Corporate social responsibility, corporate philanthropy, causes marketing…
No matter what your company calls it, community engagement is on the rise and making a positive impact year round. In recent years, more than 50% of the companies surveyed had increased their total monetary giving1, and the trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, what used to be regarded as a simple donation is now viewed as a holistic difference, due to the massive amounts of voluntary service and monetary giving offered by businesses. While there are plenty of feel good reasons for companies to embrace corporate giving, there are also many data-backed benefits that will give your organization and employees an invigorated jolt of positive return.
Consider these 5 irrefutable reasons to jump on the corporate giving bandwagon this year!
1. Boost your brand
Consider public relations and social media corporate givings’ best friend. By leveraging PR and social media to announce your efforts and document the outcomes, you build your brand in a positive light among community members, organizations and even prospective clients. There will always be a naysayer that believes corporate giving should be done in silence as to avoid any self-serving benefits; however philanthropy requires teamwork, dedication and passion – all values that warrant promotion. In fact, your PR efforts will help raise awareness for the cause itself, and may inspire other organizations to get involved.
2. Enhance employee engagement
The employee benefits that accompany corporate giving are myriad, especially when it comes to Millennials. One study reported that 72 percent said they would choose a job at an eco-friendly company over another company if given the choice2. As a result, engaging with corporate social responsibility can boost recruitment of high-quality candidates and lead to retention of key employees, positive output and ROI. Moreover, choosing team members to spearhead giving initiatives can empower your workers and promote teamwork.
3. Partner for progress
Opportunities are everywhere, and what may start out as a simple corporate collection could very well turn into a long-term strategic partnership. Giving to an organization that’s working to achieve similar greater goals, could be an opportunity to collaborate on expertise, resources and time. Whether it’s leveraging the chairman for a commentary in your next whitepaper, offering up a sponsorship or forming a strategic alliance – corporate philanthropy leads only to more good.
4. Carve out a competitive edge
What is on your company’s list of competitive differentiators? It might be time to add corporate giving to the list. Research shows that customers are more likely to purchase from companies that support the same issues or charities that they feel are important3 – and since 2010, business performance and giving have grown in tandem4. Don’t miss out on this growing market of the socially conscious. In fact, socially conscious consumers are defined by Neilson as those who are willing to pay extra. Like I said, opportunities are everywhere.
5. Personalize your program
Fundraising and giving can take many forms, but a program will work best when it matches the personality of your company and its employees. For example, if you know that the collective personality of your team leans towards introverted, don’t suggest putting on a benefit performance. Additionally, seek causes that mean something to the people on your team. This year, the Penn State Alumni at Sagefrog Marketing Group held a holiday card crafting session to benefit THON, while others rapidly racked up canned goods and coins with a Penny War to benefit a local food pantry of their choice.
It’s no secret that community engagement is on the rise, and now your business has every reason to hop on board.
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