Ray Titus is CEO of United Franchise Group (UFG), a global leader for entrepreneurs with brands in over 1,600 locations in 60 countries.
One of the most valuable traits in an employee is the need to feel they’re not just working for a paycheck but for something bigger than themselves—a place that cares about something beyond profits. Creating a community giving program can build the sense of meaning they seek and may be the deciding factor that keeps them on board instead of looking for fulfillment elsewhere.
A giving program is just good business. By showing you truly care about the people who create your success, you’re building a lasting connection with them and helping to create the kind of place you want to continue doing business in. And the child you mentor today may become your best customer or employee tomorrow.
Community giving shouldn’t be a special effort that’s dusted off once a year and packed away when the season’s over. Along with holiday food and toy drives, there are opportunities to give back—and get back—all year round.
A few years ago, my company, United Franchise Group (UFG), decided to launch a giving program that would have a meaningful social impact. It was something we felt strongly about as an organization, and we wanted to enable our franchise owners to help each other in times of need, especially during catastrophes. We created a nonprofit arm called UFG Cares, which helps our team members who are dealing with life-altering events and enables our employees and franchisees to help local causes through financial support or personal involvement. We also make giving back part of our annual Founder’s Day programs; this past year, we gave employees time to volunteer in their communities and support causes they believe in.
If you are interested in launching a giving-back initiative, here are some ideas for getting started.
1. Discover where you can help.
Look at your organization’s culture and personality. What is the company passionate about? Aligning your cause-related focus with your industry or culture can create a natural synergy in which the whole becomes greater than each part. For instance, a company in the travel industry could host fundraisers to support communities and causes in the destinations they frequent. A restaurant might organize culinary events to benefit local food banks.
Need ideas? Ask the experts. Invite local leaders to your place of business and show them around. Ask how you can get involved. Can you read a book to a classroom once a week or develop a program for the whole school year? Can you show appreciation for first responders by delivering meals on a random day? Perhaps you can start a scholarship program for families of teachers or healthcare workers or donate a year’s worth of food or vaccinations to a pet shelter.
If you need guidance in finding potential partners for efforts like these, your local community foundation and United Way chapter are great resources as bedrocks of community giving.
Once you find your passion, consider creating a mission statement your company and its employees can get behind and support. For example, ours is “Utilizing our brands to encourage, educate and empower individuals to improve our world.”
2. Determine how you can help.
Sharing your time and knowledge can be even better than financial gifts. Any business could offer mentoring programs to educate talented young people interested in a career in their industry. In-kind donations of merchandise are also welcome and often needed by an organization. Identify a team of contributors representing different perspectives who can help identify groups to partner with.
Tapping into employees’ passions is a great option to extend the reach of your company’s giving efforts. Offer paid time off (PTO) to employees who want to spend a day helping their favorite cause. Encourage employees to conduct their own philanthropic initiatives independent of the business, and use your company-wide efforts to set an example and create a culture that is adopted and practiced in daily life.
As you encourage employees to give, however, avoid the appearance of pressuring them to donate to the company’s chosen organization and set clear boundaries on employee-to-employee solicitation.
3. Be realistic about your efforts.
Setting up a nonprofit foundation is a wonderful way to help a lot of people, but make sure your business has the resources, people and time needed. It’s better to work up to it incrementally with smaller fundraisers than to start at the top and fail because you misjudged the support you’d find.
Keep close track of income and operating expenses for your projects, just as you would any other department. A formal budget is probably not necessary for an effort that mostly involves donations, especially if you are just encouraging employees to donate on their own. But you still need a plan before any fundraising—or talk of fundraising—begins.
The Bottom Line
Giving back to others can do so much for a business, both inside and outside. Inside, it can help build a sense of loyalty and community. On the outside, it can help build partnerships with organizations nationally and locally in the community. Our company has enjoyed a priceless return on investment by giving our time, resources and expertise to help others.
Like any company initiative, a giving program requires an investment up front. But I think you’ll find the return on your investment will be priceless. Your employees will be fulfilled in ways they weren’t before and will have immense gratitude as they work alongside their colleagues to serve the community.