A lot has to be done to keep a business running. With books to balance, employees to hire, products to manufacture, and sales to boost, it’s easy to forget about the community where your business is located.
Chances are, you rely on community members and resources to keep your doors open! Show your community a little love by giving back. Not only will helping build a strong community help you build a stronger business, customers love businesses with a philanthropic spirit!
Make Your Neighborhood Safer
Some neighborhoods are safer than others, but no matter where your business is located, there are things you can do to make the neighborhood where you’re located safer. You can make your business more secure, and you can make customers feel safe when they visit your store.
For example, drunk driving can be devastating to the families involved. General crimes can be hard on a community too. Petition to have stop and yield signs installed, notify police when drunk drivers are often on the street, and improve the lighting outside and around your business. Installing a security system with cameras can help a lot too.
Don’t forget to get friendly with the other businesses and residents in your neighborhood! When you all keep an eye on each other, you can keep everyone safe.
Support Wildfire Efforts
Wildfires are a huge problem in the state of California. They can devastate the homes and businesses of local residents, clog the air with smoke, and destroy natural resources. Fortunately, there are things you can do to support wildlife efforts in your community:
- Donate personal items and supplies
- Serve food or pass out water
- Offer free products or services to those affected
- Donate to businesses so they can get back up and running
- Offer temporary housing to those who have lost their homes
Local businesses can also be strong role models for members of the community. Follow the rules set by local authorities and be ready to pack up and leave the area if an evacuation is ordered.
Lift Up Local Youth
Children are our future, but they don’t always get the support they need to grow up to be productive, happy adults. You can help change that by lifting up the youth in your area.
You can volunteer with local organizations, like Big Brothers Big Sisters, but you can also develop programs within your own business to help the youth in your area. Hold fun, educational events, allow children to shadow employees, and work with teachers in the area on educational programs.
When you’re directly interacting with youth, you can encourage them to follow their passions, show them that their opinions matter, and treat them with the respect that they may not get in their day-to-day life, planting the seed for them to grow up and change the world in positive ways.
Help the Homeless
Homelessness is a huge problem in California. As of January of 2020, California had over 150,000 homeless residents. That number has continued to grow, forcing representatives in government to attempt to impact the issue in positive ways. You can make life a little better for homeless people in your area too.
Volunteering at a homeless shelter is a quick and easy way to help the homeless. You can volunteer to make and/or serve food on a regular basis, donate supplies, or donate to programs in the area that help homeless people find homes and jobs. You can also create programs that support homeless people by giving away goods or services, or provide homeless people with one-on-one, on-the-job training.
Strive to Be More Green
Customers care about shopping with businesses that care about the environment. Not to mention, you help create a cleaner, brighter future for everyone when you pay attention to your carbon footprint.
Hopefully there are already things you are doing to go green, but there’s likely even more you can do! A few things you can do to go green include:
- Use natural materials, like wood and stone, whenever possible over manufactured materials, like plastic.
- Replace equipment and appliances that aren’t energy-efficient.
- Use post-consumer waste paper and other items that are made out of recycled materials.
- Only work with vendors and suppliers who have green policies in place.
- Use alternative energy sources, like solar and wind.
Donate Money
The easiest way to have a positive impact on your local community is to donate money. It’s an especially good option if you’re struggling to find time to volunteer, or you don’t have the time or the money to create programs within your organization.
Just make sure you’re careful about where you’re donating your money. Some organizations keep more of the money you donate than others. Research the organizations you’re interested in and only donate to reputable organizations that tell you exactly what your money is being used for.
Encourage Employees to Volunteer
It’s great if you can put your business to work supporting your community, but you should also encourage your employees to volunteer. After all, it comes with many surprising benefits that can impact your employees’ lives and your business!
The easiest way to encourage your employees to volunteer is to allow them to volunteer during company hours. Allow employees to choose volunteer opportunities that appeal to them, and allow them to take time off of work. Make the time separate from vacation or sick time and they are more likely to make time in their schedule to do it.
You’ve got a lot of things you have to do on a daily basis. It can be hard to make the conscious choice to take time away from your company to volunteer or give back to your community. Although it can feel like a difficult choice, lifting up your community can have a positive impact on your business.
From donating money, supporting your employees in their volunteer efforts, and helping local authorities battle wildlife efforts, there are many ways you can give back to your community that are convenient, easy, and meaningful to you.