6 ways your business can give back this holiday season

For a business, having a community that supports you is essential – especially in the current context. But what’s the best way to express your gratitude? In these trying times, being a company that gives back to the community is more important than ever. There are plenty of ways you can do some good this season, most of which offer sound business benefits too. From employee volunteering to business donations to charity, find out how to give back this holiday season.

These six inspiring ways your company can make a difference over the holidays will spread tidings of comfort and joy to your customers, staff and community – as well as giving you a warm glow inside.

1. Encourage employee volunteering

Giving your staff free time off to do charitable work is a win-win situation. Aside from supporting a charitable organisation, corporate volunteering can benefit both your business and your employees as individuals.  As well as being good for society, it’s been shown to boost mental health and could even help develop your employees’ leadership skills.

Businesses that engage in corporate volunteering also get a big tick in the box marked ‘socially responsible’ – and giving your employees the opportunity to support the community could pay long-term “dividends”. Also, while giving might be more rewarding than receiving, building an altruistic company culture will give your business a positive PR boost.

2. Donate to a good cause

There are plenty of proven benefits for companies that donate to charities, including improving your company’s reputation and building the respect of your employees. Ask your team to help you nominate a charity, or choose a cause linked to your business. For example, if you design homeware, you could donate to a homelessness charity.

Although visibility isn’t the name of the game here, you could make a business donation to a charity on behalf of each of your regular or key clients. You can let them know in your company’s holiday Greeting Card how much has been donated, and to which charity, as a thank you for their loyalty.

3. Give to your community

For those in need, the holidays can be a particularly challenging time, so why not examine your business to see if there’s anything you can offer in support of your local or wider community? Many companies that donate to charities offer their own products and services, to help them benefit from their particular expertise. For example:

• If you’re in manufacturing, you could hand out your product to charities who would benefit or, if you produce something fancy, offer a gift as a raffle prize.
• If your business offers a service, offering time pro bono to a charity, or directly to those in need, is another way of spreading some good cheer without simply giving away cash.

4. Take part in a charity event

As a business, giving back to the community can take many forms. There are plenty of creative ways you can encourage your staff to harness the holiday spirit to help others. Suggesting a distanced or online group activity to raise money has the added bonus of minimising disruption and bringing your team together for a common cause (one unrelated to your business).

Offer to match each donation made by staff – and make sure management gets stuck in too – and you’ll make even more of an impact. Short of ideas? Try one of these:

• Charge a small fee for staff to wear a bobble hat or Christmas sweater in online meetings over the holidays. Offer a prize for the craziest design.
• Produce a company calendar to sell for charity. Get everyone involved in the whole process, from choosing a theme to helping with production.
• Hold a ‘best decorated home office’ competition, asking entrants to decorate their desks at home.
• If possible, ask staff to donate items or skills, and hold an online holiday auction.

5. Sponsor an intern in the new year

Show you really mean it by extending your goodwill into 2021. Companies that give back do it all year round! Offering a sponsored internship spot, work experience placement or apprenticeship to a young person who needs help getting a foot on the ladder is great for your community, and could be beneficial for your business, too.

Reach out to local enterprise schemes that help young people find work, and they’ll be more than willing to help find an enthusiastic match for whatever paid work experience you can offer. Although this represents a longer-term financial commitment than a bake sale, it’s an incredibly rewarding one, and could lead to you gaining a skilled and committed new worker.

6. Reward your employees

There are many ways for your business to give back. The benefits of making your employees feel valued are well-documented, and include happier workers and boosted trust within your business.

The holidays mark a time of change – and if your employees are among the 52% of workers who consider looking for a new job after the ball drops, it pays to make them feel valued as 2020 draws to a close.

Of course, a solid bonus in each pay cheque never goes amiss. But there are other, more creative ways to show your appreciation. Here are some ways for your business to give back to your employees:

• Join a perk scheme that offers employees discounts on pleasure purchases such as movie tickets and restaurants.
• Give your staff additional free time off between Christmas and New Year. Let’s face it: they’re not getting much done during ‘Betwixtmas’ anyway.
• Offer a range of perks they can choose from, so their gift is customised and won’t go to waste – for example, a gift card for a store or service of their choice.

If you can’t afford to recognise your employees with lump sums or costly perks, a small gift delivered in person with a handwritten Greeting Card goes further than you might think. It demonstrates that you genuinely value your workforce, and you’ve noticed their individual contribution to the team. Companies that give back are, above all, companies that care – no matter their budget. Thanks to Printfinity, you even have the option of printing a different, personalised design on every card, earning you even more brownie points.

Want to spread the joy? Browse our customisable Greeting Cards.