Building a Better Community

Written by: Mary Stephenson

Just for the asking…

Probably one of the hardest things for us to do is ask.  Sure some things are easy to ask for but others are not in the realm of what we were brought up to do.

To justify the asking we have to produce good reasons.

“Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone.” 

– Robin Sharma

The above quote I received in the mail a few months ago from my former realtor.  Today I have it sitting on my desk between my monitor and keyboard.  I often glance at it when I need inspiration to keep reaching for what has always been difficult, yes, and very outside my comfort zone.

This got me thinking about the need for sponsors/donations and how do you ask folks to give.

If one can show the benefits of donating and how it really helps them, there will be less reluctance to contribute.  When we donate our time we can see the rewards from feeling good and seeing the difference it makes.  Some are reluctant to hand organizations money, as they never see the benefit personally.

So how do we go about this task without alienating people?  If you have a compelling story they just might be eager to give.  Also if you can explain how what you do as a community service project and how it personally affects them they are more likely to be interested.

Consumers like to buy from companies that donate to a worthy cause.  They like to know that their spending dollar will actually go back into the community and not just in the owner’s pocket.  It has been proven when customers actually find out a company is donating and sponsoring local charities they are more willing to shop at their place of business.

Business owners that let the customers know what charity they support and how the charity helps their community it usually reflects in improved sales.  Back in the 1990’s Target was slipping in sales and although they were giving much more than their competitors they did not publicize.  Once they identified the non-profit organizations they were sponsoring, their sales improved.

Consumers expect companies to be good social citizens and part of that is donating locally. 

So with improving sales, tax deductions from non-profit charitable contributions and the added plus of making a difference for the community they are counting on to keep them in business, it should be a no-brainer of why to donate.