A crisis may be a terrible thing to be in, but it also presents opportunities for mankind to rise above its challenges and come through for each other. If you judge humanity by what went on in your social media newsfeed a couple of years ago, you’d say that we have become self-centered and self-absorbed. However, this pandemic has given all of us the chance to prove that notion wrong for we have seen countless acts of kindness randomly extended to strangers. Social media has blown up with plenty of “faith in humanity restored” types of posts that show pics, articles, and videos of people doing nice gestures and giving back to the community.
This is what the world is in dire need of today: people who give back to the community. Commercialism has molded our minds to become takers that giving and serving have become extraordinary acts despite their simplicity.
Why should businesses give back?
While it is true that acts of kindness are powered by different motivators, one’s sincerity will be felt by the recipients and the witnesses. Some people might be coerced into doing nice deeds in exchange for something but a person who gives freely with no strings attached will stand out.
Business establishments and companies — from auto repair shops to women’s clothing boutiques — have been found to help out regularly. Research shows that 75% of small businesses make an annual donation of 6% of their profit to different charitable causes.
Why do they do this? If we set aside publicity and visibility, it is a great way for businesses to establish their relevance in their communities. It helps build and develop trust from consumers. It also puts them in a unique position to help more people out given their network and influence. But more than anything else, businesses that give back to the community do so because it is the right thing to do.
How can businesses give back to the community?
Giving back to the community goes beyond just making cash donations to a charitable institution. Here are some other ways businesses can give back to society:
Give free products or services to the community
One of the best ways a business can give back to the community is to give away some of its products or offer some of its services for free.
Express your gratitude to frontliners with special discounts
We live in an age where the word hero is redefined as those who are putting their health and safety at risk to fight COVID-19 and its adverse effects. An SME can show its appreciation and gratitude to frontliners by offering special discounts and perks for all the hard work and sacrifices they do.
Go green
Giving back to the community isn’t always about helping people. Sometimes, it’s also about helping and healing the environment. When businesses go green, they not only save money in the long run but also help make the environment healthier.
Support other SMEs
There’s no better way of helping your community than strengthening its economy and the way to do it is to support and promote other SMEs like you. You can help each other out or band together by coming up with special promos or discounts to customers who also patronize your partner establishments. Even a small thing such as following a local shop and liking their posts can help build each other up.
Volunteer along with your entire team
If you’re volunteering, do it as a team. It speaks of solidarity and shows people that your company means business when it comes to improving lives in your location.
Make donations
Of course, the most common way that businesses give back is by making monetary donations to different charities and worthy causes. This may not be as creative as the others but it is one of the most effective ways of helping out.
Spread kindness and cheerfulness
Lastly, be of good cheer. The state of the world is already depressing as it is. We don’t need to add on to all the negativity and toxicity going around. We’re not talking about toxic positivity. Being kind and cheerful isn’t always about being positive. It just means that you’re willing to overlook an offense and do what you can to brighten up people’s days.
Everyone is going through struggles we know nothing about so being extra gracious to folks, practicing generosity, greeting people with a big smile, being courteous, and always offering a helping hand are simple things that won’t cost you a single cent. However, its rewards are truly fulfilling, and to a certain extent, life-changing.
Giving back to the community is more than just giving monetary donations regularly. It doesn’t need to be a huge community event to be relevant to the people. Just do what you can to improve the living conditions in and around your community, no matter how big or small your deed is.
