With businesses struggling in the down economy, many are being forced to cut back, or even suspend, charitable donations. Although an unpopular move, business owners know that tough decisions need to be made to keep the doors open. However, instead of completely halting contributions, companies can harness the power of social accounts to leverage donations.
Here are three creative ways a company can raise money for its favorite charity via the power of social media:
Create a Social Campaign
If you are forced to cut your charitable contributions in half, you can create a social campaign that asks your followers to donate just a few dollars toward your cause. You can offer to match the total amount raised up to a certain point. For example, let’s say your business normally donates $5,000 a year to a certain charity, but due to financial hardships, you can only donate $2,500. Offer to match all contributions raised up to $2,500. Share a link that takes people to a form where all they need to do is enter their credit card information. You can even include a call to action, saying that they can turn their $5 into $10 for that charity. If you don’t feel you can reach the goal you set through your company accounts alone, ask your employees to share the message on their personal social accounts as well.
. Ask Your Followers for Support
If your back is against the wall and you are unable to make any donations, you should reach out to your customers on Facebook and Twitter and ask them to support your charity. You can highlight what you have done in the past and ask them to join you in your efforts. You can reach out to other small businesses in your community and ask them to re-tweet and share your message as well. It costs them nothing, so you shouldn’t encounter any friction. As more people share your tweets and posts, your audience will grow exponentially. For example, let’s say you have 1,000 Twitter followers and you get nine other businesses with 1,000 followers to share your message. If you can get 5 percent of those 10,000 followers to donate just $5, you’ve raised $2,500 for your charity.
Donate a Percentage of Proceeds on a Designated Day
Another great way to raise money without hurting your bottom line is to donate a percentage of sales from a day of business. Socks4life.com is a small business that does a great job at this. Each year on World Diabetes Day, Socks4Life donates 10 percent of its sales to the American Diabetes Association. Although it is just a small business, Socks4Life shares the message on Twitter and Facebook to ensure the message is seen by as many people as possible. If you are a struggling business, your margins will be narrower for that day, but you can make sure you don’t take a loss – all while supporting your favorite charity.
Don’t let the down economy get in the way of supporting a good cause. Harness the power of social media to continue to make a difference in the lives of others!
Adam enjoys working with small businesses to help them achieve their philanthropy goals. When he isn’t busy at work, he volunteers his time helping recent graduates develop their resume and interviewing skills. You can connect with him on Twitter @AdamBruk.