Give Back: Company Participation in Charity Events

In preparing to draft this article, I was reminded of the episode of The Office in which Dunder Mifflin sponsored a race benefiting a variety of obscure charity groups. While the race in that episode ended up being a complete bust, it cannot be denied that participating in local charity events as a company can yield great benefits for the company and staff - of course, Michael's ideas always end badly on that show.

In approaching the world of charity events, there are several options to consider, from what types of events are available to whether you want to sponsor or participate in them.

Why Participate at All?

In planning annual spending budgets, most executives will allot a certain amount to various charities. In the past, my boss simply used to cut a check and go on his way. What he did not realize was that by spending the same amount of money as a sponsor or participant in events hosted by charities, we were still benefiting the charity but taking advantage of some perks at the same time.

• Participating in charity events boosts company morale. Getting involved for the good of the community makes people feel good about themselves and proud of being a part of a company that is dedicated to the community.

• Sponsoring or participating gets your company name out there. Consider how much money your company spends on advertising. The money spent on sponsoring or participating in charity events can pretty much be thought of as killing two birds with one stone. In sponsoring an event, your company name will be on every piece of literature, banner, t-shirt, radio ad, television ad and anything of the sort. In participating, your name is still exposed, just not on such a grand scale.
  

• People recognize your company as one that cares about the community. No matter what line of business you are in, you don't want to come off as a greedy, un-apathetic organization that seeks money from its consumers but does not feel the need to give back. Consumers are more likely to buy whatever you are selling if they view you as a company who cares about the greater good and will even take pride in doing so.

• Lastly, participating in charity events is a great way to get clients/customers involved. Most customers will be more than willing to get involved and having your customers get the "warm fuzzies" about participating in a charity event spearheaded by your organization only helps you. Consider, for example, when you are checking out at your local convenience store and are asked if you want to donate a dollar to a charity, in which case you get to put your name on one of those paper decals that will go up on the wall. I realize this is a pretty basic example but it highlights the simple fact that people love to get involved and feel good about helping out.

How Do We Start?

Once you have decided what amount of your company's budget you have to work with, you will need to decide which charities you want to work with and what types of events you wish to participate in.

• Choosing your charity or charities: If possible, select charities that have something in common with your company. For example, if your company is a hospital, you would choose to work with major charities benefiting medical ailments (i.e. diabetes, heart disease, etc...). Obviously, some companies will not be able to select charities that pair up so nicely and in this case it might be best to generate your own good cause.

• To generate your own good cause, you will need a common thread between your company and the cause. For example, if you are financial institution, maybe you could host free monthly seminars in which young people can gain education about managing their finances.

• Once you have decided which charities you will work with or causes you will generate, you will need to decide which types of events you are interested in. A good idea here is to get the staff involved. Find out what sorts of events are available and ask which ones they think would be the most beneficial and fun for the company. By getting them involved in the decision, they will be much more excited about participating.

• Charities host everything from banquets, to auctions, to walk/runs and it is your decision to consider the event, your budget and the enthusiasm of your team when deciding which events to participate in.

• The decision to participate or sponsor an event depends mainly on the budget. You have choices. Some companies split their charity budgets so that they can participate in a number of different events, while others use a bulk of their budget to either sponsor or host their own event, entirely. Again, this depends on how much money your company has allotted for charities and if there is a specific organization that your company has a strong relationship with.