Being supportive of your community and looking for ways to give back can both be a good business practice and a positive way to channel the influence of your business. Here are some reasons that giving back to your community is a good idea for you and for your business.
• You can work on community projects and areas that your clients care about. When you get involved with a cause that is important to the people you work with, it can both help you deepen your relationships with those clients and strengthen your rapport with potential clients.
• If you work closely with others, getting your employees involved with community service is a great way to build trust and strengthen relationships within your business setting. Your employees belong to this community, too, so it’s also a good way to help them get involved and give back to their community.
• Finding the right community service project can help you show your community the strengths of your business. Giving back to your community should be more than just writing a check, and if you find a project that utilizes what you and your company can do, you’ll make a unique contribution to the health of your community while also showing those strengths to the rest of your community.
• Partnering with diverse organizations to give back to your community can form relationships that may not have formed on their own. Nonprofits aren’t the only organizations that do community service; find out what groups and companies give back to your community and ask how you can partner with them to make the job easier.
If you’re convinced that community service would be a positive way for your company to contribute to the community, the next step is to find the right project or venue. Considering the strengths of your business and your employees, as well as the needs of your community, will go a long way towards figuring that out. Here are some examples of projects that can be great for your company and your community.
• If your office is a place where clients or other business associates often visit, consider adding a collection for a local charity near the door. This is a cost-effective way to collect money that will stay local and to allow clients and employees to contribute to a local cause.
• A less conventional way of giving back is sitting on the board of a nonprofit. You can offer your expertise as a businessperson and volunteer your time instead of your money.
• Challenge others to a contest. Team up with clients, colleagues, or other businesses and challenge them to a donation race. Whoever raises the most money for either a collectively chosen charity or the charity that their organization has decided to sponsor wins the contest. You can even come up with a system of prizes for incentives if you want. The element of competition will have everyone donating more.
• Instead of competing with your business associates, try volunteering with them. Designate a day as volunteer day and take a group to a local animal shelter, food pantry, or Habitat for Humanity project. This is a very direct way of impacting the community and can really boost the morale and connection between the participants. As a bonus, it also helps you build relationships with others in the community.
• Let your clients and customers know that you give back. Tell them about the organizations you support and the projects you’ve helped with on your website and social media. Some people will consciously choose to do business with companies who they know give back to the community, but even if they don’t, they’ll appreciate knowing that you and your business are a positive local force. If they ask you about it, tell them about your experiences and let them know how to get involved.
Giving back to the community isn’t just a savvy business strategy, it’s also a way to make sure that your business is a positive force in the community that’s supporting it. Ask around and find the local needs, and then find out how your company can work to fill them.
Give Back To Your Community Through Your Business
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