There’s a new type of philanthropist in the world these days – one who seeks to achieve their own personal mission, thinks strategically, and gives purposefully. Instead of giving out of obligation and social pressure, the strategic philanthropist puts their soul into their giving.
Why not think of yourself as a strategic philanthropist, and let your corporate community giving be your vehicle to bring about the change you want to see?
Where to start
To do this, you have to take the time to contemplate the world you live in.
Look around, what problems to do you see?
What do you want to change?
Where are the opportunities?
Becoming conscious of your values will help you to identify causes important to you, creating the backbone of your strategic community giving program.
Instead of spraying small donations in multiple directions, understanding your personal giving values will help you narrow your focus toward campaigns and projects that appeal to these values. Benefit to the community also increases, as you are much more likely to stay involved, follow up, and ensure impact is created around things that you feel passionately about.
Align with your brand
First and foremost, understanding why you give helps your charitable giving program work toward the future you want to create. But beyond that, charitable giving can be an incredible marketing tool to further your business needs.
For the greatest marketing success, focus on organizations and causes that align well with your brand. For example, if you are a local pet supply shop, it makes sense to donate to your local SPCA. Supporters of the SPCA will likely be animal-lovers with pets of their own. Having your logo included on SPCA materials and website provides targeted marketing direct to your consumer, who now knows that you care about the same things.
Promote, promote, promote
Promoting your charitable giving is integral to a strategic corporate charitable giving program. Your business will not benefit from your community giving initiatives unless your community knows about them.
Don’t be afraid to ask the organizations you support if they can give you some public recognition through things like social media shout outs and a mention in their donor newsletter. These kinds of things don’t qualify as donor benefits, and are ways that your recipient can easily thank and acknowledge you.
You should also mention your community giving initiatives in all of your communication streams – social media, newsletters, and your website. (Be sure to use your GiveRound QR code everywhere you can!) For larger contributions, draft a press release to send to your local newspaper. Find out which local reporters cover corporate giving initiatives and pitch them your business to write a story about.
Sponsorships are also a good way to build your customer base through supporting nonprofit and charitable causes. More information on the difference between sponsorships and donations can be found here.
