Article
“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.” – Robert South
While many of us are personally involved with charities or philanthropic opportunities, involving your business in giving back has the power to create a positive impact on both the charities you support and your business. Building and executing a philanthropic plan for your business allows you to identify and share your core values, engage employees, enhance team dynamics, and build your community.
The process of determining an intentional philanthropic plan for your company will naturally facilitate vital conversations about the core values of your organization. Based on these values, you can create a strategy for giving back. Along with helping your organization identify values internally, your philanthropic work allows you to share your values with those outside the organization. Publicly sharing your values provides potential clients and future employees with a glimpse of what your organization values and can attract like-minded individuals. To start the process, consider the following: 1] What issues are important to your team? 2] What resources do you have available? and 3] What are your long-term goals for giving?
Philanthropy creates a platform for engaging employees in meaningful work and allows teams to work together in environments different from those of their typical day. Employees desire a connection with the company they work for; contributing to a cause that both employees and employers care about can make employees feel more engaged in their work and more committed to the company.
As a business owner, you are likely already active in your local community, which provides you with firsthand knowledge about the needs and priorities of your community. When developing a plan for charitable involvement, maximize your impact by focusing on the intersection of your company’s core values and those of the community. Whether your business is committed to giving time, money, talent, or a combination of those assets, giving back is a key element in building a strong culture in your company.
Companies have unique resources that allow a variety of philanthropic opportunities:
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Time | Volunteer as a group to work at a food bank such as Harvest Hope or spend an afternoon flexing your muscles with Habitat for Humanity. By offering your employees the chance to work together outside of their normal routines, you create an opportunity to build more collaborative teams and grow leadership skills. A philanthropic project is also a great way to include family members in working to help others. Allow employees to take a day or two off work (without using their leave) to volunteer.
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Money | Whether through donations to a food drive, school supplies, or fundraising through the combined efforts of the office, well-spent donations can make a big impact. Consider creative giving strategies like a matching program for employee donations.
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Talent | Companies have the opportunity to share their unique skills and expertise with charitable organizations—from marketing, to web design, to financial analysis. To consider how your skills could benefit others and to explore your opportunities, check out A Billion + Change, which is a national campaign to mobilize pro bono and skills-based volunteerism.
Once you have created a plan for giving back, take time to periodically reassess. Use your assessment to consider what is working well, what you could do to improve the plan, and how to share the outcome of the past year’s efforts. Philanthropy is a public expression of private values. What is your company expressing?
For more tools and resources on creating your philanthropic plan, visit www.BusinessDoingGood.com.
