More and more brands are joining the “give back” movement to help support their local communities and make a global impact through donations to charities, partnering with local organizations, or creating a volunteer program for their employees.
Why? Modern consumers and employees are more socially and environmentally connected than ever before. They place a heavy emphasis on working for and buying from companies that truly care about giving back. While the main reason for giving back is simply to do the right thing, it can also be a powerful way to drive brand loyalty and employee retention!
Successful businesses have a lot of social influence. When a company makes the effort to donate time, money, or resources to a good cause, they’re sending a message and inspiring their employees, customers, and followers to do the same. By actually taking action rather than just talking about what needs to be done, companies can lead by example and encourage others to do their part too.
Companies are often much more capable of making a noticeable impact than individuals, especially financially. By choosing to use their social platform and greater financial freedom positively, companies can help others get involved who wouldn’t be able to do so on their own—creating a larger overall impact. Plus, giving your customers opportunities to give back in ways that matter to them can drive long-term brand loyalty. According to a Cone Communications study, 83% of Millennials said they would have more loyalty to a company that helped them contribute to social and environmental issues they cared about!
Coming together as a team to raise money for a good cause or participate in a local volunteer project can be a fun team building exercise that boosts company-wide morale. Encouraging employees to volunteer not only helps the community and creates a more positive brand image for your company, but can also lead to a happier and more productive workforce. In fact, nearly 60% of employees who are proud of their company’s social responsibility report being more engaged in their jobs!
While many businesses have had corporate giving or volunteer programs for decades, consumers didn’t necessarily make buying decisions based on those aspects until now. Modern consumers are speaking up and showing just how much a company’s social contributions will impact their purchases. In fact, a whopping 90% of consumers would consider switching from one brand to another that supports a cause they find worthy.
According to Forbes, Millennials have over $200 billion dollars in annual buying power. Companies are fiercely competing to win over these powerful consumers, and contributing to a worthy cause can help! In a recent survey by RetailMeNot, 74% of respondents ages 22-37 said more brands should take a public stand on important social values, and 52% of respondents over the age of 18 said they would spend more money with a brand that aligns with their social values.
There’s also no denying that doing good (when done in a genuine and authentic way) is also good for business. But at the end of the day, companies giving back is about way more than attracting customers or becoming more profitable. The biggest benefit of giving back is simply knowing that you are making a difference and feeling good about it!
The mission of Innovative Group is to connect people and brands through rich experiences. But, Innovative Group is also focused on building human-to-human personal connections that impact entire communities, not just companies.
From offering first responders free meals when DRAFT is at an event, to working with the Celebration of the Seas Foundation on their upcoming Sea Level Rise & Climate Change Conference in 2020, giving back is intertwined into all aspects of how Innovative Group does business.
Most recently, Innovative Group participated in a relief effort in the Bahamas to help with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. On September 5, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Celebration ship sailed from West Palm Beach, Florida to the Bahamas on a humanitarian cruise. Several trips have since followed to help rebuild our neighbors to the east. Innovative Group’s President, Barry Kates, led the charge for the company as part of the strategic relief team, and he sailed on that first mission with hundreds of others to provide support for the Bahamian people.
Nearly 600 first responders and volunteers have sailed with the mission, including representatives from the West Palm Beach Fire Rescue, more than 100 medical professionals, and other small humanitarian groups.
The ship was also loaded with more than 730,000 pounds of supplies, including water, food, pet food, personal hygiene products, medical equipment, generators, and more. Once it arrived in the Bahamas, ship personnel prepared 850 boxed lunches and delivered them to local shelters while volunteers distributed supplies and medical personnel tended to residents in need.
When the ship returned to West Palm Beach, nearly 1,550 Hurricane Dorian evacuees from the Bahamas were on board. Upon arrival, they were greeted at the port by volunteers from various South Florida nonprofits and representatives from the Bahamian Relief Consortium.
(Video By Emily Kates: Innovative Group - Bahamas Relief)
Innovative Group is so proud to have been a part of this project! However, while this humanitarian cruise helped many Bahamians in need, relief efforts are nowhere near finished. If you’d like to donate supplies or make a monetary donation, please reach out to the Mission Resolve Foundation to learn how you can help!
If your company is looking to give back, there are many simple things you can do to get involved and kickstart social initiatives that will make a real difference!
Many companies will choose to form long-term partnerships with major charities or organizations and regularly make donations, volunteer, and participate in their events. In this case, you should look for causes that mesh and align with the ethos of your brand.
In the case of a natural disaster or social injustice, you can reach out to local organizations and charities in your own community to see how you can get involved. Even if the event did not occur in your backyard, they should be able to put you in contact with organizations who are and facilitate donations on their behalf. Giving back to your own community is wonderful, but it is also incredibly powerful to see how people all around the world truly come together to help when disaster strikes.
Kudos to all of you making a difference in the world by giving back. We appreciate all you do!
If you are looking for a team to help you get involved, reach out to Innovative Group today. Imagine what we could accomplish together!