I am sure all of you have strategized, developed and started implementing your perfectly crafted marketing plan for your business. It’s really bugging me and I must ask, did you consider the many benefits of giving to local charities within your community? You don’t have to be one of the big boys to begin giving to charity. Shoot, one of the most important things you can donate is your time. That’s right, they don’t just need money; they need volunteers, because it just feels good helping out and taking pride knowing you make a difference. I am surprised when I speak with members of how few are actively giving back to their community.
Local charity work helps your company gain respect.
Involvement in local charities makes the community look at your business in a positive light. Giving to charities and offering labor are excellent ways to advertise your company and gain new customers. When you volunteer at community based events, your name can be listed on the materials being handed out to your community and it will help you meet the many neighbors of your community face to face. This is an invaluable form of marketing that will last in their mind a lot longer than any radio ad, television spot, or direct mail piece you could ever run.
Time is a wonderful gift.
Local charities will take whatever you can give them, which makes these charities a great way to connect with the community without having to invest a lot of money. Charitable labor is a direct investment in the community in which you live. By giving your time to a local charity, you enrich your community and, in turn, it will enrich you. Small businesses should have extremely close ties to their community. A small business can succeed or fail based on their community involvement. If you are not giving a lot to your community, it is probably safe to say that your community is not giving a lot of support back to you. Get out there, meet your neighbors that are doing great works in a charitable way. It not only helps you connect with your community, it makes you a better person for doing it.
It’s a great platform for networking.
I know many that give to large charities that everyone has heard of, but when you give to some of these large foundations, the charitable act ends there. When you get involved with local charities, you get the opportunity to directly actively engage with your potential customers. Every charitable event is another networking opportunity that you can benefit from, even indirectly. You never know when these indirect contacts are going to come in handy. The more involved you become in volunteer work and the charitable organizations in your community, the more opportunities you will discover.
You can be a difference maker with local charities.
Local charities normally don’t have the amount of volunteers and workers that the larger groups do. Many charities spend a huge percentage of the money they get on their big ivory towers, admin costs and paid employees as well as volunteers. With a local charity, you can make a real difference without having to donate a dollar. I personally work with a small local charity that helps the homeless in Sarasota, FL and is dependent completely on volunteers. The fact that my family and I volunteer is an excellent way to increase the charity’s overall impact. With your business skills, you may even be able to help with processes to make the charity of your choice more efficient. You could brainstorm new ideas and fundraisers. The opportunities are limitless when you work with a charity that you can truly help.
Local charities are memorable to the community.
Small community typically take less funding than international charity events, offering you the opportunity to be a part in and event’s success. Rather than being one of thousands of companies who donated to a large faceless charity, you can be the individual who donated the water for a soccer team in your town. Your community will remember you and your company based on your charitable acts and you will have an impact on their lives. You need to look at how you as a contractor can get creative with what you have accessible to you.
Of course, charitable contributions aren’t meant for profit alone. Many business owners find the simple act of giving back to the community that has given so much to them, extremely rewarding. In giving to charities, you will find that you gain a connection to your community that goes beyond pure financial rewards.