Businesses
Is this you?
My company is a small to mid-sized company with under 150 employees. My company is locally owned and operated.
We have been fortunate in the success of our company. We also recognize that the marketplace is changing and our customers and employees are asking what we are doing in the community. Each year we donate to a group of charities, mostly for golf tournaments and silent auctions, we have never measured the results of these donations, nor have we asked the charities what they achieved as a result of our support. Now that we are the size that we are, we feel we have an opportunity to give back to the community. We just don't know how to do so effectively.
How do we choose who to give to? How do I know how much my competition is investing in community? What are others of my size doing? How do I engage my employees and vendors in this community investment/corporate citizenship process? Should my Board be included? How do I share this with my shareholders and other stakeholders?
Each year I hear about how charities are spending money frivolously, and I think - that is my money they are spending! Yet, I know that they are doing good work... sometimes. My job is to run my company, I know that community should be a part of how that is managed, I just don't have the time and resources to dedicate to this area of marketing and I really don't know the right questions to ask of a charity.
What I would really like is someone who can tell me how to set up a program that will address my questions on where to give, how to engage my stakeholders, how to integrate this community investment program into my overall operations and how much I should budget towards a corporate citizenship program.
Knowing this information will help me in creating a marketing and business development strategy that includes community. I believe that if I do this effectively I will see a growth in my client base as well as employee retention. Not to mention, increased brand recognition and the positive feeling of doing something good for others.
Items to help you make informed decisions
Philanthropic Services
