October 19, 2022
The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it comes the opportunity to help those in need and give back to the community. This is also a great opportunity for you to show your gratitude to those who have dedicated so much of their time and effort to furthering the success of your organization in the past year.
According to America’s Charities Snapshot Employee Donor Research, 71% of surveyed employees say that it’s important for them to work for a company that is supportive of giving back and volunteering. This leads us to a conclusion that giving back during the holidays is first and foremost a meaningful way to show your appreciation and honor the spirit of giving, but it can also provide plenty of great business benefits.
But what exactly are those great business benefits, and what are some of the best ways to give back during the 2022 holidays? Read on to find out what you can do right now to make this holiday season a more joyous time for your employees, as well as your local community.
The Benefits of Giving Back
As a leader in your organization, you’re always looking for those win-win situations in which good deeds and acts of charity can also prove beneficial to the company. That kind of synergy can go a long way toward furthering your organization’s goals, improving employee engagement, and strengthening your community all at once. So, why not seek it out wherever you can?
Here are some of the many benefits your organization can enjoy when you decide to give back this holiday season.
Stronger Relationships
When your organization lends a helping hand, be it to charities, to employees, or to your community as a whole, it lays the foundation for a strong relationship that can prove beneficial to all involved. The recipients of your organization’s charity will reap the rewards of those contributions, while your organization can garner a good reputation and the goodwill that charity evokes.
Increased Employee Engagement
You know by now how important employee engagement is to the success of any organization. According to a recent report from Gallup, companies with highly engaged employees are 21% more profitable and outperform competitors by 147%. In other words, companies that are committed to improving the overall employee experience can directly impact the customer experience, which ultimately leads to higher profits.
One of the best ways to improve employee engagement is to give back to the community during the holiday season. Whether by allowing employees to volunteer at a charity of their choice, by volunteering your own time, or by donating to causes that speak to them, you can inspire and motivate your people to connect with their place of work and become more engaged and productive.
An Improved Community
Making your community better by investing in projects and initiatives that people care about not only helps the community grow but can also directly impact the prosperity of your organization. Whether you’re beautifying public spaces, putting forth an effort to combat issues afflicting the community, or making donations to improve schools in your area, your company gains just as much from your giving as everyone else.
4 Simple Ways to Give Back for the Holidays
Now that you know just how beneficial to your organization giving back can be, you’re probably wondering how best to make it happen. Let’s look at a few of the best ways to show your gratitude to your workforce and your community during the holiday season this year.
1. Donate to a Meaningful Cause
Donating to a charity is one of the simplest ways to extend a helping hand during the holidays. Not only does it provide funding for a noble cause and offer help to those that need it most, but it can also help to build a strong reputation for your company within your community and among your employees.
Choosing a charity that reflects the values that your organization strives to uphold is a great way to strengthen company culture. If you want to go a step further, you can even ask your employees which charities they wish to support and then make donations in their names. This way, you are essentially taking the spotlight off your corporation or business and placing it on your deserving employees.
2. Organize a Charity Event
Simple donations to a meaningful cause can go a long way, but holding a charity event can go even further than that. Seek out a foundation that reflects your company’s values, and then organize an event to raise funds.
Provided your event is a successful one, you should be able to raise far more than what your organization would have been able to donate all on its own. In doing so, you’ll also be providing a great time for all of those involved. A fun holiday event that provides money to a great cause is one of those win-wins that you just can’t pass up.
Consider virtual team building events like Impact Online that have a charitable aspect. Engage your employees with fun challenges, quizzes, and trivia while also enabling them to make meaningful contributions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
If you’re looking for more localized charitable initiatives, Paws For a Cause is a unique team building workshop that also uses games and trivia to get people involved in making the community a happier place for everyone. What better way to achieve that than by having your employees work together to make and donate essential supplies to local animal shelters.
3. Corporate Volunteering
You can give back to your community and your employees at the same time this holiday season by creating a workplace initiative to encourage corporate volunteering. Providing your employees an opportunity to volunteer for a charity that’s meaningful to them can help to improve employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention, while also providing a great cause with a helping hand when they most need it.
This method of giving back should prove to be especially useful with the younger members of today’s workforce, as they’re more motivated to do work that they find meaningful. In fact, the 2014 Millennial Impact Study found that 53% of Millennials said that having their passions recognized by employers is one of their main reasons for not leaving the company. In a separate study, 77% of surveyed companies believe that they can attract more job applications from Millenials if they offer employee engagement opportunities.
4. Improve Your Local Community
You are almost certain to feel the impact of your organization’s giving much more if you focus on local causes. Perhaps the goods or services that your company provides can be offered for free to members of your community who need them most during the holiday season, or maybe you can give donations to areas of your community that require repair, reform, or renewal.
Whatever you choose to do this holiday season to better your community is just as much a gift to your company and its employees as it is a gift to your neighbors.
In Conclusion
These are just some ways your organization can give thanks to your employees and your community this holiday season. If none of them speak to you, don’t worry, there are plenty of other creative ways to give back, such as throwing holiday parties, making efforts to offset your carbon footprint, or simply being more flexible as the holidays draw near.
Whatever you choose to do, just make sure that it speaks to the values you’d like your organization to maintain, and you’re bound to reap the rewards in the year to come.
