According to recent studies, 71% of consumers believe in the importance of supporting socially responsible brands [1]. From donating to internationally recognized charities to using eco-conscious packaging and more, there are plenty of different ways to signal your brand’s commitment to social responsibility.
Community involvement, however, is among the most visible and impactful ways of showing you, as a business, care about the world around you. And besides boosting employee morale and retention, collective volunteering and support of local causes can significantly bolster your marketing efforts as well [2].
Here at Coal Creative, we’re also big believers in the power of giving back to those around us. Let’s explore how to get your organization involved in your local community and uncover the positive effects it can have on your brand’s image.
What Does Community Involvement Really Entail?
For Coal, community involvement branches beyond our marketing efforts and extends into the core of everything we post and produce. It’s so intertwined with our organizational ethos that our employees say it’s “become our primary method of getting our brand out there and making important connections with our collaborators.”
When it comes to the actual how of community involvement at Coal, taking part in local events is at the top of the list. Several times throughout the year, we’ll look over our community’s schedule for local events we can either join, sponsor, or help plan.
Showing our face, logo, and willingness to lend a helping hand at such events isn’t the only way we support our community—but it is the most visible. From sponsoring awards shows to handing out hot meals, the events we attend run the gamut and, from them, we’ve met countless collaborators and formed strong relationships with community decision-makers.
Your business doesn’t necessarily have to follow the exact same path but, if you can get involved in a highly visible form of community outreach, it can pay dividends toward sharpening your brand image and crafting enduring customer relationships.
we volunteered with Fork Over Love to pass out warm meals to those in need.
How To Get Started With Community Involvement
There are plenty of ways you can start giving back to your community and getting involved on a local level. As mentioned, simply looking up local charitable and community events in your area and then attending (or even better, sponsoring) them is a fantastic first step.
You can also try reaching out to your local chamber of commerce to see what opportunities they have available. As our CEO Holly puts it, they’re often “the first stop to getting connected with your community.” Chambers of commerce all operate differently and thus support varying causes. More or less, however, they’re a solid place to find information about:
- Networking events
- Community resources
- Designated groups—such as young professionals’ collectives, women’s networks, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and public policymakers
Aside from your community’s chamber of commerce, you can also check with local charities for support and volunteer opportunities. The United Way, for instance, organizes an annual Day of Caring in which anyone can join in and help the less fortunate in their immediate area.
You can also be proactive by identifying community needs, worthy causes, and underserved groups in your area. At Coal, for instance, we felt there was a glaring lack of financial, social, and community support for aspiring creatives in the Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) area. Thus, we founded NEPA Creative, a space for local creatives to connect, share resources, and gain support for the projects they’re working on.
You can take a similar approach by supporting or starting a group based on the products or services you sell. Not only will you make a positive impact on your community, but you’ll connect directly with locals who have a keen interest in your brand and offerings.
The Benefits Of Community Involvement
At Coal, we believe in getting involved in the community because it’s the right thing to do. We embrace a “support the community that supports you” mentality and think everyone should give back in some way to the place they call home.
Nonetheless, we’re still thrilled when we find a future collaborator at a community or charity event. It means we met them with our best foot forward and they already have an idea of our commitment to community betterment and collective living.
And, in the end, consumers recognize and choose to patronize businesses committed to improving conditions within their local community. That’s why:
- 91% of entrepreneurs get involved in their community beyond the regular demands of their business [3]
- 44% of these owners say community involvement has helped them expand their business—and, amongst female-led companies, that number rises to 54%
- Over two-thirds of entrepreneurs say the immediate geographic community around them has helped them on their business journey
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start giving back to your community! It won’t only increase your self-satisfaction and employee morale, but could net you more business in the long run as well.
Collaborate With Coal Creative To Show The World About Your Community Involvement
If you’re getting active in your community and supporting the people in your immediate area, there’s no need to be shy about it. Share your stories on social media, your website, and with local media outlets to spread the word about your brand and its values.
And, if you ever need some creative support along the way, collaborate with Coal Creative to add a human touch to your organizational involvement. Whether you want to draft up brochures to hand out at a local event, create a website for your new charity, or write a blog post outlining your latest initiative, we’ll support you with the same care and concern you show your local community.
Request a proposal to begin spreading the word about your organization’s community involvement.
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Sources:
[1] “Conscious Consumer Spending Could Be At A Tipping Point.” Forbes. November 30, 2023. [Online] Available: https://www.forbes.com/. Accessed June 18, 2024.
[2] “Measuring the Business Impacts of Community Involvement: The Case of Employee Volunteering at UL.” Business and Society Review. March, 2012. [Online] Available: https://www.researchgate.net/. Accessed June 18, 2024.
[3] “Entrepreneurship + Community Engagement.” New Economy Initiative. [Online] Available: https://neweconomyinitiative.org/. Accessed June 18, 2024.