Aside from offering high-quality products at reasonable prices, giving back to the community is crucial for all businesses. In fact, 70% of millennials said they’d be willing to spend more on brands that give back. Considering millennials’ purchasing power is worth $2.45 trillion, businesses should indeed find ways to give back if they’re going after skyrocketing sales.
Your small business can give back in different ways without hurting its finances. For example, Stella Artois’ “Buy a Lady Drink” campaign is low-cost but successfully provides clean drinking water to mothers in third-world countries. Many brands donate by giving a portion of their sales to charity, a strategy that suits startups or small businesses like yours.
If you’d instead come up with something more creative and fun, consider these charitable event ideas:
1. Car Show for a Cause
This event is suitable for auto repair shops or auto parts sellers. Mechanics who specialize in aftermarket modifications would be thrilled to hold this event, too. In a car show for a cause, it’s your customers who would display their automobiles and pay a participation fee. Community members, or event attendees, would also pay an entrance fee to enjoy all the events’ perks.
The funds you raised should go straight to the charity you chose to support. If you haven’t found a charitable organization yet, use a donation matching platform. It would let you check out causes and organizations seeking donations, helping you find the one that resonates with you or your brand the most.
2. Conference for Raising Awareness
Your business’ social responsibility starts from your organization itself. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” You can’t encourage your customers to donate if your organization doesn’t do it in the first place.
Encourage giving back to your company by holding a conference about a specific social or environmental issue. You can do this during your team-building ceremony so that no work-related tasks will come in the way. Invite officers or founders of NGOs to the event. They can be the guest speakers, as they’re the ones who can share the most helpful insight about the causes they support.
Conferences effectively tug at people’s heartstrings because they usually include visuals and statistics that show the unsettling reality outside our bubble. This could humble your organization, reminding them that reaching the top should also increase their responsibility to the world.
3. Volunteer to Get First-hand Experience
Once your team is ready to get exposed to marginalized communities, set up a volunteer program. Note that it’s essential to make the program voluntary instead of compulsory. Giving back should be done of one’s own free will; otherwise, it would be an insincere gesture.
If you run a construction firm, consider volunteering at an organization like Habitat for Humanity. It is an international NGO that helps communities improve their homes. Most homes are built on weekends, so volunteering for them shouldn’t disrupt your workweek.
If you’re a cruelty-free and vegan brand of food, clothing, or household products, volunteering at an animal shelter would suit you. But instead of just visiting abandoned pet animals, visit rescued farm animals as well. It would raise awareness that livestock is essential to the ecosystem and must therefore not be slaughtered.
4. Fitness Event for Increasing Health Awareness
To help organizations like The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, consider holding a fitness event. In other words, it’s a training-for-a-cause event. The funds you’d raise will go to organizations helping get treatment for poor patients with life-threatening diseases or genetic disorders.
5. Auctions
Even small businesses can hold an auction, too. Contrary to popular belief, items sold in auctions don’t have to cost thousands or millions of dollars. Inexpensive items, like artworks, clothing, electronics — anything — can also be auctioned off and raise substantial funds.
A gala event usually comes with an auction, so consider having that one too to make the experience more engaging. That could be your event this coming Christmas or New Year, so jot that down your year-end agenda now.
6. Workshops for Teaching Skills and Providing Job Opportunities
Put your skills to noble use by holding a workshop for a less fortunate community. Impart some entrepreneurial or essential life skills to parents, students, and even children. This can help them earn a more sustainable livelihood, like a small business or better job opportunities. Teaching a specialized skill, like sewing, auto repair, or web designing, will also be extremely helpful.
Giving back to the community won’t just benefit the causes you support but also boost employee morale. When your employees can take part in their communities or actively support advocacy, they feel heard and empowered from being a positive force in society. So share your blessings, and the benefits you’d reap would be tenfold.
