One of the best things about being a small business is the connections you can make with your local community. Being able to serve people in your local area and get to know customers personally, can help you to build a solid customer base. It makes sense that at some point in your business plan you will want to give back and help others around you via charitable donations.
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3 Ways your Small Business Can Help Your Local Community

The act of corporate philanthropy is when you as a business, promote the wellbeing of others. this can be done by donating time, money or goods/services. In this post, we are going to look at three ways you as a small business owner can help others in your local community.

Donating Profits

A great way to start is to donate a portion of your profits. This doesn't have to be on everything you take but rather a specific item or during a promotion. Small business can donate in many ways when it comes to corporate philanthropy for music, for example. This is when a music-related company gives back to their local area to help others.
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• A special discount offering a percentage of profits of certain products
• A general sale for a limited time donating a portion of all profits taken for this period.
• A donation of goods or services for a certain number of sales in a period of time.
• A cash donation after a day's takings.

Donating Products

You may find that you are able to donate products or services easier than cash. For example, musical instruments for a local musical charity or outdoor goods for the homeless to help protect them from the elements or even donating unsold fresh food items to a soup kitchen.

This can be as much or as little as you can spare. But a great way to make continuous ongoing donations to a charity or charities of your choosing.
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You can also offer up goods for things such as raffle prizes or silent auctions. This is a great way to help out people who need it in a less frequent way if you cannot commit to an ongoing donation at first.

Sponsor An Event

Does your local little league team need a new sponsor for kits, equipment, trophies or travel expenses? This is a great way to get involved in your local community and help out at a grassroots level.
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Of course, you can sponsor other charitable organisations except for children's sports teams and this will mean that you are helping the organisation do what they need to for the duration of your sponsorship term. The terms and cost of this can vary depending on what you can donate and the charity needs.  For example, you can sponsor a fundraising evening or a day event. Maybe even a car wash!

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​The main thing to remember is that you're doing this for the right reasons. Sure, your company will get exposure from helping out in the local community, but if that is all you are doing it for, then maybe you need to rethink your options. Find something you are passionate about and then help in any way you can so your passion shines through and you can build a lasting relationship whilst helping out and doing good at the same time.

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