Pepper Rutland Offers Tips for Giving Back as a Business

In today’s altruistic world, there is greater emphasis than ever on for-profit businesses to give back to charity and their non-profit counterparts. Even when resources are limited, there are a variety of low-cost ways that businesses can give back to society:

GIVE BACK WITH YOUR STRENGTHS: As a general rule, people will get more out of volunteering for causes that interest them and play to their strengths. For example, a former high school athlete will especially enjoy coaching underprivileged youth while a software developer will excel at teaching youth computer skills. Aligning your company with a non-profit similar to your business is also a great way to encourage giving and build positive rapport within the company.

EMPOWER EMPLOYEES WITH A GRANT STIPEND: Many business leaders have found that one of the most effective ways to encourage giving is to provide employees with a grant stipend that enables people to give to the charity of their choice. By empowering employees to choose a cause that is near to them, they will take ownership of the decision and hopefully continue the giving for years to come.

ENCOURAGE PRO BONO WORK: Non-profits do not always have the resources to hire for all their needs. Traditional business ventures can give back by simply giving their time to help non-profit counterparts in a variety of ways, benefiting everyone in the process.

KICKSTART GIVING WITH KICKSTARTER: Kickstarter is an easy and effective vehicle for business leaders to encourage their employees to give back. By giving employees a small amount of money to funnel into Kickstarter Projects, the employee gets control of the giving. As a bonus, it is fun to see where the funds end up!

EFFECTIVE MODELING: Executives are in the unique position of modeling charitable behavior to their employees. By inviting team members along for the ride, business leaders can encourage a myriad of philanthropic efforts, while building teamwork at the same time.

BONUS INCENTIVES: By incentivizing employees with bonus money directed toward chosen charities, business leaders can use giving back as a motivation to improve the bottom line. Making it a contest between departments can create a healthy sense of competition, where everyone wins at the end of the day.