Small business citizenship?

Is your small business a good corporate citizen?

Many small business owners I know are so busy getting the daily work done that they don’t have time to think about anything else, such as getting involved in the community activities and charities.

Getting involved is smart business. Here in Central Florida the Walt Disney World Resort and the Orlando Magic basketball franchise pour a fortune into local charities and community events.

They don’t do it just to be nice guys.

They do it because they want to enhance their corporate reputations.

 They don’t want to be seen as only making money in this community.

They want to be seen as giving something back to the community. It makes them look better to the public. Many people – especially young adults – consider the social responsibility of a company when deciding where to spend their money.

Small businesses should take a page from that book. Figuring out how to demonstrate that social responsibility can be tough. Having owned a small business in the past I know that hardly a week goes by that someone drops by asking your business to buy an advertisement in a club journal or an advertising banner at the high school football stadium.

That’s one way to support community efforts. Though I caution you not to expect that ad to make your cash register ring. Do it to support the cause and think of it as a donation. To avoid being overrun with groups that want you to buy ads. Set an annual budget for the total amount you’re willing to spend on those ads. Once you’ve spent that money, that’s it. And just tell the group, “I’m sorry, but we’ve exhausted our donation budget.”

Frankly I think there are better ways to support local efforts. I think it’s a lot smarter to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty as a volunteer working on a community project.

For one thing, community projects can be a lot of fun. You might learn new skills. But the best thing is that you get to network and meet new people. You tell them what you do, and don’t be surprised if a week later they come walking through the door of your store to spend money.

They came there because they met you, and they know that you care about the community.

Volunteering for community projects can be a great team builder for you and your employees. It creates an opportunity to interact with your team on a different level. And when you leave, you feel pretty good.

If you and your team are volunteering it’s important that you invest some money in volunteer T- shirts that identify you as volunteers and that say what company you’re with.

Whenever you make donations, or volunteer to support community projects, make sure the organization sends you a thank-you note for your files, and gives you credit in the group’s annual report, and on their website. Maybe you can even get the group to put a hyperlink for your business on their website.

When you support community causes, be sure to list those groups on your company’s website.

You did something good and you deserve credit for it. Remember, most people feel good about doing business with companies that give something back.

In addition, heaven forbid your business gets some bad publicity, being a good corporate citizen can buy you some goodwill in the court of public opinion.

This post was written by David D. Porter, owner and principal at www.DavidPorterCommunications.com, which produces the www.B2BFlorida.com website. David Porter Communications provides video production and marketing services for small business in Orlando, and throughout Central Florida.