Disasters can occur in the blink of an eye and devastate those living close by. Earthquakes, forest fires and tornadoes are just some of the examples of natural disasters that occur each year in this country. When you factor in tragedies like school shootings and terrorist attacks, it's no wonder why so many people want to help and give back to those affected. As the owner of a business with employees working for you and customers buying from you, you can find ways to help and give back to those in need.
Take Up A Collection
Check with the Red Cross and other relief organizations to find out what people in the affected area need. They may in desperate need of fresh drinking water and nonperishable foods, but they may need clothing and other things that the disaster destroyed. You can make your store the collection center for those goods. Hang signs around town to let the community know what people need with details on how they can bring in items to donate to those in need.
Set Out Donation Cans
Setting out donation cans by your registers with some information about the disaster is a simple way to let others know what happened and what your business wants to do to help. You can encourage cashiers to ask for donations when checking people out and even give those who donate a piece of paper that they can decorate and write their names on for displaying in your store. Crowdsourcing aiding in disaster response is a popular way of giving back that you can use too. You can include links on your site and social media accounts to ask customers to donate online too.
Donate Actual Goods
Don't ask your customers to donate unless you are willing to do the same thing. As soon as a disaster strikes, find out what organizations need and look for things from your own supply that you can donate. This can include toys and books for small children, food and drinks for relief workers and even cleaning supplies that they can use during relief efforts in the future. You can usually deduct the cost of the items that you donate from your taxes the following year, but you'll need to keep detailed records and show proof of the value of those items. It's a great way to give back to your community and get a little bit of a tax refund back in return.
Volunteer Your Time
If you really want to give back, think about volunteering your own time. As long as you have managers you can trust with the operations of your business, you can feel confident leaving your company in their hands for a few days, weeks or more. Contact relief organizations to find out where they need volunteers and what those volunteers do. You might watch over small children as their parents go through their homes, help relief workers clean homes and properties damaged by a natural disaster or work behind the scenes to hand out donated items to those in need.
Disasters can happen quickly and often leave people unprepared for what the future holds. Whether you own a small or large business, you can help those affected by one of these disasters. You might donate good, become a volunteer or encourage your customers to donate cash or items to the cause.
I hope you enjoyed this article about how your business can help to give back after a disaster.
Interested in more articles about giving back to the community?
Read My Blog Posts:
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