Social responsibility is relevant for companies of all sizes but it’s extremely important when you are an SM that works very closely with the local community. We understand, that as business owners, you can’t always invest your time into helping a worthy cause as it doesn’t directly help your business to profit, however, giving back helps attract new customers whilst at the same time, gives a sense of doing something worthy. Giving back has many benefits but one obvious one is the number of opportunities it can indirectly generate.
A large percentage of us love the idea of being able to make a difference in terms of helping someone or something. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great deal you can do as your hands are tied due to financial constraints… Don’t let money stop you from taking action. Thankfully there are ways that you can give back without breaking the bank, such as these important ways.
Make a plan of action.
Many of us have great ideas, but they don’t come to life until we put pen to paper. Doing this will get your creative juices flowing and also enable you to collaborate with different members of your team. Every quarter, take the time to sit down with your team and discuss the different ways in which you could go about making a real difference.
Encourage your team
Don’t always focus on performance or profits when it comes to what your employees are doing throughout the working days. Are there any workers that are specifically coming up with different ideas to really help people in and around the local area? If so, praise them! Not only will this help build employee morale, but will also enable you to encourage personnel to be volunteers by offering paid time off for work for a charity of their choice or a worthy cause!
Buy from local businesses
This is putting a different spin on things entirely. One of the most effective and easiest ways to give back to the community is by supporting other local companies. Always look for the opportunity to buy locally as much as possible. You can better this still by leaving positive reviews on their websites, linking to your favourite local businesses and promoting the local business by telling your friends and family about it.
Share your skills and knowledge
As a business owner, you possess a wealth of valuable information about your particular industry, expertise and knowledge. You can put those skills to good use in many different ways. A good example could be that you could help a student that is working to gain a degree in your industry; you could be a mentor and answer questions that they may have.
These are just a few different ways you can put into practice that will really make a positive difference within your community. Above all, just remember to consistently give a little, because a little can make a difference
