‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give’.
Winston Churchill
Donate your knowledge
Donating money isn’t the only way you can support local groups and organisations, as a professional organisation you can donate your knowledge in a few different ways. As experts in your field you and your team have a huge amount of knowledge to share.
Some ways you can donate your knowledge include speaking at industry conferences, school visits or university lectures or participating in other community funded events.
Sharing your knowledge has many benefits including:
- Demonstrating your position as an industry leader.
- Building team confidence and pride in your practice.
- Creating brand awareness.
- Helping local organisations by sharing your knowledge.
Start a corporate volunteering program
Over the last decade many businesses have started corporate volunteering programs where their employees donate their time to a local community group during work time. It’s a great way to support the local community, create brand awareness and grow team morale.
To initiate a corporate volunteering program you’ll need to align yourself with an appropriate charity or community organisation. To commit fully to this kind of program it’s important that all employees get involved, including owners, managers and higher management.
Sponsor a local sporting team
Sporting clubs are a valuable part of the community and often rely on business donations to pay for club expenses. Club sponsorship is always well-received and many clubs are screaming out for support.
Clubs will often promote their sponsor’s names on uniforms, on signage or in the clubs communications, so it’s a great way to get your name out there and grow awareness of your practice.
Create an annual day to support charity
Another way you can give back to the community is through an annual charity day. On this day your practice could donate a percentage of all profits to a suitably aligned charity, or even open up the doors to offer pro-bono treatment to underprivileged members of the community.
Such an event will require careful planning and promotion to ensure it’s successful and has longevity. You’ll need to identify the outcomes and ensure they align with your goals.
Adopt sustainable practices
Donating directly to a charity isn’t the only way to give back to the community. Making small changes in your practice can go a long way to help the environment. Limiting the use of plastic, car pooling or aligning your practice with more sustainable businesses is a great first step.
Celebrate by giving
Why not celebrate important milestones by supporting local charity?
When you celebrate the anniversary of your practice, staff birthdays or other team milestones, rejoice in giving to charity or other community organisations, growing valuable relationships and helping those in need.
Giving back to the community doesn’t need to break the bank. Small contributions can have a huge impact and go a long way to help out community organisations in need.