If you are considering a way for your business to give back, you are not alone. Companies across a wide variety of industries and all sizes are looking for ways to support their communities, give back and be more socially responsible.
Giving back has many far-reaching benefits that go well beyond being a good neighbor. Businesses that initiate charitable campaigns enjoy benefits, such as:
- Opportunities to connect with customers in the community
- Accelerated public relations cache
- Internal team building and goodwill creates a strong culture and can create a benefit for recruiting top talent
- Tax deductions that can limit tax implications for your business
Studies show that 85% of consumers will switch or remain loyal to a specific brand that is associated with a cause that aligns with them. Studies show that 91% of millennials willing to switch. Two-thirds of millennials and 53 percent of the general population use social media to engage around corporate social responsibility.
What Are Creative Ways My Small Business Can Give Back?
- Monetary – When you plan your budget for the year, you can earmark a small amount for donation to a favorite charity. You don’t have to have to donate millions of dollars to the charity to make a difference. Many companies donate a small percentage of their profits to their charity of choice, so the donation is directly related to money coming in.
- Sponsor a fundraiser – Many platforms make it easy to start a fundraiser with little investment such as GoFundMe. This is a great way to spread the word that you are socially responsible and get your community or customers involved in the initiative.
- Donate your skills – Whether you are a lawyer, a writer, or even a web designer, you might have a skill that could help with a volunteer initiative. The only cost to you is the cost of your time.
- Host a volunteer day for employees – Your team will love to get involved to volunteer for a local charity. Not only will it make your company look good, but it will also serve as a teambuilding exercise at the same time.
- Offer donation matching – Another popular way that businesses give back is to launch a donation matching campaign. By offering a match to your customers’ donations, you spread the word that you are a socially conscious business and increase the overall
- Sponsor a sports team – The local little league team or football squads are always looking for a sponsor with a low buy-in expenditure. You may even get free exposure on their team jerseys or at the baseball park.
- Donate to a silent auction – Donating your products or services to a local charity such as a silent auction is another way to give back with the added benefit of promoting yourself to a potentially new audience.
- Pick an organization and stick with it – When you partner with an organization on a regular basis, you develop a relationship with those employees and everyone involved. You can create once a monthly workday where your staff shuffles in and out of various duties for the organization you are volunteering for. This creates a line of trust between you and the charity/mission and the community you support. It’s all about reliability.
At Pet Butler, we give back to our community through the Pet Butler Rescue Mission. Our purpose outlines a noble cause, and our services are impactful to the families that we serve. We go further by donating our time and leveraging our business platform to bring local awareness to the needs of animal rescues, shelters, and of course pets in need of adoption. We do this because Pet Butler is made up of smart, enthusiastic, animal-loving professionals.
Pet Butler is working to bring awareness to dogs in need of rescue through local animal shelters in the markets we serve while providing an excellent chance for our franchise owners to show their social responsibility.
