There are many ways that business people can support their communities. The following are some examples.
Offer your premises or site for a community group to use for its meetings/events
Loan equipment and machinery (and operators if necessary) to community groups
Photocopy newsletters, flyers and other material for a community group
Contract a community group or its clients to do some of your work
Include a community group’s mail in your company’s mail outs
Mentor community groups with financial management, planning, marketing, public relations, computer technology, etc.
Make available traineeships to community groups working with unemployed youth
Employ older employees who have been retrenched from their jobs
Employ a person with a disability who is capable of undertaking work for your company
Provide work experience for students from local schools, TAFE and universities
Join Rotary, Lions and other local clubs which support communities
Assist a community group to plan and run a major event
Advertise a community group’s event in your shop window
Sponsor a community event such as a festival, display or annual celebration
Offer your goods and services at a discount rate to a community group
Administer the salaries of employees from a small community group
Use your business premises as a collection point for non-perishable food for a community group which supports people living in poverty
Encourage employees to contribute to the food bin
Allocate the proceeds from the sale of a particular product (maybe specially labelled) to a community group or cause
Pass on obsolete equipment (but still in working order) to community groups
Offer reduced labour costs for repairing or maintaining a community group’s equipment and machinery
Provide scholarships or subsidies to community groups so that their clients or workers can participate in essential training, workshops and conferences
Sponsor disadvantaged children to participate in sporting activities, camps and school excursions
Provide in-kind or at reduced prices goods for raffles, fetes and other fundraising activities
Provide surplus stock either at reduced cost or no cost to community groups which may be able to sell it or use it themselves
Promote a particular community group or cause using your company’s marketing or media resources
Employees with particular expertise in management, financial or legal matters can advise or join community groups' committees
Construct and maintain a website for a community group
Use your shop window, office wall, signage, company vehicle or stationery to highlight a particular community issue or cause
Provide a commission to a community group which refers customers to your business
‘Adopt’ a reserve or an environmentally fragile area and contribute to or take responsibility for its upkeep
Provide a storage area for a community group for its equipment or goods
Sponsor community or school awards
Share your business networks with community groups
Encourage other companies to support their communities
Use your influence and contacts to advocate with government or businesses to support a community cause
Assist a community group with its application for government or philanthropic trust funding
Provide a community group with training sessions in management
Assist a community group to recruit staff
Assign an employee for a specified period of time to a community group to undertake a task or project
Assist a community group to develop policies and procedures for its services, activities and projects
Place a fundraising collection tin, badges, ribbons, lollies or raffle tickets on your shop counter, reception area or staff room
Recycle or re-use as much of your company’s waste as possible
Allow your staff to participate as volunteers regularly or once a year for a community group or cause
Conduct an in-house fundraising event with proceeds going to a local community group or cause
Introduce a voluntary staff salary deduction scheme with the proceeds going to a community cause
Provide a small percentage of the sale of your goods and services for a community group or cause
Collaborate with other companies to work on community projects
Educate your employees about community issues by inviting an informed representative from a community group to speak about local issues
Include the costs of supporting your community in your company’s budget.