With over 160,000 registered charities in the UK and well over 1,000,000 in the world. How can you tell if your business is supporting the 'right' charity?
Why Should A Business 'Give Back'?
Obviously, there are some great reasons to give back. Simply having a positive impact on people and the planet is enough. Some of the positive impacts retailers are supporting through Pledger include (but are not limited to):
Environmental initiatives
Mental Health Support
LGBTQ+ support initiatives
Racial Equality
Gender Equality
Supporting Children in Need
Supporting Refugees
Education
Disaster Relief
Animal Support
Poverty Reduction
Helping Turtle Doves flourish across the UK
In addition to doing good because it's... good. There are some added advantages to making a social impact and giving a part of your business (especially if you are an e-commerce brand)
85% of the customers perceive a brand positively if it is engaged in making donations to charities. - Cone Case Evolution
Corporate social responsibility is an impactful tool for creating a presence in the community and engaging with other businesses, customers. While there a number of ways to implement CSR initiatives within a company; donations and charity fundraising has always been a useful way of helping social causes and organisations to bring their goals to fruition, therefore improve lives.
In addition to all of these benefits, it should also be noted that charitable giving and donations can be claimed on your end of year tax!
Note: Some Pledger causes are 'for good' businesses and are not registered charities! If you are unsure of which is just reach out to our team, or you can look up any UK based charities via the UK charity commission.
With all of the possible ways to donate and support it begs the question ...
How To Pick the Right Charity?
Investing and contributing your resources like time and money into a charity’s cause is a huge responsibility for a business. Therefore, make sure to do proper research on charities to pick the one with clearly defined objectives and practices. Ensure that they have proof of previous work done and have a noble cause in consideration. It is important to know that the charity’s goals are as transparent as your business values.
Here at Pledger we have one rule to see if a charity is a correct fit. Ask yourself:
Is this charity partnership authentic?
If the answer is yes, then go for it. If not, don't worry. There are a number of causes that you can support.
So, how do you find an authentic connection?
1) Company Values
To achieve maximum satisfaction after donating to a charity, it is important to know if their goals align with your business's aims and values. For instance, if you are a retail business dealing in fashion there are a number of charity (and for good business) partners that you could support:
Drip By Drip (tackling water issues in the textile and fashion industry)
Fashion & Textile Children's Trust (Supporting the children of UK fashion and textile families since 1853)
Assessing the charity’s goals against what your business wants to achieve and see in the surroundings, is vital while selecting a charity.
NOTE: If your company has poor practices when it comes to single use plastic you can (and should) absolutely start offsetting with Seven Clean Seas. However, your company should start implementing new measures to reduce single use plastic to ensure that you are in line with the goals and values of Seven Clean Sea.
Determining the mission of a charity helps your business decide if it wants to support and promote the cause. Look for an inspiration, a cause that gets you started and want to work so that your business can make a difference.
2) Pick a Local Charity
When looking for a cause to support, often times you can find a great one in your own backyard. Every community will have its own unique challenges.By picking a local charity, this also means boosting and strengthening the local economy and community. Not only that, but the added benefits to the community might even help your friends/family/coworkers directly!
For example, if you are based in Hackney, London. Choosing a great charity partner like 'Made In Hackney' might be a great fit!.
3) Keep It Personal
Running a business successfully is a hard nut to crack, and getting it right is only possible when the people working with you feel satisfied and valued. It is essential to make sure that your team members feel included in an important decision-making process. Hence, considering their opinions on the cause they wish to support will be a vital choice in choosing a charity.
Many of us have directly benefited fro a charity or social cause. This could be you, a family member, a friend, or a coworker!
Ask those around you to see if there is a charity they already support!
How Can Pledger Help?
This is what we do. We help online brands partner with great charities and causes!
Simply by checking out our app you can add social impact or charity giving to your company in a few minutes.
If you have any questions about which charity you support, you can reach out to us directly and a member of our team would be happy to support you!
Start today for a better tomorrow!
