Small Businesses Also Help Themselves by Giving Back to Their Communities

When a community supports your business and helps make it profitable, it’s only natural that you as a business owner want to give something back in return. 

While that’s an admirable thing to do, supporting your community and getting behind one or more important causes also can help you connect with customers in ways that you might not have been able to otherwise.

This can be especially beneficial if your company serves a large percentage of people in the Millennial generation. 

Research has repeatedly proven that those who are approximately 20 to 40 years old place high value on purchasing from companies that participate in charitable giving. This in turn can help your business build greater brand loyalty.

How Small Businesses Can Give Back to Their Local Communities

Perhaps you have always wanted to volunteer in your community or show support in another way but didn’t quite know how to go about it. 

Here are just a handful of ideas to get you started:

• Start a clothing or food drive for people in need: More than 38 million people across the country live in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. That means people in your own community may not be able to afford essentials such as food or clothing. Organizing a drive to collect food or clothing shows the community that you care about the needs of people who live there, whether they’re customers or not. 
• Sponsor a youth organization: Purchasing equipment for a youth baseball league or donating materials is a great way to become more involved in your local community. This also allows you to advertise your company name on anything you purchase for a children’s sports team. You also might consider allowing the local Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or other youth organization sell items outside your place of business to help them fundraise. 
• Volunteer to share your skills: Do you or some of your employees have a skill that could benefit others who may not be able to pay for it? For example, an accounting firm might offer to help senior citizens with their taxes at no charge, while an auto repair shop could provide free repairs for single-parent households.  

Make Consumers Feel Good About Doing Business with Your Company

It can help build brand loyalty when customers feel good about your organization’s charitable contributions, especially among younger people. They also feel good by association because they’re supporting a company that helps others. 

It can be especially poignant to customers if the cause is something that has affected them personally, such as donating money to cancer research.

Are you looking for ways to be of service to your local community? Contact Business Partner Alliance for guidance in making such an important decision for your company.