Doing Well by Doing Good
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
For small companies as well as global enterprises, philanthropy is good for business. But as a small business owner, you have an advantage over big companies because you can create bigger and more targeted impact with less investment.
When your business gives back through the support of community organizations, your efforts and your business become more visible among your customers and target audiences. Supporting local causes can make a big difference in the lives and well-being of families in your business area, and can inspire gratitude and loyalty towards your business.
Another benefit of contributing to charitable causes is you have the opportunity to reinforce your company values and create more meaningful experiences that result in team bonding among your employees.
8 Ways Your Business Can Give Back
Paid Volunteer Time
Align your team around a common cause to make a big impact. Choose a community organization you want to support and enable your team to schedule volunteer time with them by making it a paid opportunity. Giving your team a chance to meet as a group and talk what they experienced can strengthen your company culture and reinforce their sense of identity with the community.
Food or Clothing Charity Drives
Collaborate with a local food pantry or organization that distributes gently used clothing or food items to schedule an event your company can lead within the community. You’ll drive awareness of your business through promotion of the drive.
Event Sponsorship
Golf tournaments, fun runs/walks, and other traditional community participation events offer a range of opportunities to contribute. Encouraging employees to be involved in the community by sponsoring their participation at the team or individual level.
Donation Matching
Select a cause that’s meaningful to you or aligns with your business and offer to match your employees’ donations up to your designated set limit.
Pro Bono Services
Schedule a day for you and your employees to provide discounted or free services to those in need. Depending on the nature of your business, you may be able to create a theme around your campaign like Back to School, Spring Cleanup, Mother’s Day, etc.
Youth Sports Team Sponsorship
Putting your business name on team jerseys is a great way to introduce or reinforce your brand awareness in the community. Typically teams also will provide a link to your website on their own team website, and send messages to members to support sponsors. You can leverage this special affiliation by offering team families special discounts or deals.
Contribute to a Charitable Auction
Consider contributing your product or service to an organization’s fund-raising auction. These events are typically well promoted, so they can deliver extensive free promotion for your business.
Donate a Percentage of Sales
Designate a day where you will donate a set percentage of your sales to a specific cause.
I can help you leverage philanthropy to build awareness of your business and create growth opportunities.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk:
