In this age of corporate responsibility, long gone are the days when a company would just come into town, advertise, sit back and reap its rewards. Emphasis on community involvement has become essential for corporations to gain consumers. This provides companies with an avenue to exhibit their values while expressing a spirit of giving back to the community. However, for a business to benefit from community involvement, it takes more than just being active. Knowing where and how is critical, and getting in touch with a local chamber of commerce is the best place to start.
How You Can Become Involved In Your Community
There are several ways a business can get involved in the community. Below are some of the ideas to help you get the ball rolling:
- Sponsoring an event such as a fundraiser or marathon or sponsoring a local sports team
- Encouraging employees to volunteer by setting aside time and providing initiatives
- Start a charity drive or support a local charity to help the unfortunate or underprivileged
- Sharing expertise to non-profit organizations that lack resources to undertake specific projects
Ways Community Involvement Benefits a Company
Community involvement offers a symbiotic relationship to business where a business positively impacts the world while also benefiting from its input. Here are some of the benefits a business can gain from community involvement:
Increasing brand awareness
In this digital era, information spreads like wildfire, and nothing like negative publicity can damage a business’ reputation. Every business wants to get noticed for all the right reasons, and community involvement is the best way to go about it. A business that actively contributes to society creates awareness of its brand in a way that shows what the company stands for.
Builds trust with a community
The previous notion that society exists for corporations to benefit from has soiled the relationship between the consumer and companies. Nowadays, consumers want to see that a business cares more than just raking in profits or meeting the bottom line. This has changed how businesses engage with the community, with companies needing to care about how a community perceives them. With involvement, businesses gain the consumers’ trust and send the message that what benefits the business benefits the community.
Create alliances with other local businesses
While some businesses might be competitive, others will offer complementary products to your own. Community involvement tends to bring a company into contact with neighboring local businesses enabling them to network and find ways they can benefit from each other. More often than not, it ends up being through a thoughtful referral. Due to the reciprocity nature and pay-it-forward attitude in a close-knit community, this ends up benefiting everyone.
Leverage local ties
Engaging in local business gives disadvantaged small businesses an edge over significant national corporations due to their close ties with the community. This is because they have more on-the-ground awareness of the local happenings and have earned the consumers’ trust.
Attract local talent
A business active in the community tends to attract talented and high-performing individuals who care more about where they work and positively impact the world other than just money.
Learn How Getting Involved with the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce Can Benefit Your Business
Knowing when and where to get involved in community activities is vital to gaining maximum benefits. As a member of the Greater Baltimore Chamber, you will have access to professional development and networking opportunities to grow your business.
The Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce serves members of the Pikesville, Owings Mills, Reisterstown and Northern Baltimore communities. With over 300 members, we help businesses make valuable connections. Call us today at 410-484-2337 or contact us via our website to learn how you can benefit from our community involvement.