7 Ways To Give Back as a Business

1. Pair With the Perfect Partner

Do some research and locate an organization that shares similar values that are important to your business. Reach out to the organization and establish a relationship either by donating your product or a portion of your profits to their cause. Generous Coffee’s for profit, for purpose model does exactly this - all of their profits are donated to humanitarian organizations that are dedicated to improving the living conditions of communities in need around the world. If you want to be more active in your local area, identify an event that your business could volunteer to be a part of. Consider sponsoring a 5K running event and having employees take part, or think about your local library’s summer reading programs and donating free vouchers to participants who complete the reading goal.

2. Donate The Subscription Fee

For those businesses that have subscription packages, like makeup subscription boxes, children’s books monthly subscriptions, or wine subscriptions, donating the first month’s subscription fee to a select organization is a simple but meaningful way of giving back. Link with an organization and publicize your initiative on your website. This is a positive incentive for customers because it raises positive brand awareness, making them more likely to refer your brand to a friend and return to your business in the future.

3. Designate Volunteer Days

Allow employees to take a paid day off volunteering at an organization of their choice, or from a pre-selected list of organizations approved by your company. If employees are not able to do this individually, host a company volunteer day. Not only will you strengthen ties within the business, but you will be interacting within the community as a collective force.

4. Offer Internships

The power of an internship is often underestimated. You, as a small business, have the power to hire fresh, young talent and assign them work that challenges and utilizes their strengths. Your business can partner with educational institutions in the area to more easily find university students who are ready to dip their toes into the professional waters. Before hiring an intern, your business should outline and identify the role that the intern would play and the tasks they would need to complete, maximizing their time and energy at the company. Giving back to the community does not necessarily always imply you need to help the masses - consider the impact your business could make on the lives of young professionals, even if it is just one or two students, ready to embark on the next step of their life.

5. Make Meaningful Pivots

Depending on the services your business offers, you could extend an important helping hand during times of critical need. During natural disasters, you could donate RVs, tents, rafters, and other survival essentials to families in need. People will have positive memories of your brand, encouraging future customer relations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford and General Motors manufactured highly-demanded ventilators. That is an example of a successful pivot that demonstrates the flexibility of a business, its brand, and its unique characteristics that set it apart from competitors.

6. Schedule a Company Blood Drive

Your company could schedule a blood drive with the American Red Cross. Your business acts as the host, providing the location, volunteers, and blood donors. In return, the American Red Cross provides equipment, supplies, planning assistance, recruitment tools, and trained staff. The American Red Cross trained staff members confidentially screen donors and collect blood donations. They will also help you determine how many blood donors you need and how to effectively recruit them, making this a unique and meaningful way to give back to the community even if your business is not part of the health sector.

7. Use the Hashtag

Social media platforms are powerful tools that help raise awareness for causes and campaigns around the world. Your business can create a hashtag campaign around a cause or issue, like the destruction left behind from Hurricane Ian in Florida or even the 2022 landslide in Afghanistan. If you partner with an organization that is providing on-ground efforts, your patrons will bring beneficial traffic to your partner organization, and in return, their own community will learn more about your business too. Sometimes it isn’t about providing on-ground relief efforts - these hashtag campaigns are often aimed at creating chatter and noise around a particular topic. Your brand, partnered with an organization, could create an internationally trending topic!

Giving Back Is a Win-Win

At the heart of your business is an important social cause, set of values, and unique mission that you and your colleagues can put into action. By giving back to the community, you will personally grow, and professionally, your brand will prosper. Giving back to the community is a win-win situation - your business will contribute to a meaningful cause, helping support an organization or community in need, and your business will gain positive brand recognition and new clientele.

By incorporating these strategies into your CSR campaign, your business will be better immersed into the community. Do not underestimate the power of small businesses - partnering with organizations and communities in need is what sets them apart from big brands. Increase employee retention and general relations by enhancing an already existing CSR campaign or create one for your business today.