FORTUNATELY, many UK businesses are giving back to local communities through charitable work, fundraising activities and product or produce donations. 

Commitment to colleagues, communities and charities – Hillarys

Increasingly, employees look for a sense of purpose when considering working for a company. They are looking for brands that can actively demonstrate this, whether through a commitment to sustainability, making a positive impact on their people, or through charitable work.

British window dressing specialists, Hillarys Blinds, clearly demonstrate their commitment to caring for their people and communicating their purpose.

Hillary’s has supported Nottingham’s NHS Hospitals over the years, including the Big Appeal for Nottingham Children’s Hospital, Breast Institute, and Hayward House palliative care centre. Hillary’s fundraising events include a head shave, football tournament, cake decorating competition and dragon boat race – to name just a few!

From spending time volunteering with charities to raising awareness and funds for causes that are important to their team and the local community, their impact can not only be seen through time and money, but also in the overall positive feeling among their staff.

Providing products to end period poverty – TOTM

With 1 in 4 children experiencing hygiene poverty in the UK, a great way for businesses to support their local community is to help combat this. In Kind Direct is a charity looking to tackle hygiene poverty, including period poverty, by partnering with local businesses to provide vital toiletries to local children.

Period product brand, TOTM (which stands for ‘Time of the Month’), allows its customers to support this by providing options to ‘Gift a Pack of Pads’ and donate period products to this cause. Through this scheme, TOTM, alongside their customers, can help to work towards giving back to local communities and fight period poverty in the UK.

Fighting food poverty by supporting food banks – Warburtons

With an increasing number of people in Britain relying on food banks, many food-based businesses are making steps towards donating leftover food each day to their local food banks.

Not only does this help many vulnerable families and individuals access produce, but it can also help combat food waste, which has a devastating impact on the environment. In 2021, food and drink waste in the UK accounted for approximately 18 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Founded in Leicester, bakery Warburtons donates and distributes a variety of baked goods to schools, food banks, hospices and a variety of other community groups every day to help reduce their food waste as well as support those in the local community.

How can UK businesses make supporting their local communities part of their culture?

No matter what your business is, from products to services, there are many ways that you can support your local community and give back.

Giving your employees time for volunteering

While charities often rely on financial donations and fundraising, many also desperately need the donation of time to help carry out their important work in local communities, too.

Giving your employees dedicated time to volunteer for worthy causes is a great way for companies that support local communities. Many UK businesses offer paid volunteer days within their employees’ contracts. This means staff can take time to volunteer with a cause that means something to them, without having to take holiday time.

Even as little as one volunteering day per year, when multiplied across an entire business of people, can have a huge impact on the local community.

Arranging staff fundraising activities

There are multiple events that workplaces can take part in to raise money for local charities, such as car washes or bake sales. With a range of awareness days and charity initiatives, such as Christmas Jumper Day, there are many easy ways to encourage team members to take part in fun and low-effort activities that will help raise money for local charities.

Partaking in group fundraising activities can also serve as a team bonding activity, strengthening relationships within your company as well as raising money for local charities and communities.

Fundraising could also take the form of donating products or goods to initiatives in the local area, like tombolas, raffles or auctions for charities, alongside volunteering to help run any of these activities or shouting about it on your social media channels.

Forming partnerships with local communities for ongoing support

One of the best ways that companies can support local communities is through long-term partnerships.

This ongoing support, whether that’s through volunteering time or financial donations, can help charities with planning, as they know they can rely on this partnership and give them a sense of stability.

Companies could also look to partner with local suppliers for their repeat material orders. Not only can this support a fellow local business, but it can have a positive impact on the environment, too, by reducing harmful emissions produced by transporting goods from further distances.

Providing training for members of the local community

Another way that companies can support the local community is by providing training opportunities for members of the local community. Providing upskilling opportunities for charities and job seekers in the local community, like hosting free marketing or social media workshops, can give people employability skills and enhance the local talent pool.

As well as having a positive impact on the community, it can also contribute to positive brand reputation, further increasing support for local businesses from local communities, making it a mutually beneficial programme.

Final Thoughts

There are many ways that companies support local communities, like providing training opportunities for locals, giving their team paid days to volunteer and raising money for local charities.

Not only does this support the local community, but it also increases job satisfaction for employees by demonstrating a commitment to purposeful practices while also promoting and positively impacting your brand reputation.