connections you can make through Taproot: "I would tell all writers and freelancers to join Taproot. The experience can lead to life-changing business and volunteer opportunities."

Written pro bono by Pamela Skillings - a pro bono consultant with Taproot Foundation, career coach, and author of Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams.