Since Ben & Jerry’s appeared on the scene as the “company with a conscience,” countless other big businesses have made a commitment to causes as diverse as the Brazilian rain forest and the inner city.
But you don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company to make a difference in the world. Philanthropy is still philanthropy whether its purpose is to save the ozone layer or outfit the local little league team.
As a small-business owner, you can help your community and foster good will among your customers by contributing to a worthy cause. Volunteering time and resources has mutual benefits: you generosity will help others, but it will also enhance your image in the community. When customers realize your business is committed to them, they will become committed to you.
Nadine Snyder, was looking for a way to help out when she came up with her “Attitude of Gratitude” program. Snyder, an insurance agent with Anderson Insurance Agency in Ashland, donates 5 percent of her gross monthly income to a charity or non-profit. Agency owner, James Anderson, then matches the amount with an additional five percent.
Beneficiaries of the Snyder’s program include Literacy Unlimited, and the Ashland High School Bookwish List.
When you develop a Civic Marketing campaign, treat your effort as seriously as you would any other business endeavor.
This means:
• Align yourself with programs you genuinely believe in
• Treat time as a scarce commodity—choose your commitments carefully
• Commit to your civic program for more than one year
• Brainstorm with trusted colleagues to come up with innovative ideas.
Statistics show that consumers have a more positive image of a company that contributes to the community, especially when youth are the beneficiaries. The Cone/Roper Study, a May 1994 look at consumer attitudes, found that “community-based activities focusing on youth - from internship and training programs to preventing dropouts to improving public schools - is where Americans would most like to see companies in their area involved.”
When considering a cause to contribute to, look for a natural match. A sporting goods store may want to sponsor a local sports team, or a business that caters to young families could get involved in children’s related fundraising or awareness campaigns.
You may also want to address a specific problem in your area. To get a handle on the dominant issues in your community, join a neighborhood association. You may find that keeping kids off the streets is a major concern. In that case, contribute to an after-school program, a Boys and Girls Club or a neighborhood playground or recreational center.
Your Civic Marketing campaign should be unique enough to set you apart from other civic marketers. Writing a check to an environmental group is nice, but it won’t make much of an impression. Rallying volunteers for an ongoing highway clean-up campaign will.
That’s what David Rogers, founder of the ClosetTec franchise found when he assembled a crew to pick up litter along Route 9 in Newton.
Rogers contacted the Massachusetts Highway Department about participating in its “Adopt a Highway” program. Six Sundays each year, a crew of half a dozen volunteer employees of ClosetTec rise early and pick up litter along the road.
The effort not only generates favorable publicity for the company, it strengthens ties among the employees.
“It does promote teamwork. It does promote relationships outside the daily work day in a less formal environment,” Rogers said.
The spot is marked with an Adopt a Highway sign announcing ClosetTec’s sponsorship of that portion of the roadway.
“I wanted to do a little payback to the town that had given us business, and subliminally try to promote more business,” Rogers said.
When you find a worthy cause, make a long term commitment. A year or less simply isn’t long enough to make a real impact. Also, your involvement will become more apparent to people if you’re in it for the long haul. This will strengthen customer loyalty by presenting you as a business that truly gives back.
If you can, choose several volunteer activities, preferably ones that take place at different times of the year. It’s to your advantage to maintain a year-round presence in the community, so donate warm clothing to a local shelter during the winter, sponsor sports teams during the warm months and host an after-school work program in the fall. For the holidays, buy turkeys for a soup kitchen or make a donation to a disease prevention organization in your clients’ names.
You may have heard that the highest form of charity is that which is given anonymously. That may be true, but it’s not relevant to the business world of the 1990’s.
People want to patronize businesses that are socially-responsible. If you don’t tell them what you’re doing, how will they know? So, cast modesty aside and publicize your good works. Tell your customers directly, or write about it in a company newsletter or in a press release to the local media.
Finally, remember that your primary objective in adopting a cause should always be for the betterment of the community. Consider the favorable publicity an added bonus.
