The growing number of female business owners is good news for good causes. Women are more likely to have social objectives when they run a business. They want to make a difference. And you don’t need to run a charity or a social enterprise to give back. Many businesses donate or campaign to support a particular cause or charity that they want to support.
If you are going to give, make sure that it’s really meaningful for you, your business and the good cause. Here are 4 ways to make the most of giving back.
Pick a Charity or Cause
If you’re going to support a charity or a cause by raising awareness or helping it to raise money, it will need to be something you are passionate about. You will be investing your time and, often, your money into supporting it so it will need to be something, which you are willing to put the effort in for. Whilst this may seem simple, there are a wide array of charitable organizations and causes out there and finding one that you ‘fit’ is important. Before supporting a charity you should look around for something that really connects with your experience or vision, as only if you are truly passionate about something will you ever give it your all.
Empower Your Customers
Does the charity or cause you’ve chosen resonate with your customers? A well chosen campaign can help the charity and also help customers to feel more connected to you and your business. Social media is a perfect boon to this type of engagement. Encourage customers to get involved and spread the word.
Be Creative
When supporting a charity and helping it raise money, it is all about creativity. With people now more focused on personal savings rather than supporting a charity, you need to be creative with what you offer. This may be in the form of niche events or campaigns, which are relevant to both your business and the cause you are supporting. One such example is Ladbrokes Bingo’s #ShesGotBalls campaign to raise awareness for the Orchid testicular cancer charity. The importance of relevance cannot be overstated, if you are launching a campaign or supporting a charity with the aim of involving your customers, they will only get behind the campaign if it something they can relate to.
Use Your Assets
You’re a female entrepreneur; you have assets, so use them! As a business owner you have networks of clients and suppliers which you can encourage to join in the campaign, you may have a location which can be used as a base for a function or event, particular skills or products which you can offer to an event and it could simply be something as simple as allowing the charity to use your location or social media profile to promote themselves directly to your customers.
Success isn’t just about making money. What matters more is what you do with your money. You can make it work for charities and your business with a smart approach to giving back.
Image: Giving back via Shutterstock