As we continue to roll into the season of giving and gifting, we often find ourselves making small contributions to nonprofit organizations set up outside of grocery stores, donating canned goods for food drives, or scheduling time to feed those in need. Giving back is one of the best ways to spend your time and money during the holidays. While many business owners take on charitable causes in their personal life, the mutual benefits of partnering with charities from a business perspective can sometimes be overlooked.
You Create A Culture of Service At Your Business
If you have a team, no matter how large or small, you want to create a culture that aligns with the values of your company and that is usually derived from your personal values. By using your brand to support a good cause, you are inspiring your employees, and demonstrating to them that they work for a company who cares about more than turning a profit.
You Are Using You Business Success to Contribute to the Greater Good
Demonstrating that your business is about more than money and showing that serving a cause is a brand value, allows your company to positively influence the community around you.
Most people think of businesses as faceless entities with no actual person or family tied to them, and even then, these large corporations have figured out the benefits of giving back. When it comes to a small business, the person or family behind the brand is much more visible, which allows for your charitable contributions to directly inspire your customers to give back as well.
You Demonstrate to Customers and Prospective Customers That Your Business Gives Back
Speaking of your customers, not only do your philanthropic contributions inspire them to give back, it may also make them want to do more business with you. Most people attach pieces of their identity to the brands they buy, the restaurants they frequent and the services they employ.
When your brand demonstrates a value that aligns with your customers’ personal values, they are even more likely to patronize your business. For example, if you partner with a local youth organization, your customers and prospective customers, who value education and mentorship, may be more inclined to order from you because they identify with your brand’s values.
If you’re a small business owner who is interested in partnering with a local (or even global) charity, but you’re not sure where to start, take an inventory of your personal values.
You may want to partner with an organization that is relevant to your business (i.e. if you’re a local retailer, you partner with an organization that promotes ethical manufacturing practices). On the other hand, you may find that you want to partner with a charity that speaks to you personally, but has nothing to do with your business (i.e. you are a restaurateur who allows a local youth choir to host a fundraiser and you make a private donation).
Whatever route you decide to take when partnering with a nonprofit organization, be sure that you don’t shy away from sharing your partnership. By letting others know of your efforts, you do more than demonstrate your brand’s values, you create opportunities for the charity to raise funds, expand awareness and recruit volunteers.
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