We often find ourselves generally thinking that when it comes to companies giving back to communities or being charitable, that they are large companies of multinational in scale with employees numbering to thousands at least and with millions of dollars to dispense of.
The real scenario is that the United States actually has thousands of small businesses on these businesses employ about half of the total workers in the country. While each small-scale business might be unable to give as much as a huge corporation, it is not true however that what they give isn't as relevant to local communities. At the same time, the benefits of a charitable giving program help those in need as well as benefitting these small businesses.
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.
Employees Will Value Giving Back
To be able to work in a company that cares is a good opportunity. Since your business is small and your employees are mostly "locals," you are likely to find common causes significant for them as well. And so, to give back to the community is a big morale booster and a solid team-building activity for all. There can be several options for your employees to become participative, including:
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
If a small business learns to give back to its community, those who benefit from it are not only the employees of the business. You'll find customers considering this to be valuable as well in that they often buy from businesses who have the heart for its community. There is a positive publicity showcasing goodwill and this can definitely have an impact on customers whether current or prospective. This should not be the end of it though.
Let us look into some ways where customers may be enticed to get involved directly in your program:
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.
Now you know why even when you are merely small businesses you ought to consider giving back to the community through an organized charity or through volunteering wherein you may find opportunities for participation suitable for you. Go ahead and plan a sound and tactical program for giving back which you can start today.
The real scenario is that the United States actually has thousands of small businesses on these businesses employ about half of the total workers in the country. While each small-scale business might be unable to give as much as a huge corporation, it is not true however that what they give isn't as relevant to local communities. At the same time, the benefits of a charitable giving program help those in need as well as benefitting these small businesses.
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.
Employees Will Value Giving Back
To be able to work in a company that cares is a good opportunity. Since your business is small and your employees are mostly "locals," you are likely to find common causes significant for them as well. And so, to give back to the community is a big morale booster and a solid team-building activity for all. There can be several options for your employees to become participative, including:
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
If a small business learns to give back to its community, those who benefit from it are not only the employees of the business. You'll find customers considering this to be valuable as well in that they often buy from businesses who have the heart for its community. There is a positive publicity showcasing goodwill and this can definitely have an impact on customers whether current or prospective. This should not be the end of it though.
Let us look into some ways where customers may be enticed to get involved directly in your program:
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.
Now you know why even when you are merely small businesses you ought to consider giving back to the community through an organized charity or through volunteering wherein you may find opportunities for participation suitable for you. Go ahead and plan a sound and tactical program for giving back which you can start today.
About the Author:
Sebastian Troup enjoys blogging about philantrophic solutions for businesses and non profit organizations. For more information about the competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy, or to find about setting up employee giving campaigns , please check out the Truist.com website today.
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