Getting involved in charitable endeavors stands to benefit your small business in a number of ways. In addition to helping improve the lives of others, giving back can effectively bolster your business’s reputation and bring your brand to the attention of scores of potential patrons.
Fortunately, regardless of where your business is based, there’s no shortage of ways to start making a difference. Small business owners who are interested in becoming changemakers would do well to consider the following options.
Organize Food Drives
Despite being one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, the U.S. is home to a staggering number of citizens who suffer from food insecurity. Since getting enough to eat should be considered a basic human right, why not use your business as a vehicle to ease food insecurity in your area?
Although many small schools and small businesses hold food drives throughout the holiday season, this isn’t to say this is the only time of year that such efforts are needed. After all, food insecurity doesn’t simply become a non-issue after we’ve finished ringing in the new year.
Fortunately, food drives are among the easiest types of charitable endeavors to organize. Additionally, partnering with other local business owners can be a fantastic way to collect more food and ensure that word of your food drive spreads far and wide.
Furthermore, if you operate a store, restaurant, or any other business that receives a fair amount of foot traffic, make sure to set aside an area for donations from customers.
Collect Monetary Donations
If there are any causes you wish to support, consider collecting monetary donations from customers. This is particularly common in stores, restaurants, and other businesses that are based around in-person transactions. For example, you may see success with placing donation boxes in the checkout area or asking customers if they’d like to include charitable donations in their purchases while they’re in the process of checking out.
In addition to collecting donations, you may also want to consider making monetary donations of your own. So, provided you’re comfortably able to do so, think about giving what you can to causes in which you truly believe. Anyone looking to make a donation to a variety of difference-making programs would do well to check out the McCain Institute.
Offer Educational Internships
Offering internships to members of your community can be a great way to provide soon-to-be job seekers with invaluable on-the-job training. Additionally, while hands-on training is, in many respects, its own reward, providing any interns you take on with fair compensation is sure to be appreciated.
Furthermore, depending on how much affinity certain interns have for their positions, you may even want to offer them the opportunity to join your team full-time – provided, of course, you have the financial resources for a new hire.
Show Kindness to Your Employees
Mistreatment from employers is such a common problem in the U.S. that many members of the workforce have come to regard it as an inescapable fact of life. As such, there’s little wonder as to why so many workers view their respective employers in an antagonistic light.
So, if you’re looking for an effective way to reduce employee stress, heighten job satisfaction and increase worker retention rates, don’t hesitate to show your team members the kindness they deserve.
Giving employees more control over their schedules, allowing remote work, and understanding that these people have lives outside of working for you are all great ways to diminish the immense stress that’s synonymous with the modern workplace.
Furthermore, whenever possible, make an effort to promote from within, regularly give raises and show high-performing employees due recognition, regardless of how humble they are about their own accomplishments.
Happy, motivated employees form the backbone of any successful business, and the more satisfied your workers are, the more your business is likely to prosper.
Any small business owner looking to make their establishment a fixture in the community can benefit from giving back. In addition to putting your business on the map, getting involved in charitable endeavors can be a fantastic way to facilitate positive change in the lives of your fellow citizens.
Furthermore, there is an abundance of ways your business can get involved in charitable giving, regardless of where you’re located. So, if you’re ready to turn your business into a vehicle for giving back, carefully consider the options outlined above.
