Charitable works are admittedly not on top of the list of things business owners want to do. That’s because they would rather spend their resources on efforts that increase their sales. However, they might get things wrong. Giving back to the community is an effective way to promote your brand and make people aware of your products and services while gaining public trust.
In some cases, charitable works can directly contribute to increasing your profits. In the age of social media, your company is just one viral post away from multiplying your following and your customer base. Engage in charitable works enough, and you get to enjoy the benefit of using Charitable Deductions on your income tax.
There are many ways you can give back to the community, and there are just as many benefits to doing them. Here are some charitable works that your business can do to help the local community.
Education
Arguably one of the best ways to give back to a community is by investing in its people. Education is an excellent way to do that. Consider holding free workshops that can teach people more about your venture or business in general. It could spark an interest in them to someday work for you or start a business of their own. Either way, both outcomes will be beneficial for the development of the local community.
Another way to give back through education is by handing out scholarships to people who want to pursue jobs the community lacks the personnel to fill. For example, the pandemic has created a greater demand for emergency care and service workers. In that sense, you can partner up with an EMT training school and give scholarships to locals who want to pursue careers in emergency medical service.
Sponsorships
If you want to reap the rewards of your charitable works right away, then sponsorship deals are the way to go. Whether you’re sponsoring an event, a sports team, or a non-profit organization, giving out sponsorship deals can help create a buzz around your business.
By being the main sponsor of an event held by the local community, your business becomes the face of the event. It will do wonders for you in terms of brand recognition. Having your business plastered on posters and banners all over the event place and having its name mentioned throughout the event are some of the best marketing you’ll ever have on a local scale.
In the case of local community sports teams, you can sponsor their gear and have your business logo on their uniforms or alongside the team’s name, or both. Through it, you gain access and the ability to introduce yourself to that team’s fanbase. Since you’re their team’s sponsor, it incentivizes them to avail of your products and services as a way to support their favorite team.
Lastly, nothing screams the word charitable more than a non-profit organization. By sponsoring them and their activities, you can show the local community that you are a business that cares not only for themselves but for them too. People will then associate that investing in your business is investing in the community. Because of that, you’ll gain a positive brand reputation that will encourage the local community to avail of your products and services.
Collaboration
Like all the others, your business does not exist in a vacuum. It exists in a business environment that can either limit or help its growth. Those that can adapt to the business environment are sure to prosper, and those that don’t will fall behind. With that said, collaboration is a must for businesses in a community. Collaborative efforts between them can help bolster sales and open up possibilities that each won’t discover by themselves. Additionally, it gives both access to each other’s customer bases. It creates new avenues of revenue for both businesses involved.
You can still encourage your customers to support other businesses in the community even if you don’t have a formal collaboration with them. By doing this, you promote a sense of community that encourages customers to buy locally. The strategy further strengthens the local economy, which helps businesses in the community grow.
Whatever your business is, whether you’re in tech, food, real estate, or even retail, you can always find a way or two to give back to the community. Supporting local organizations, sponsoring events, donating to educational institutions are just some that can make a significant difference. Because of your efforts in improving the community and its future, customers will feel more inclined to avail of your products and services. Practice charitable works all year round, and you’ll immediately realize why doing good is great for your business.
