Often, when discussing companies giving back to their communities or getting involved in philanthropy, the conversation tends to dwell on huge multinational corporations with thousands of employees and millions of dollars at their disposal.
The truth however is that the United States is comprised of small businesses and more than half of the nation's total employees work for these smaller operations. While these smaller businesses can't give as much as giant corporations can, it doesn't mean that their actions for their local communities can't be significant, especially on the long term. You will find that small businesses that get involved in giving back also benefit positively.
Giving Back Is Good Publicity
Positive publicity - especially in a social media world where any story can be shared - is invaluable for a small business. And while you may dutifully send announcements out to local publications and TV stations every time you launch a new product or run a promotion, they're simply not going to cover every one of those stories.
But when your small business is doing something of value for the community - whether that involves donating money, products, services, or your time as volunteers - it becomes a good news story that any local media outlet is going to be interested in.
As an example, a small tire franchise in northern Utah received national coverage on Forbes.com recently because they were regular participants in a local annual Coats for Kids community event. If they hadn't earned a well-deserved reputation for giving back in their community, you may never have heard of Burt Brothers Tires. But now the company has the support of a major media outlet. You can't buy that kind of publicity with an ad.
Your Employees Will Appreciate It
Working for a company that cares generates positivity. Given that your business is small-scale you are sure to employ people from the very community you are giving back to making them highly appreciate it. This kind of "giving back" to the community turns into a strong team-building activity as well as a morale-boosting one for every participant. You may encourage employees to participate through several different options like:
Close your business for a day to organize a "Volunteer Day" where everyone reports to an organized volunteer event instead of work.
Encourage your employees to suggest various causes that they are passionate about, and then decide as a group the best way to support them. Set up simple means by which employees can give financially through an online philanthropy platform such as InstaGive.
This provides simple and intuitive access for any small business to set up a branded webpage to collect charitable donations via credit card.
Your Customers Appreciate It Too
It's not just employees who benefit when a small business gives back to the community. Customers appreciate it too, and locals may even make buying decisions based on how involved your company is in the community. The goodwill that positive publicity creates can certainly influence current and prospective customers for any small business. But it doesn't have to stop there.
To directly involve your customers into your "giving back" program, consider some of these ways:
Set up a change jar for donations or another quick and simple giving resource for walk-in customers to take advantage of, and talk to them about it while they're there.
Invite your customers to donate on your InstaGive site, both through visible signage at your place of business and via email and social media.
Invite customers to join your employees at planned events. If there's plenty of work to do, why not bring in more hands to help out?
Pick a specific time period - say, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday - during which a percentage of every purchase will be given to a charitable cause. Actively promote this event so customers who care can plan their purchases accordingly.
These are just a few reasons why small businesses should be interested in giving back to their communities through planned giving and volunteering efforts, and each business has its own unique ways for how they can participate. So take some time to plan out a solid, strategic giving program and start giving back today!
The truth however is that the United States is comprised of small businesses and more than half of the nation's total employees work for these smaller operations. While these smaller businesses can't give as much as giant corporations can, it doesn't mean that their actions for their local communities can't be significant, especially on the long term. You will find that small businesses that get involved in giving back also benefit positively.
Giving Back Is Good Publicity
Positive publicity - especially in a social media world where any story can be shared - is invaluable for a small business. And while you may dutifully send announcements out to local publications and TV stations every time you launch a new product or run a promotion, they're simply not going to cover every one of those stories.
But when your small business is doing something of value for the community - whether that involves donating money, products, services, or your time as volunteers - it becomes a good news story that any local media outlet is going to be interested in.
As an example, a small tire franchise in northern Utah received national coverage on Forbes.com recently because they were regular participants in a local annual Coats for Kids community event. If they hadn't earned a well-deserved reputation for giving back in their community, you may never have heard of Burt Brothers Tires. But now the company has the support of a major media outlet. You can't buy that kind of publicity with an ad.
Your Employees Will Appreciate It
Working for a company that cares generates positivity. Given that your business is small-scale you are sure to employ people from the very community you are giving back to making them highly appreciate it. This kind of "giving back" to the community turns into a strong team-building activity as well as a morale-boosting one for every participant. You may encourage employees to participate through several different options like:
Close your business for a day to organize a "Volunteer Day" where everyone reports to an organized volunteer event instead of work.
Encourage your employees to suggest various causes that they are passionate about, and then decide as a group the best way to support them. Set up simple means by which employees can give financially through an online philanthropy platform such as InstaGive.
This provides simple and intuitive access for any small business to set up a branded webpage to collect charitable donations via credit card.
Your Customers Appreciate It Too
It's not just employees who benefit when a small business gives back to the community. Customers appreciate it too, and locals may even make buying decisions based on how involved your company is in the community. The goodwill that positive publicity creates can certainly influence current and prospective customers for any small business. But it doesn't have to stop there.
To directly involve your customers into your "giving back" program, consider some of these ways:
Set up a change jar for donations or another quick and simple giving resource for walk-in customers to take advantage of, and talk to them about it while they're there.
Invite your customers to donate on your InstaGive site, both through visible signage at your place of business and via email and social media.
Invite customers to join your employees at planned events. If there's plenty of work to do, why not bring in more hands to help out?
Pick a specific time period - say, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday - during which a percentage of every purchase will be given to a charitable cause. Actively promote this event so customers who care can plan their purchases accordingly.
These are just a few reasons why small businesses should be interested in giving back to their communities through planned giving and volunteering efforts, and each business has its own unique ways for how they can participate. So take some time to plan out a solid, strategic giving program and start giving back today!
About the Author:
Sebastian Troup enjoys writing about philantrophic solutions for businesses and non profit organizations. To get more info about the competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy, or to find about setting up employee giving campaigns , please visit the Truist.com site today.
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