It’s no secret that it feels good to give, or that generosity goes a long way toward making our world a better place. That’s what drives many of us to volunteer, make our charitable donations or support non-profit organizations that mirror our values and concerns. But as if that weren’t a good enough reason for your business to give back, consider this: supporting non-profits and charities can not only help those in need, it can also benefit your business.
According to research from the Cone Cause Evolution Study:
- 85% of consumers have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a charity they care about.
- 83% of Americans wish more of products and services they use would support charities.
- 80% of Americans are likely to switch brands (equal in quality and price), to the one that supports a charity.
- 94% of consumers think that businesses should do more than just make money. They should give back.
Those numbers are even higher among Millennials, according to a new poll conducted by Morning Consult for Fortune. The results showed that Millennials are even more likely than Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers to say it matters if businesses give back to society.
But there are other benefits as well – like boosting employee morale and team spirit – all of which can lead to increased employee retention and improved customer service. But it was the generosity of spirit more than any business benefit that motivated our team here at Pinnacle Complete Office Solutions to embark on our most recent charitable endeavour.
For the second year in a row, members of the Pinnacle team participated in the Ride to the Somme to benefit SSAFA, the U.K.’s oldest national tri-service charity.
The ride benefits active servicemen and women, veterans and their families and also pays homage to the fallen members of the British Army’s cycling battalions. The cycling route covers areas of Arras and The Somme that include some of the most important battlefield sites of The Great War culminating at The Tyne Cot Memorial.
Pinnacle staff members Clive Hamilton, Jon Prince, Chris Lewis, Sebastiaan Crebolder, and myself gathered on August 30th at the imperial war museum in London. From there we traveled to France where the ride began on Thursday, August 31st.
Together with 150 other riders, we cycled for 3 days through Northern France & Belgium for a total of 230 miles. While each team member had their own personal reasons for taking part, both Clive and Chris served in the British Armed Forces.
I was fortunate to be both a rider and an organizer at this event and I can tell you that there has definitely been an increase in staff morale as a result of our fundraising events and the ‘hype’ around the office leading up to them, as well as for our post-ride Black & White Ball that we are organizing for September.
Our training sessions also offer opportunities to socialize outside of working hours – everyone is welcome whether they’re training or not. We have also noticed an increase in engagement from our social media followers in response to our charity posts, which are attracting interest and likes from new followers.
If you want to support Pinnacle in next year’s ride, or support our Black & White Ball, please contact us here.
To learn more about how giving back is good for business, take a look at this post, How Giving to Charity Sells More Printers and MFPs.
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