With so many worthy causes and nonprofits to support, how do you choose?
In our case, who we choose to take on as a pro bono client and who to ask as a Lunch and Learn speaker has evolved organically. When the company first started, our founder, Gina Vucci, would select a pro bono client. As the team grew, she began to ask the team to share suggestions with her in an informal way.
This year, our plan is to again ask team members to nominate a nonprofit and explain why they believe it’s a worthy cause. We’ll then compile the entries, share them among the whole team, and put it to a vote!
Giving Ideas:
We know we’re just scratching the surface when it comes to the many ways to be altruistic all year round. Here are a few other ideas we hope spur your interest and creativity as you think about ways to incorporate the spirit of giving into your business.
💗 Pay It Forward. We were delighted to learn about a way to redefine giving through the gift of a ‘TisBest Charity Gift Card. This is something business owners can give to their employees and clients to encourage giving during the holiday season.
The main idea is the recipient receives a card they can then donate to their favorite charity or nonprofit. It’s easy and incredibly fun to hand out these digital stocking stuffers!
💗 Bake It In. Yes, we’re foodies here and we love our baking, but in this case we’re talking about baking giving into your business model. Donating a regular percentage of your annual profits to your favorite charity or cause is a great way to keep up with your charitable goals and give back to your community.
Not only do you get the satisfaction of giving in a regular and predictable way to causes you care about, you can also promote awareness of the causes through your marketing efforts.
This can do a lot to help attract and retain customers who are in alignment with your values, as they’ll both be more likely to remember and choose your brand when comparison shopping.
Not to mention, by naming certain organizations in your marketing materials, you’re also providing them with free exposure that will help raise the public’s awareness of their mission. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved!
💗 Social Listening for New Opportunities. You’re likely familiar with the practice of “social listening” to help you refine your products and services, but you can also apply this to learning about new opportunities for giving.
Instruct your team members to keep their eyes and ears out for new, untapped giving possibilities that are specific to your business. For example, if you sell bikes, you could listen for opportunities to make an impromptu bike donation to children in need in your community. If you work as a business coach, you could donate a certain number of coaching sessions to your local women’s shelter for women interested in starting their own business. There are many ways that you can turn your talents into ways to help others.
💗 Get creative! There is no end of need. It’s our firm belief for every need out there, there’s also the exact right gift that can be given to make a difference.