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Business Success Center
Community Involvement:
Everyone Wins!
Many savvy businesses make it
a priority to be involved in the local community. Why? Do they
have unlimited labor resources? Deep pockets? Extra time?
More
than likely, they’ve
learned through experience that community involvement is
an investment that will pay off. Valuable contributions
of time and/or resources can enable your business to gain significant
exposure, additional contacts, and, most importantly, additional
revenue. Whether you choose to volunteer for a local charity,
serve on a local business group committee, or donate pro-bono
services for a cause you find compelling...your action makes
wise business sense.
Typically,
it’s been small
to mid-sized community businesses that dominate the community
involvement scene. Their time is limited and their budget is
even tighter, so they rely heavily on community involvement
to gain affordable exposure. Whether it has been formally acknowledged
or not, they have made public/community relations an important
strategy in their marketing plan.
As business
statistics all across the country are acknowledging the importance
of community involvement, large employers are taking notice
and making changes. According to figures from the Point of
Light Foundation, over 80% of large employers are now using
employee volunteer programs (EVP’s)
directly in their public relations activities. Why? Because
studies show that Americans would be likely to switch to a
different brand if it is associated with a good cause and if
both price and quality are similar.
While the benefits of exposure
and increased sales are becoming clear to businesses of all
sizes, community involvement offers many additional benefits
that may not be so apparent, including:
- Volunteering demonstrates
leadership. Business owners and managers get
to apply their leadership skills and demonstrate capability.
- Volunteering enhances
creativity. Not only can employees get a break
from their normal routine (reducing burnout), it also
gives them exposure to fresh ideas from other professionals
outside their organization.
- Volunteering sharpens
skills. Often volunteers acquire new skills
and experience by taking on responsibilities they would
not normally encounter in their line of work.
- Volunteering fosters
new relationships. People prefer to do business
with someone they know. Serving on a community board
or committee is an excellent way to cultivate business
relationships with other community leaders. For existing
clients, taking an interest or supporting events or charities
that are important to them is a good way to build upon
that relationship.
- Volunteering boosts
the local economy. New businesses and employees
are drawn to communities that are active and have a strong
sense of pride.
Unfortunately,
choosing the right charity or community activity to participate
in can be confusing – there
are so many options. Each has its own demands on your time
and a variety of different ways in which to contribute. Before
jumping in, ask yourself the following questions:
-
Will this involvement give
you a chance to interact with or influence your target
market?
-
Will this involvement enable
you to gain information that will help your business thrive?
-
Will this involvement offer
you the opportunity to establish relationships with those
who can assist you with business growth efforts?
-
Will this involvement put
your business (or yourself if independent) in a positive
light?
And,
once you feel that you have a good match, realize that it’s up to you to make it
work. It’s your job to make sure that you and your company
are benefiting from the involvement. As with any other effective
business growth strategy, set specific goals before becoming
involved. Make good citizenship and volunteerism a part of
your business strategy today. Wise community involvement means
that everyone involved wins!
Top 5 Ways to Maximize
the Value of your Volunteer Initiatives
- Publicize your donations of goods or
services by sending press releases and photos to the media.
- Include your charitable involvement in
your ads, marketing materials, and Web site.
- Get involved in causes or events that
attract significant media attention.
- Give away information about your charity,
cause, or group that you are involved with as a part of your
business transaction (e.g., place brochures of flyers in
your retail outlets, shipments, or product packaging).
- Ask your charity, cause, or group to
recognize your support in their publicity efforts.
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