4 Ways Your For-Profit Business Can Do Good
When we visited with the folks at Gather Venues in Austin for Be Sage Conference we got to talking about their mission of ‘doing good‘. I was fascinated by how they’ve built this idea into their business model. I invited the team to share with me a little bit about this in the hopes that you might be able to incorporate these ideas into your own business.
Philanthropy has always been a tool used for businesses to do good. Businesses and families have been donating their dollars to charities since the dawning of capitalism. This way of giving has been impactful in some areas, but for-profit businesses can always do more to make a greater impact on the communities they work in.
Nonprofits are on the frontlines of change, but for-profit businesses (like yours!) have the power to ignite real change. From small communities to larger ones, we can make the world a better place through business. Gather Venues, and its parent company Vuka Collective, run our Austin event venues with the lens of business and profit in service for people and planet.
Here are four ways you can help make the world a better place with your business.
1. Donate time and/or money
Donating money to a nonprofit is a direct way to make an impact in your community. But if you have employees, how about taking them out on a staff volunteer day? You can also share on social to let your clients and customers know the ways in which you invest in doing good.
Time and money are sometimes hard to donate, we understand. You can also donate your goods and services to nonprofit silent auctions or sponsor their fundraising events. There are an unlimited number of ways you can donate your time and money or products. Reach out to the causes you care about and see how your business can get involved.
2. Use and/or sell environmentally-friendly products
When working in the wedding and events industry; using environmentally-friendly products can be expensive! We know that struggle as a venue. But there are small ways you can make your business more green. If you’re a caterer, try having paper straw options. Or if you’re a planner, you can have video chats instead of driving places to meet clients. There are so many ways you can be more environmentally aware with any type of wedding-industry business you run!
3. Adopt the one-for-one technique
TOMS is the example here. They started out by donated one pair of shoes for every one bought. They’ve since expanded their mission to include a lot of other things, but the initial cause is still catching on with companies all over the world.
We understand if you offer services and not products, sometimes the one-for-one method can be very time-consuming and not very profitable. But there are ways to get creative! For example, florists can partner with Random Acts of Flowers to give flowers to vulnerable individuals who wouldn’t normally receive flowers or visitors.
4. Offer discounts to active duty and veterans as wellas folks who work in the public sector.
It’s not uncommon for people to offer steep discounts for veterans and active military members. And we think that’s important! But working for nonprofit organizations and other cause-based agencies usually means a steep sacrifice in income. Say thank you to nonprofit workers for their time and dedication to the causes we all care about through discounts or special offers!
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Gather Venues are two hospitality-driven event spaces in Austin, Texas that offer in-house catering, bar, AV, and transportation services. Learn more about Gather Venues by contacting our Client Engagement Specialist here.