When your community supports your business, it’s important to think about how your business can support the community. Giving back is a great way for your business to build relationships, boost employee morale, and reinforce its values. America’s Charities reports that 71% of people say it’s very important to them that their workplaces encourage giving and volunteering.
Even if your business is small, there are still ways to make a big difference. To plan a successful giving initiative at your business, here’s how to get started.
- Research charities that align with your business’s values. When deciding which charity to support, search for an organization with a purpose your team cares about. Passion about the cause is essential for motivating employees to participate. It can be helpful to talk with team members about organizations that align with their interests and values. You should also research the organization’s background and reputation to ensure that it’s legitimate, credible, and viewed positively by the public.
- Determine the type of giving your business will do. Depending on the type of charity you choose, there are many ways to give. For some organizations, it might be helpful to donate specific items, such as canned food products, clothes, or toys. In other cases, money may be the most effective form of support. Select a method of giving that’s useful to the charity organization and easy for employees.
- Establish a system for tracking results. You’ll want to keep track of your success while your support is ongoing. Figure out how you’ll measure donations that come into your business directly and that employees make on their own. It might be helpful to have team members fill out a form detailing what items they donated and their estimated value or contact the person running the initiative to share this information.
- Promote the initiative within your business before it begins and while it takes place. Spread the word about the initiative before it starts to give people time to prepare. This allows them to dig old clothes out of the closet, adjust their grocery lists to include canned goods, or do whatever else they may need to do to gather their contributions. Continue to promote the initiative as it occurs to remind people to participate and increase your business’s impact.
- Make it easy for employees to contribute. Your business’s giving initiative should be rewarding for your team, not inconvenient. Be sure that participation is accessible to everyone in your business. If you’re gathering items, put a donation box out for employees and take turns dropping off items donated at the charity’s location. Make sure the location is close enough for employees to drop off items themselves if they choose. If you’re collecting money, create a form for employees to donate online and keep a collection box in your business. The easier it is for people to participate, the more they will.
- Choose a definitive end date. It’s human nature to put things off until we absolutely must do them. Without deadlines, nothing ever gets done. Pick an end date for the initiative and make it well-known. Remind people of the deadline frequently so there is more incentive to contribute as soon as possible.
- Share results once the initiative concludes. Giving back to the community itself is a gratifying experience, but knowing the direct impact you made is even more special. Calculate the initiative’s results using the system you established and share them business-wide. You can even share them on your business’s social media accounts to publicly congratulate employees on the difference they made and show your business’s commitment to giving back.
An effective charity giving initiative benefits the organization you support, your business, and the community. People like to work for or purchase from businesses that are known for doing good.