Your employees are asking you about giving back. Everywhere you look, you see your competitors doing it. From within, you have a true desire to improve the well-being of your community. At this point you may be asking yourself – should my company be giving back? In case you need more of a nudge to get started, here we are! Read on for the telltale signs you should be giving back.
Your Employees are Asking About It
With more millennials joining the workforce, it’s likely your employees have been asking you to take on a more active role in your community. This is a great sign that they’re passionate about giving back. Now more than ever, it’s your responsibility to get behind your employees interest in social good. According to a 2017 report from Volunteer Canada, 68% of Canadian employees would choose a job that has a stronger volunteer culture over one that does.
Now more than ever, it’s your responsibility to get behind your employees aptitude for social good.
Really listen to your employees. What causes do they care about? What charities do they want to support? How and when do they want to give back?
There’s a number of ways to support your employees desire to give back. One such way is to create an individual employee volunteer program. Here the uniqueness of each employee is celebrated by giving them the choice of when and to whom to give. A successful model of this that we’ve seen is when businesses carve out a certain amount of paid time per year for their staff to use volunteering.
Your Competition is Already Doing It
You constantly see the names of your competitors at community events. You read about the charitable donations they make in the news. Their social media feed is stuffed with photos of their team out there making a difference. It’s no secret – there are so many ways you can give back to your community. Businesses, including your competitors, are increasingly getting involved. A report from Imagine Canada finds that from 1990 to 2009, Canadian corporate donations increased by 581 %. Additionally, in 2008/2009 they found that 76 % of businesses donated cash to charities.
According to Imagine Canada, corporate donations increased by 581 % from 1990 to 2009.
There’s no better time to join them than now. Develop a giving strategy that takes a close look at who you are as a business, what causes make most sense for you to partner with, what your employees want, and what resources you have available to give. Not every business can afford to give big financial donations, and that’s totally okay! Many charities offer different tiers of financial sponsorship, so you can find an option that fits your budget.
Alternatively, there are many ways to provide value that’s not financially based. Consider making in-kind donations for a raffle or silent auction, providing valuable labor time of your staff, or offering services that your company specializes in. The key here is communication with your charity of choice to determine their specific needs and then to ensure your business is able to provide in that way.
You Want to Create a Positive Impact in your Community
Good for you! Wanting to create positive change in your community is the first step to actually doing so. We know that giving back is mutually beneficial for your business and for your community.
Your support helps make your community a better place to live. Donate your time or money to a shelter to help vulnerable people get a hot meal and a place to sleep. Donating to schools or children’s programming provides better resources for our future generations. Protecting natural sites and parks ensures there are beautiful places for people to access in their free time. No matter what cause you decide to support, your community will be better for it.
Finally – don’t forget to communicate about all the good you have been doing! This means keeping your social media updated with photos and dedicating a section of your website to tell people how you’re contributing. Increased awareness of your company’s giving means your charity partner also benefits.
