Helping a charity or good cause is becoming a priority for businesses across a whole host of industries. The notion of “giving back” is one that more and more companies are adopting, especially in the current climate. Having strong links to a charity can have many advantages from helping to define who you are as a brand and cementing your values, to improving employee morale and enhancing your recruitment efforts. It’s a great way of showing the causes that are important to a business, as well as showing you’re authentic and practice what you preach.
A recent study found that if given the choice between two companies with the same price point, 82% would be influenced by whether the company was philanthropic. Other studies show that Millennials are 70% more likely to spend more on brands that support good causes.
But how exactly can a company help a charity? It’s one thing wanting to give back to a cause like sponsoring a child but another to do it. There are so many ways in which you can contribute to, form partnerships with and help out a worthy cause which includes getting your team and customers involved so that everyone can feel they’re contributing. Here are just a few:
1. Fundraising
Fundraising is not a new way to donate to charity but it’s a great way for businesses to get everyone involved. From running marathons to bake sales, fundraising is usually a team effort allowing employees to bond as well as help a worthy cause. It can be fun, which boosts your employee engagement but also allows you to help a good cause like allowing children to access education. At Children of Cameroon, we’ve had people fundraise for us in the past by engaging in walking challenges and other activities; these fundraising efforts have helped us to give children Christmas dresses and other treats which they may have otherwise missed out on.
2. Regular cash donations
It may sound like an obvious one but regular cash donations are invaluable to charities, for charities like ours it can make a difference in ending poverty by helping a child receive an education. Whether it’s regular, fixed amounts or more of an ad-hoc contribution when your business is able, contributing regular amounts of money to a charity can make a huge difference and can be some funding they can rely on. Charities are reliant on donations and any are hugely appreciated, whether they come from profits or team members’ generosity. For many charities, money donated can help to change lives and make a real difference.
In a charity like ours, regular cash donations could mean sponsoring a child as a business. Your company will allow one of our children to receive an education, access healthcare and break out of the poverty cycle. It could be you and your team that change a life. In return, you’ll get regular updates so the team can see the difference made, and everyone will feel involved, which plays a part in boosting employee engagement.
3. Buy in-kind donations
Supporting a charity isn’t all about money. Charities can also benefit from donations of items or ‘in-kind donations’ as they’re sometimes known. Businesses are often in a better position to make in-kind donations than individual people, as they can collect more items or raise more significant funds. It could be that companies can donate their own products or can run drives for donations/money to buy items; either way, these in-kind donations can make a huge difference.
4. Donate resources for products sold
Some businesses are in a unique position to be able to create donation initiatives, like donating 10% of profits from every product sold to a charity or planting a tree for every product sold. In terms of helping a child in Cameroon, it could be purchasing school supplies or a cash donation to help send a child to school. This is a more niche way of helping a charity but for some businesses, it can work in their favour. It can be a way of gaining publicity for both themselves and their cause, showing their charitable nature to a wider audience.
5. Raise awareness
It’s not just financial contributions that can help. Businesses can also help charities by raising awareness. Many companies have huge social media followings and a large number of customers both in-person and online, by showing they’re working with a charity they can help to raise awareness for the great work the charity does. It could be as simple as sharing a blog or social media post with their followers, or publicly declaring that they support the cause but it can help charities to reach more people and spread the word about their mission. At Children of Cameroon, we’re active on all social media platforms, we publish regular blogs and have an email newsletter which makes it easy for businesses to share and engage with our content. Brands can collaborate with charities on content and share their volunteering or contributions online.
6. Allow employees time off to volunteer
As well as raising awareness, businesses have time and people that could volunteer at charities. Firstly this is great PR and marketing for your business as you can promote this on your digital channels. However, it also creates a chance to make a difference. Your employees will feel as though they’re contributing something great to help a worthy cause but will also be confident in your commitment to doing good; it shows your company values are genuine or authentic. Allowing employees time off to volunteer or schedule designated days for volunteering on a company-wide scale are a great way to make a difference. Plus, this will help employees feel a sense of achievement and purpose beyond their role.
If your company would like to help us on our mission to break the poverty cycle in Cameroon, please contact our team today. You could sponsor a child as a business and receive regular updates or you could help us with fundraisers throughout the year to make a difference to all of our children’s lives. Your business could help a child to access education and reach a better quality of life, having a positive impact on families and communities across Cameroon.
To learn more about the work we do, visit our about us page and for more regular updates about our work and children, make sure you sign up to our newsletter.