Raise Your Company's
Visibility with
Community Involvement
Community involvement can raise your business profile and draw more customers. Many companies, even large ones, don't realize the benefit of visibly supporting the community.
Community support makes good business sense. If a consumer is torn between two companies, he will often choose the one that has shown a commitment to the community. Community involvement will also enhance your company image and in some cases result in positive media coverage.
For some companies, partnering with specific charities is a standard part of their annual marketing plan. To make the biggest impact, they focus all of their efforts on one or two causes. If you choose this approach, appropriately called "cause marketing, take the following into consideration:
- What causes do you and your employees care most about?
- What causes reach your target market or tie in with your line of business? Is there a partnership that would be mutually beneficial for you and the charity? For example, say you own a sporting goods store. Partnering with your local high school's sports department would make sense.
- Once a partnership is formed, will the charity actively work with your company on special events, sales, promotions or collections of items. Your company and your partner charity should serve as ambassadors for each other -- promoting each other in newsletters and on web sites. For example, you might advertise 10% of all sales during a specific time period will go to the charity. The charity in turn will advertise your sale on their web site. If successful, the end result is mutually beneficial.
Volunteer Efforts
Your community involvement effort could be providing manpower for various causes. Nonprofit organizations are always in search of volunteers.
- Charities need phone workers for telethons -- often giving you the opportunity to be on camera. The public does notice when a group of your employees, wearing your company's logo shirts of course, are answering telethon phones.
- Form a team to walk in one of the many charity walk-a-thons.
- If your workforce can accomodate it, allow employees time off during the work day to assist with volunteer educational programs at local schools. Even if your products aren't geared toward children, you'll reach the parents and increase their awareness of your community involvement.
- Enter a local parade. You don't necessarily have to make a float. Simply decorate a nice truck with balloons. Place magnetic signs with your company name on the doors. Invite your employees and their children to ride in the truck.
- Provide free seminars to civic groups. If you own a house-cleaning company, give a "How to Clean Your Home Quickly" class.
No matter what you choose for community involvement, make sure everyone representing your company is wearing your logo. To be the most visible, have everyone wear "team" shirts of the same color. If cost is a factor, you can purchase inexpensive colored t-shirts with your logo printed in white.
Corporate Sponsorships
Businesses receive a mountian of requests for monetary donations. Your business may be small enough that you simply can't make donations. In that case, volunteering your time may be the better alternative.
If you do want to make financial contributions, the dilemma becomes choosing who to support without giving away the store. I suggest creating community donation guidelines. Such guidelines help you better manage your giving. The donation guidelines below provide an example. To help you better manage the donation requests you receive, I've also included a sample form to give to community groups.
Sample Business Donation Guidelines
Sample Business Sponsorship Request Form
In-Kind Donations
Keep in mind that in-kind support may be an alternative to cash donations. If your company has decent discontinued merchandise, donate it for a charity raffle. If your company provides skilled services, donate your assistance. Your contribution could be hauling, building or decorating.
Affinity Programs
Promote your business and raise funds for a charitable cause with an affinity program. Advertise that you'll donate 5% or 10% of all sales during a period of time. At the end of this time, measure for any increase in sales. Make sure you aren't giving away more than any increase you see in profits.
Other Helpful Tips
- Monitor your community involvement. Yes, it's philanthropy, but it's also business. Keep careful records of any monetary donations, to ensure you aren't surpassing your budget. If you've formed a community partnership with a charity, monitor the benefit to your company. If it doesn't provide the mutual benefit you anticipated, look for another deserving charity offering a more beneficial partnership.
- Don't feel guilty marketing your community involvement. It's just good business sense. If you've chosen community events you truly care about and your passion shows, you won't appear self-serving. Instead, the community will simply see you as a business person who cares.
