It’s the New Year. The rush of the holidays are over and you and your team are ready to resume normal business operations. However, for purpose-driven companies, their daily routines include ensuring that their business is giving back to their community through their social impact initiatives.
Selecting a nonprofit partner that aligns with your business purpose is the first step. This partner should mesh with your company culture and more importantly make sense to your customers and other constituents. While one and done financial donations are admirable, having a social impact program that can give back has staying power.
Begin In Your Backyard
It can be overwhelming trying to select a nonprofit organization when there are so many needs in the world. It’s best to begin where you are. Look around at your local communities as it is highly likely there are a variety of organizations already in place that could benefit from your support.
Many nationwide nonprofits have local chapters for which you could become involved. For example, The United Way, American Red Cross, or Habitat for Humanity are terrific causes that help so many in need.
Ask Your Team and Clients
You may find that your clients and team members are already heavily involved in volunteering which makes them a great resource for discovering an applicable nonprofit for your organization. Company-wide or departmental meetings or even a quick survey are great ways to secure this information. Not only will this likely provide you with a variety of ideas, it may very well identify causes for which you were not aware of.
Perhaps it’s a local shelter, animal rescue, or food pantry. Remember, it’s not the size of the nonprofit organization that matters, but the impact you and your team can make in your sphere of influence. Additionally, by selecting a cause for which your clients already support, you can partner with them on activities or join them at charity events.
Take it Up a Notch
Looking to make a big splash? Consider aligning with the global sustainability goals as published by the World Economic Forum. With seventeen goals ready for the taking, your organization should have no trouble finding one that will work for you. Established in 2000 by the United Nations, these initiatives have one goal in mind: to eliminate poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease for good.
Using these sustainability goals as a foundation should make it easier to develop a social impact program that is aligned with your business purpose and helps to ensure that no one will be left behind.
As you approach the New Year, take some time to evaluate your existing community commitments. If your community partners have been in place for a few years, it may be time to review the impact that you’ve made to date. Consider assigning this role to a few members of your team is a guarantee that creative ideas for future initiatives will be discovered. Additionally, placing this responsibility with them ensures that it will be a living breathing component of your daily operations.