Small Business Saturday Blog
Can Giving Really Be Good for a Small Business? Spoiler: Yes!
Wednesday, May 02, 2018 at 10:08
Reputation is everything when it comes to making a businesswork, and nobody knows that better than a small business. If yourcustomer sees you in a good light, then you are halfway there. Largercorporations are moving rapidly down the ‘purpose-driven’ route, and usingCorporate Social Responsibility as a marketing tool to attract and retain customerswho want to spend with brands that align with their own values. Businesses with a clear ‘Brand Purpose’, those seen as making livesbetter, grew three times faster in value on average over the past 12 years.Many smaller businesses do want to give to back to society and make adifference, but it’s not always easy without designated CSR resource. Everydaypressures take over. And when time and money are tight, good intentions canfall by the wayside.
But what if all sizes of businesses could give to charity in a waythat’s good for their business too?
We wanted to find out directly from the very businesses andcharities themselves why charitable giving seemed to be the preserve of thelarge enterprise, so we surveyed people from both businesses and charities tosee where the disconnect was.
Firstly, one in four businesses surveyed have yet to give, witha failure to see the benefits being a significant factor in their decision.
Increasing your bottom line, elevating customer perception andretaining and attracting staff are just a few of the fundamental aims allcompanies have, and have many tactics to achieve, but charitable giving may notbe considered as one of those tactics or credited with helping to drive any ofthose success measures. Yet out of the businesses who do giveregularly to charities, two thirds saw noticeable positive impacts on theirprofitability, and the more they give, the more benefits they report. Thosethat donate over 0.5% of turnover were twice as likely to report enhancementsin company reputation and nearly 50% more likely to see it help recruit andretain staff.
For most, giving doesn’t seem to be all that regular. Aside fromthe occasional charity bake-sale or ad-hoc donations, giving is often not partof company strategy, especially in small to medium business where margins canbe tight and overheads prohibitive. However, it doesn’t require big bucks tomake a difference. Alone, small business may feel just that….small.Yet small businesses make up 99% of the 5.7million businesses in the UKand have huge potential to be a force for good, and enabling every businessto donate in manageable increments when revenue allows could lead to a ‘give togrow’ movement that could really change things.
So we can see the benefits to business giving, but what are theother barriers? With only 2% of charities’ income coming from the businesssector, something is amiss. Well for starters; regular giving is a pain.
For a business to donate off the back of their sales, there must be aCommercial Participation Agreement (CPA) in place which involves negotiations,admin and legal issues. This can actually result in charities turning downdonations under a certain threshold, because it’s just not viable for theamount of time spent (average of ten hours to secure one donation from an SME)and businesses have enough on their plate without philanthropic effortsactually costing them time and therefore money. What a waste. Charities loseout on vital funding and businesses lose out on long term benefits of valuablePR, reputation building and profits.
So out of this, we created another small business to add to theUK’s 5.7 million in order to solve the problem. The Work for Good platformwas created to make giving easy, flexible and beneficial to SMEs and thecharities they choose to support.
BTE Automotive isa family run garage service business based in Hampshire. Started by husband andwife team Jan and David Parker 27 years ago, day-to-day operations are now runby their son Barry. BTE Automotive have recently signed up with Work forGood and are building giving into their business in a serious way.
Barry comments, “As a family run business, our values are at theheart of what we do. As well as offering our customers the best possibleservice, we also want to give back to the community we serve and the causesclose to our heart. By donating a £1 for each MOT undertaken this year, we’llraise more than £3500. And that’s just the start. We’re looking at givingthrough product sales and ways to get customers involved in choosing whichcharities we support. It’s a great way to develop trust and developrelationships.
Work for Good makes it easy for us to build giving into ourbusiness. They connect with the charity and take out the legal and adminhassle. We can focus more time on doing what we do best – serving ourcustomers, supporting our team and growing our business."
Download our full survey results and learn how your business cando well by doing good, at workforgood.co.uk/research
If you’d like to hearmore visit www.workforgood.co.uk.
The SmallBusiness Saturday community can receive a 50% discount to first yearmembership using code: DOGOOD18.Categories:
- Inspire Series (1)
- Monday Seller Success With Ebay (8)
- Small Biz 100 (1)
- Small Business Saturday Uk Champion (2)
- Smallbiz100 (8)
Latest Posts:
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2023?5 Days Ago
- Zero to hero in Nottingham7 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: That Vintage Football Shirt7 Months Ago
- Rock on in Southend on Sea7 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Purrfect Cat Gifts7 Months Ago
- One love, one heart on Ipswich’s high street7 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Hampers by Lauren7 Months Ago
- Good graces in Bristol and Bath7 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Top Dog7 Months Ago
- Weigh to go in Northwich7 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Handpicked Penrith8 Months Ago
- Holy cow in Westmorland8 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: The game is afoot8 Months Ago
- All fired up and ready to go in Gerrards Cross8 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Meteorite Man8 Months Ago
- Dorset's Ice Cream Appreciation Society8 Months Ago
- Monday Seller Success Story with eBay: Giddy Goats Toys8 Months Ago
- SmallBiz100 celebrated at the Blue Tie Event8 Months Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2022?13 Months Ago
- From field to fork – making the most of Cheshire’s local produce18 Months Ago
- Sustainable living with BLANC19 Months Ago
- Pizza power19 Months Ago
- In the good books19 Months Ago
- From babygrows to beer kits19 Months Ago
- Smile and say cheese20 Months Ago
- The perfect planner for when you didn’t plan for this21 Months Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2021?2 Years Ago
- Feeling lighter than air at The Float Spa3 Years Ago
- At the cutting edge of local community3 Years Ago
- Sewing the seeds of success in Scotland3 Years Ago
- Joco's leap of faith pays off3 Years Ago
- No messing around! How Tom Foolery Coffee Company pivoted during the pandemic3 Years Ago
- How Mandira’s Kitchen has its eye on spicing up your freezer3 Years Ago
- Wild about keeping it local and healthy in Bristol3 Years Ago
- Award winning small business announced at Blue Tie celebration3 Years Ago
- Free leadership training for SME leaders delivered by leading Business Schools3 Years Ago
- Six things you can do in your business right now3 Years Ago
- How can my employees return to work safely and legally after Covid-19?3 Years Ago
- What is it really like being a #SmallBiz100? – Stamptastic spill the beans3 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2020?3 Years Ago
- Why embracing technology should be your New Year resolution3 Years Ago
- Starting a new business: financial tips for start ups4 Years Ago
- Top 10 security tips for small businesses storing personal data4 Years Ago
- From architect to artisan at the Dumfries Larder4 Years Ago
- Putting down new Roots in Abergele4 Years Ago
- How Amazon is helping one woman tackle taboos and period poverty4 Years Ago
- Creating a community: What it means to be a small business4 Years Ago
- Building an enabling bridge, brick by brick4 Years Ago
- Get ready to rock with Rockit4 Years Ago
- How to create an event for Small Business Saturday UK4 Years Ago
- Jampacked with passion: the local cinema that’s giving back4 Years Ago
- Celebrating the North East’s cycle stars4 Years Ago
- Don’t know what to write about? 9 ideas for your next business newsletter, blog or social media post4 Years Ago
- Take a butcher’s at the first of the #SmallBiz100 20194 Years Ago
- 7 essential growth tips that small businesses need to know4 Years Ago
- Making a great first impression: photography & small business4 Years Ago
- Strength in numbers4 Years Ago
- How to choose the right pricing strategy for your business4 Years Ago
- How taking matters into her own hands led to huge success for Revival Retro4 Years Ago
- 5 content ideas every small business needs4 Years Ago
- The Flour Pot Bakery's secret to success4 Years Ago
- How to harness the power of Instagram and drive your business forward - the GB Labels way4 Years Ago
- Making Tax Digital is here! What does it mean for your business?4 Years Ago
- How we should champion success for International Women's Day4 Years Ago
- Step aside Mystery Shopper scheme - hello new Public Procurement Review Service!4 Years Ago
- The top three causes of entrepreneur burnout and how to avoid it4 Years Ago
- Get a great digital ad for your business for just £50, and help tomorrow’s entrepreneurs learn with iDEA!4 Years Ago
- Badge Your Brilliance with iDEA4 Years Ago
- How to make your Christmas the most successful yet!5 Years Ago
- Life in the fast Laine5 Years Ago
- Small businesses shine at launch of Silver iDEA Award St James's Palace5 Years Ago
- Local and sustainable is winning formula for SmallBiz100 Hays Hampers5 Years Ago
- Red Herring Games – Case Study5 Years Ago
- Keeping Up With The Tylers: How To Move With The Times5 Years Ago
- Making our own kind of music at the Blue Tie Ball5 Years Ago
- How to guest blog (and look like you know what you’re doing)5 Years Ago
- How to market your small business on a budget5 Years Ago
- Top summer marketing tips!5 Years Ago
- Purposely: embedding purpose into the heart of your small business5 Years Ago
- A ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ for Britain’s small businesses5 Years Ago
- Five ways to make your business successful in five years!5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Mooch revive the local high street5 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a SmallBiz100 2018?5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Julu on design, manufacturing, and building an online business with friends5 Years Ago
- Small Business Champion Series From Rich Brady ... Setting Business Goals5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Techsixtyfour on how to successfully build an online business5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Frequently Asked Questions5 Years Ago
- Small Business Champion Series from Rich Brady...Putting the Family into Family Business5 Years Ago
- Exporting - not just for the big!5 Years Ago
- Can Giving Really Be Good for a Small Business? Spoiler: Yes!5 Years Ago
- Let's get organised....5 Years Ago
- Is your business leaking money?5 Years Ago
- Podcasting - The Ultimate How-To Guide - Part 25 Years Ago
- Setting BIG goals – why do it and how to go about it5 Years Ago
- International Women's Day 20185 Years Ago
- 9 tips for Business Success - it's all about love.5 Years Ago
- Demystifying LinkedIn for Small Businesses5 Years Ago
- 10 Top Money Tips for Small Businesses5 Years Ago
- Organising a Small Business Event - Tips from the Experts5 Years Ago
- 12 Top Tips for Micro-businesses5 Years Ago
- ACCA on board the Small Business Saturday Bus Tour6 Years Ago
- Is Britain Becoming a Cashless Society?6 Years Ago
- Small Business Spotlight - How Technology Can Help Small Businesses6 Years Ago
- Taking Your Business Beyond the High Street6 Years Ago
- 5 Ideas to Improve your Time Management6 Years Ago
- The Small Business Saturday Bus Tour launches across the UK for its fifth year!6 Years Ago
- Making the most of Small Business Saturday7 Years Ago
- Why I applied to Small Biz 100: Crafty Revolution tells all8 Years Ago