The culture of giving and helping the less fortunate is an inherent part of humanity, although in many cases, it seems to have been forgotten. With all the catastrophes happening in the recent decade, individuals and commercial entities have begun to look beyond their own circles to help others.
As a business, having a culture of giving back can only be beneficial. One might argue that this view will only create excess cost for a business, but there is more to it than that. Let’s take a look at some reasons giving back is good for business.
Why giving back is good for business
You get the chance to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Being able to make a positive impact on the life on another person gives you a sense of achievement and goodwill that is hard to match. As educator Daisaku Ikeda said, “People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist.”
Benny Klepach, Chief Executive Officer and chairman of Duty Free Air Supply, is a well-known philanthropist who has given back in many ways to Haiti. He shares his own experience about being able to see the results of his giving back, in particular by providing support for education.
It feels so good to see the joy in the children’s faces. The school in Saint-Marc has changed their lives. Its so important to give back and enrich the lives of others.
You can increase your employees’ morale.
If you feel good about your business giving back, then the same thing applies to your employees. If they know that the company they work for has a culture that helps others, and they feel that they are a part of this, they also have that sense of joy. In turn, that boosts morale in the workplace, which can only be good for business.
You can grow your business even more.
How can you grow your business by giving back? Not that you should toot your own horn, but businesses that have a sense of social responsibility are usually noticed by customers. A business that gives back is seen in a better light and thus tends to attract more new customers.
Ways you can give back
So we’ve established that giving back is good for business. What are the ways that you can help?
Support causes that are close to your heart.
Aside from being a businessman, Benny Klepach is also a philanthropist who is dedicated to improving education for the children of Haiti. This topic is very close to his heart, and he believes that in focusing on education, he can help the future of the country. To quote him, “Education is the best investment you can make for the future. As the saying goes, it’s better to teach a man how to fish than to give him a fish. Haiti’s systemic problems can be corrected with educating the leaders of tomorrow.”
Benny Klepach worked hard at raising funds to help improve the status of education in Haiti. He strongly believes in this cause, saying, “Education is fundamental to a well- functioning society. How can one plan for the future and make sound decisions without the knowledge and insight to fuel those decisions?”
With such a strong belief, he and his business has strongly affected the future of the country, and his efforts are a good example of how you can give back as a business.
It doesn’t have to be education that you support. It’s what matters most to you and who can benefit from your help most.
Encourage your employees to volunteer.
While donating money directly is a great way to give back, there are also other ways you can help as a company. You can volunteer your time, and you can encourage your employees to do so as well. You can even give incentives such as giving them time off for volunteer work. The idea is to build a culture of giving in the company and actively nurturing it from the top down.
Involve your customers.
Let your customers know what you’re doing. As I mentioned earlier, there’s no need to brag, but when you have the opportunity to share the good you’re doing, do so. You’re actually helping spread the word so that others can be aware of the cause you are supporting. Don’t be surprised if your customers go as far as to offer their help as well!
Originally posted on August 29, 2014 @ 8:41 am