As a small business owner, you speak for your company, and you need to decide what you want your company to say to the public. Do you want to say that all you care about are the profits you make, or do you want to tell your consumers that you care about the world you live in? You can make charitable donations in order to show your values to the public and to help a worthy cause.
If you would like to donate to non-profit there are steps you can take that will not break the bank. A small business can donate to charity without having to spend exorbitant amounts, and you will find that the tax deductions help you to save money too. You could organise a fundraising event for your local children’s home or you could start a blood drive for an HIV/AIDS non-profit organisation. Below are just some of the ways that you can donate to a non-profit organisation or charity.
Raise funds in the office
If you would like to make a monetary donation to any of the charitable organisations in your area, you could ask your staff to help raise funds in the office. For example, you could have a change jar on the receptionist’s desk for people to place their spare change in and then take the jar into the bank to get notes when the jar is full.
You could host a competition day where your employees play ping-pong and bet on the winner, using the money to donate to charity of the winner’s choice. Or an office cookout where employees can “buy” the food made in the office and put this toward an online donation. Make it fun and quirky and you will find that your employees will want to take part. Be sure to match their donations, as the owner, so that they do not feel as though you are not participating.
Use a portion of your profits from one day
For small retail businesses, you can donate a share of your profits from one day to a charity that is close to your heart. For example, if you sell freshly made baked goods, you could use 15 percent of the proceeds of hot cross buns sold before Easter to donate to a charity.
Remember to advertise this on your social media platforms, and you could even print out pamphlets for your staff to hand out to customers in the week leading up to the event. Allow the charity to share your social media posts and advertise the event themselves. Not only will you be helping out a worthy cause, you will also be creating brand awareness and bringing in more customers because of the event.
Set aside a day or two of volunteering
Volunteering is an effective way to help out a charity of your choice, especially if it is an animal shelter or children’s home. You can set aside two days in one week to volunteer so that those who were unable to make it on the first day can still take part in the charity efforts.
As the owner and manager, you will need to go along to both days of volunteering, in order to show your staff that you are dedicated to the cause and the efforts. To make it a fun event and to gain some free advertising for your business, you could have shirts and caps printed with your branding and the charity logo for your employees to wear. This will also allow them to have something to remember the day by. Be sure to ask permission from the charity before doing this in case they have rules and standards for using their logo.
Offer your skills
Depending on what business you are, you can provide your skills pro-bono to a charitable organisation. For example, if you are a boutique law firm, you could offer legal advice for free to the charity if they have any issues to deal with. If you are a marketing agency, you could offer to improve the charity’s website for free or for a highly discounted price.
The charity will benefit from receiving these specialised services that can help to make them more visible to the public, and you will be helping a cause close to your heart. If you are an artisanal chef or baker, you could bake a batch of muffins or loaves of bread to donate to a homeless shelter so that those in need have something delicious to eat.
Your employees will also be able to build their skills and portfolio, which will help bring in more clients. Offering your skills can also show clients that you are in your business for more than just the money, and this is beneficial for your bottom line.
