Strategies for Your Business to Support the Local Community

Is your business supporting local community projects or would you like to? According to the Official Statistics Community Life Survey 2020/21 – Volunteering and Charitable Giving, 62% of respondents (approximately 28 million people in England) have volunteered in the last 12 months. 

At Collection Pot we are always thrilled to see that thousands of people spend their time donating, fundraising and collecting for causes and celebration-and it’s clear we’re a nation of people who love to give back! 

That’s why as a business, it makes great sense to harness this appetite to do good by ensuring that you encourage acts of community engagement in your business. Doing this in the Spring is a great time, both from the perspective of it not being peak season for most businesses and there being better weather conditions, an appetite for change and a sense of possibility in the air.   

But you might have questions. What is the best way to get started with volunteering at work? What are the benefits of community engagement? And how can you decide what to do and who to support? Let’s jump in!

Why help out in the local community?

What are the benefits of a business supporting local community projects? 

While it’s clear that a business supporting local community work will see benefits in the community, there are also benefits to employee engagement. 

If you volunteer at least once a week, the increase in your happiness is ‘like moving from a yearly income of $20,000 to $75,000’, according to a well-known 2010 study by Princeton researchers Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton. 

What gets you out of bed in the morning? For most, it isn’t as simple as just money or a job title. 

Adam Smith’s 18th-century classic, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, includes a well-known cautionary statement that acquiring material possessions can lead to reduced happiness. Another Princeton University research team conducted a study in 2010 that revealed a positive correlation between higher income and increased happiness, but only up to a certain point. 

What makes people tick is purpose and growth, structure, connection and many more basic elements – and this includes volunteering. 

Volunteering and community work provide employees with all of these positive feelings – and more: 

• A sense of structure to their routine.
• Creates a sense of achievement and purpose.
• Offers a connection with other colleagues.
• Provides more than money alone.
• Becomes part of their identity – a helpful person. 

As you can imagine, a workplace full of employees who are connected to each other, see themselves as helpful people and with a sense of routine and comfort sounds like a dream – and it can all be yours with volunteering!

Ways for your business to start supporting the local community

1. Volunteer work: Encourage employees to volunteer for community service projects, such as cleaning up local parks, tutoring students, or serving meals at a homeless shelter.
2. Charitable giving: Donate a portion of your company’s profits or a set amount of money to a local charity or nonprofit organisation. You can also set up a Collection Pot to fund multiple causes. 
3. Sponsorship: Sponsor local events, such as sports tournaments, concerts, or festivals, to increase your company’s visibility in the community.
4. Community partnerships: Collaborate with other local businesses, organisations, or government agencies to work on community development projects or initiatives.
5. Community outreach: Attend community meetings or events to learn about local concerns and needs, and find ways to address them through your business.
6. Educational programs: Offer workshops or training sessions to help community members develop new skills, such as financial management or job search strategies depending on what you do. 
7. Internships: Offer internships to local students to help them gain real-world work experience and develop their skills.
8. Environmental initiatives: Implement environmentally friendly practices in your business operations, such as reducing waste or using renewable energy sources.
9. Mentorship programs: Provide mentorship opportunities for youth or other individuals in the community who may benefit from guidance and support.

How to get started with community engagement this Spring 

Consider how to help by finding local champions or partners 

Stakeholders in the local community might be found in the Parish Council, on Facebook groups or just through local connections. Let your team know your intentions and let them see if they know the right contacts. The best people to connect with will have fundraised or have helped businesses volunteer before and will be able to guide you to the best course of action. 

If you want to give back in other ways – e.g with online coaching, mentorship or donations, search for terms online that are specific to your business eg ‘charity for computer literacy’ or ‘supporting vulnerable adults’. 

Deciding what to do: Survey your team and give specific examples 

While some people in your business may already volunteer, for others it will be totally new. 

In a UK government study, it was shown that the two age groups where volunteering is less established are adults in age brackets of 25-34 and 35-49. This could be a huge proportion of your workplace. 

People may not know how they could give back to the community, so make sure a survey provides ideas as well as questions. Instead of saying: ‘How would you like our business to support the community?’ Or ‘How many hours can you spare?’ You could suggest some projects or specifics. 

Eg. “There is a range of projects we could work on. The local park has damaged woodwork and needs a paint renovation. This will make the area brighter and encourage young families to explore the area and spend time outdoors. The task would need around 2 hours a week. Another project is….”

Tie in with a few charities, not just one  

You might want to support a few causes across the year – some might be local community work, some could be in digital mentorship and you might also want to give money to charities across a few areas that are right for you – for example, charities that support the environment, children and adult learning. 

You can do this in a few ways – offering employees the chance to pick from your set, sharing the balance at the end of the year, or by narrowing it down to 1-2 for year 1, with a different focus the next year. 

After a great job – thank your people publicly 

Altruism and charity work will always be a sticky subject, but we believe that publicly promoting the great work your team is doing and thanking them can only be a good thing. Yes, your business is being seen in a better light, but you are also inspiring other individuals, other businesses and the end result will be improvements in the community that are real and tangible. 

Set up a fund for unexpected donations 

It can be a really great idea to have a community Pot set up that allows team members, family and friends or other members of the community to donate to your ongoing work. You can get a custom URL printed on a team hoodie or T-Shirt alongside your logo and group name, so if people are invested in what you are doing, they can put funds towards the cause as well.