Anne Lackey is the co-founder of HireSmart Virtual Employees, a full-service HR firm helping others recruit, hire & train top global talent.
An organization can have a lasting impact in its community in a positive way, or it can be the business equivalent of a person living with headphones on, siloed and shut off, staring at his screen, avoiding all local engagement and gradually hollowed at the core.
We make these choices as individuals, whether we recognize them or not. Businesses face the same inner value proposition. Over time, the public recognizes one answer versus the other when it hears your business name.
Here are a few tips to help you make a positive difference in your community:
Recognize you have agency to act.
This is so simple, but it’s the first and easiest fact to overlook. We see so many problems around us that any movement toward change can feel futile. The “why bother?” syndrome is infectious. Recognize that infection and avoid it.
You have agency as a business leader to be a momentum shifter. Inertia is the first impediment to progress. Resolve that you will dislodge that first obstacle with action, and then you’re on your way to impacting lives for the better. You will act, and it will make a difference in actual lives. Empowerment and confidence come with this simple affirmation.
Pick a primary aim.
Don’t be scattershot in your giving. Your impact will be weakened if it’s too broad. Determine one primary purpose, and allocate most of your philanthropy to that cause. Perhaps you have an aim nailed down. If not, don’t rush into the first idea you see.
Instead, conduct a community needs assessment. Talk with your local relief agencies, civic clubs, chamber of commerce, school administrators and fellow business leaders. List the ways people are hurting. Where could your dollars have the most impact for the elderly, the hungry, the sick, the disabled? Then, list the ways children and teens could be educated and encouraged in your community. Can you fund a new program or strengthen an existing one? Do you see ways to improve workforce development for kids in your area?
Philanthropy can be viewed in either present tense or future tense pathways: alleviate suffering now or plant seeds for a better tomorrow. There’s merit in both. But I’ve found it’s best to go hard in one direction.
Get your employees involved.
Ask your staff what needs they see around them and what philanthropic efforts would make them most proud of your company. Employees want to feel a higher purpose attached to their place of work. Giving them input on that purpose builds company loyalty and engagement in a shared aim.
Stay informed on the details.
We see significant needs around us, but each problem splinters into smaller issues. For instance, maybe your local Meals on Wheels program addresses a big need—feeding an elderly homebound population in your community—but perhaps the program is short on drivers because volunteer delivery people have to pay for their gas. A business that donates gas cards for those drivers helps ensure that people in need are fed.
Once you’ve picked a primary aim, stay on top of the details. If you know the day-to-day problems your beneficiaries face, you can have the most meaningful impact. Set a schedule for speaking with your philanthropic beneficiary. This also keeps those beneficiaries accountable when spending your dollars.
Consider collaborating for impact.
Forming partnerships with other businesses, foundations or nonprofits can allow you to collectively pool resources and expertise to tackle social challenges. This networking has side benefits, too. These connections put you in touch with good people who may be candidates for future employment in your company if they seek a change.
Set a philanthropic budget.
While philanthropy isn’t ostensibly about advertising, it carries that element, too, because it’s part of your identity and branding within your community. Instead of considering philanthropy as a giveaway, consider it an investment in your community and your business’s position in the local consciousness.
As mentioned, it’s essential to allocate most of your philanthropic dollars toward a specific community investment, but it’s also a great idea to budget money for an unexpected event, such as a terrible storm. Think of what you could do for storm victims and have it ready. You will be remembered and appreciated when you can show up for families with specific aid in a time of true need. This word spreads. It matters more than any ad.
Tell your story.
When you do great things for your community, get the word out. Put it on social media. Contact traditional media. Put it in your newsletters and other literature. It’s not boastful. It’s necessary to spread the reach of giving. Consider that your competitors will see the good things you do and feel pressure to act in kind. Try not to feel annoyed when they do because it’s positive momentum you’ve generated for your community, and they’re tagging along, which is great in the bigger picture. It also strengthens the image of your industry as a whole.
Our daily business centers on our profit-seeking, and rightly so. But if that’s our only focus, we become like a screen-addicted individual unable to look up and see what’s happening right around her, unable to connect and help her community. We can’t rely on government to make everything better. We as business leaders can step up and have a huge impact in so many ways, strengthening our public image in the process. In the end, it’s good business.
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