Whether you are a small business or a large business, the social responsibility of giving back has many benefits. Creatively contributing to your community helps attract customers, employees, generates networking opportunities and makes business and their owners healthier and happier.

While smaller business may not be able to match the charitable contributions of a larger corporation, Forbes points out that any institute with a philanthropic attitude can take a lead in giving back by contributing in creative ways. Forbes highlighted smaller companies like Beverly Hills Chairs that donate used office furniture to multiple charities. The Custom Tobacco Company donated customized cigars for charities, a simple way to make a contribution.

Giving back is one simple way to supercharge your marketing and build a brand’s reputation and recognition. Studies show that 85% of consumers will make a brand switch based on backing a brand with a cause. 91% of millennials are willing to make that change. Up to 53% of the general public will use social media to encourage corporate social responsibility. So, if you are a business owner, now is the time to get creative in your giving back.

Creative Ideas For Giving Back

Kickstart
– Give your employees a small allowance to spend on a project of their choice. Allowing them to bond together and support the cause they feel strongly about, builds morale, creates enthusiasm, and allows your company to keep its finger on the pulse of popular causes.

Leading By Example
– Attending philanthropic events together can be a great team-building exercise for your business. Many business owners are involved with their community. Share stories and encourage employees to attend events such as AIDS walks or Fun Run fundraisers. Make it a point as a business leader to attend employees’ fundraisers as well.

Sponsor a Charity Event
– Find a local charity and have your employees get involved with supporting the event’s organization process. Helping with online marketing and volunteering the day of the event is a great way to ask your employees to help out without having to put out their own money. Their assistance can help the event generate their own proceeds.

Sell Bricks
– Fundraising Brick is backed by the Better Business Bureau and provides creative ideas for building beauty through bricks. Options range from personalized bricks with the donor name or a company name for a project or commemorative bricks to honor loved ones. Engraved bricks are perfect to show potential and current donors the measurable success that can be achieved through creative fundraising.

Make Time To Give Back
– Even if your business is too busy to incorporate social good into the work routine, there are ways to make giving back part of the company policy. Companies small or large can provide one day each quarter for employees to volunteer for an organization of their choice. Create a partnership with local non-profits and let your employees donate time or resources and build strong relationships with important community services.

Matching Interests
– Not all employees are a good match for every charity. Find a way to match an employee’s personal interests to opportunities to give back. Companies can support initiatives that their employees choose to get behind and allow them to share that cause with others in the company. This can include providing support through attendance, by the sale of tickets, or by simply making contributions.

Going Casual
– A very popular trend in the business world is offering the option of going casual one day a week or one day a month. Select a charity to support and offer employees the option to participate in a casual day by wearing sneakers and comfortable clothes of their choice. Employees who opt to take advantage of that day can donate $10 or $15 to the selected charity.

Fundraise For Success

There are many ways for businesses of all sizes to make contributions to their communities and the bottom line is that it does build a business. From providing incentives, to supporting charities, to giving Pro Bono to nonprofits in need of talent, opportunities for creative fundraisers are abundant. A recent article by Entrepreneur states that helping your community to grow and improve is one of the most satisfying ways to market your business.