Volunteer to be an insider

I am the Chairman Emeritus of the Wharton Club of New York. I’ve been the president and the chairman. Over the years these titles have been very useful for my various business and sales endeavors.
Probably not surprising as that Wharton word carries some credibility and I’ve found having the title president or chairman of the largest alumni association for the school has some credibility too.
How did I achieve securing these positions? Mostly I went to the school and I volunteered to take on a position in the alumni club.
I’m not the only one that’s ever benefited from helping an association, Tim Ferriss, bestselling author of the “4 Hour Work Week” credits volunteering for the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs as the reason he got off the dime in Silicon Valley, having moved there with no connections at all.
It turns out volunteer-run organizations nearly always need more volunteers. You see