Charitable giving gets your name out there and promotes your community involvement
Business today is about more than making money or providing products to consumers, it is about making a difference. Many companies are starting to get involved in their communities and establishing corporate giving programs to distinguish themselves from competitors.
The best part? Corporate giving is not only good for the charity you choose and the people it serves, it is good for your business. Charitable giving isn’t just a tax write-off, it is a way for businesses to boost their PR and gain loyalty among consumers. If you aren’t already convinced, here are 5 reasons why your business should donate to charity:
1. Positive Branding
Getting your business involved in charitable organizations shows that you are concerned about the well-being of your community and the world. It shows that you want to make a difference. And it shows that you are not solely focused on making money.
Charitable giving puts your company in a positive light; no one can argue the downside of donating to non-profit organizations. Companies that take an active role in promoting their corporate social responsibility are generally viewed more favorably than those that do not have established charitable giving programs. Having goals and a company vision that goes beyond products and profits provides a more welcoming image of your business that consumers will be more eager to engage with.
2. Gain Customer Support
Businesses owe it to their communities to give back and get involved. By doing so, you gain trust among your customer base. Getting involved in community service and charities on a local level gives customers another reason to visit your business.
If you are a business looking to get involved locally, try sponsoring a local sports team, creating a scholarship to support academic excellence among local students, creating and marketing events that create awareness about shopping locally, donating a percentage of your profits to a local charity, or volunteering your time to an organization that is important to your local community. To make a real impact, look at your community and see what is really important to locals and what causes seem to be struggling.
3. Employee Benefits
It can be difficult to interact with every single employee — even within small companies. Involving your employees in community charities gives employees an opportunity to work with each other and work toward a common goal outside of normal day-to-day work.
Providing employees with a fruitful opportunity to give back is an important factor in team building, company pride, and overall morale. Not to mention, working for a company that cares about and promotes strong culture is more appealing to employees. To connect with your staff even further, ask for suggestions for charities so you can support what your employees support and show that your values are similar to theirs. Some companies rotate charities every quarter based on non-profit organizations that are dear to their employees.
Providing employees the opportunity to volunteer with the charities they support not only gives them the chance to interact outside the office setting but also lets them feel like they are giving back to a community that supports your business. Offering opportunities for volunteering during work hours or participating in community projects after work gives employees more sense of fulfillment and value, enhances performance, and increases leadership.
4. Free Publicity
Getting involved in non-profit or community efforts gives your business a chance to promote itself in partnership with the effort or organization. Send out press releases with photos highlighting your efforts to local media outlets, post on your social media channels and company website, and note your charitable activities in marketing materials.
Consider providing special discounts to customers associated with the charity or donating a certain percentage of your sales to the cause. This will not only give you more publicity but enhance the loyalty among your customers by making more personal connections.
Take advantage of networking opportunities with other donors to get your business name out there and promote your involvement. Attend planning meetings and events so you can network with other people and businesses involved in the same cause and meet new contacts and prospective customers.
5. Giving Back Is Good For You
The most rewarding reason why your business should give to charity is for the feeling you get from helping others. Your company has the power to help your community stand up and unite as one for passionate causes.
Giving to worthy charities just makes good business sense.
