Everyone can agree that giving money to charity is a good thing and the Christmas period is an ideal time in which to do it. When people are in this spirit of festive togetherness, they are usually more likely to give to charity than at other times of the year. This is when businesses are more likely to give to charity too.
For smaller companies on tighter budgets, the idea of allocating time and money to things beyond already stretched offices resources can be a challenge, but doing so can be great PR for your company as well as having a positive impact on your employees. Having the appearance of a benevolent and impact-driven company is ALWAYS a good thing, as it can make both consumers and stakeholders more receptive to your brand.
Here are five reasons that embracing charity at Christmas can boost your business.
1) Exposure
Whether your company is sponsoring a charity, or if a number of your employees are volunteering for a charitable initiative, your brand will gain public exposure as a result.
Shouting out loud and proud about your charitable giving or fundraising provides you with some excellent social media opportunities too. Whilst you’re advertising your support for your chosen charity or charitable event over social media, your company will be also getting a nice plug in the process.
All this screams benevolence, happy staff, mission and impact elements that make a business look attractive and productive to others.
2) The likeability factor
We are more likely to buy goods and services from a brand that we like. Humans are emotive creatures, and connections and sentiment drive our emotions as well as our spending habits.
Some 85% of us view a business more positively if it gives something back socially. So by marketing yourself as a business with a conscience, you can increase customer loyalty and attraction to your brand.
You can undertake some simple marketing research to see what social causes your customers most like to support, and then support those causes (very publically) in turn!
All it takes is a few hours surfing social channels such as Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to see what social causes or organisations your target customers follow or comment about.
Doing this will stimulate an emotional connection between your customers and your business which goes beyond a merely transactional one. You could also make a start by integrating your business into your local community, including lending your support to local on-the-ground initiatives.
3) You’ll look more established and successful
If you create the impression that you’re able to give money and your time to charity, you’ll give out the appearance that you are a successful business that has the financial capacity to do so. Whether that backing is all smoke and mirrors or not, it will carry big traction with your consumers and could even attract potential investors to your business.
Your involvement in charity initiatives helps mark you out as a company that cares and has the capacity to get involved in charity. That level of confidence it instils in future customers is an investment in your company in itself.
4) Charity events will help you network
Attending charity events will lead you to meet other sponsors and charitable givers from a wide range of businesses and sectors. Doing so means you have the potential to meet some influential people, and the kinds of people that could be interested in your business in some way.
Charities will frequently have fundraising events, dinners, and other occasions that you can use as networking opportunities. You could even make your mark by being the company that put in the generous bid for that prized charity auction item!
5) Charity helps raise staff morale
Pulling together as a team for a charitable cause or event will encourage unity and boost morale in your team. It provides the chance for work colleagues to foster a partnership with each other that goes beyond the daily grind of work responsibilities.
Charity fundraising may also incentivise a number of ambitious or impact minded employees to remain loyal to your company, as they will see that your company is about more than making profits and has a charitable side too. Focusing on charity fundraising provides a sometimes needed distraction which then allows your employees to get back on works tasks with renewed vigour.
The festive season provides lots of opportunities to get involved in charitable events and fundraising, but that’s not to say you have to limit your charitable efforts to this period only. Businesses can benefit in many way from their charitable efforts so getting involved really is a win-win for all concerned.
