Supporting Charities During the Holidays is Good for Your Business and Good for the World

It’s that time of year again.  Check out Google Search Trends and look for “Business” and you’ll see the end of the year always coincides with a collapse in keywords related to commerce.

From the last week in November until the first week in January, consumers may be buying a lot, but few are trying to get ahead.  

For those of us who have to find a way to market our businesses on a shoe string, Christmas represents a real challenge.  If we are a B2B business, no one is looking for what we sell after December 15. If we have a B2C business, we’re competing against thousands of entrenched enterprises spending millions to get mind share.

How on earth can a little business compete with all that?

Oddly enough, it may start by being generous . . .

At the end of the year, when it gets cold and dark in the UK, people remember to give to charities that help people around the world.

The UK has one of the highest rates of charitable giving in the world, and the winter holidays are when we give away the most.

One of the ways you can gain both customer mind share and a deservedly positive image during this busy time is simply to adopt one or more charities that are consistent with your company’s brand. You can:

• Give products or services away to one or more local or national charities to help them raise money a new way this year.  If you sell warm woolen blankets, giving fifty away to your local shelter is worth a press release that promotes both you and them.
• Sell products or services and give a percentage of each sale to one or more local or national charities.  This helps consumers give to those who need help as well as their family and friends.
• Create a product or a service that is designed specifically to honor a given charity, and donate 100% of its sales to the charity. This creates an item that reminds people of the work a charity does all year long.

Prior to doing supporting a charity in this fashion you must:

• Contact the charity to confirm that they want to accept your donation.  Not all charities accept donations from all businesses.
• Ensure that the charity approves your right to publish press releases about your donation to them.  You may have to give them the text of the press release for them to approve, and you should incorporate a quote from them if you can.
• Confirm the right to use their logo on your site for a limited time so you can link to them.

If you have a small, not very well known business, look for local charities because they will be easier to work with.  If you have a larger, better known business,  you can work with regionally or nationally known charities.

Writing Press Releases for Charitable Activities

In your press release, make sure you put the name of the charity, your company name, and what was donated into the headline.  Make sure the release contains a link to the charity’s site as well as your site.

• Oxfam Receives 1000 Winter Coats from Carleton Coat Factory
• Buy the Wizard Iphone App and 100% of Your Money Goes to Milestone Children’s Fund
• London Homeless Coalition Receives 40% of All December Sales at Bar9.com

Keep Christmas Well . . .

Christmas is a good time for you to support organizations that help people year round.  In addition to your family's private giving, you really can leverage the resources of your business to make an enduring impact on some social ills.  You can help your customers be generous as well.  

Like businesses, most charities depend on revenues they receive at the end of the year to sustain them for many months.  Christmas is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to show they are philanthropists as well.