Supporting Your Community as a Person and as a Business

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet each day.
~ Sesame Street

It’s become a bit cliché to say we now live in a global village, but it’s true.

For small businesses, it’s important to recognize this fact and to support and give back to the local community as much as you can.

For a start, it’s simply smart business. The goodwill you build in community may not be something that’s tangible, but it can pay off in numerous small ways over time.

• It boosts your brand image, increases exposure to both you and your product or service, and creates a better place to live in.
• It also helps your community get to know you as a person. Many people assume that you’re just after their money and that you’ll treat them as just a name and a number once they sign on the dotted line.
• Activities like contributing to the local library, participating in the neighborhood charity car wash or getting involved with community organization like the Lions Club or the Kiwanis Club lets your community get to know you and shows what you’re about.

It can unlock opportunities you may not have thought about. Folklore and urban legends are full of stories out there about someone helping a shabbily dressed old man, only later to find out he was a millionaire. While your good deeds might not make you rich when the old man returns your kindness, you may find someone with the exact skillset you’ve been looking for to round out your team, or someone with the contacts to break into a new market segment.  

It’s also secondary advertising. For example, if the local paper shows up at a food drive or charity bake sale to do a story, it certainly won’t hurt if the volunteers are photographed wearing T-shirts with your business name printed on them.  

Ultimately, your business is a statement of you as a person and the things you value.

Getting involved in the community allows you to show those values to others, build bonds with the people you live and work with, and creates a better place to live in the process. It’s a win-win for everyone.