Can Charity Begin At Work

With the decline of contributions the past couple of years, charities are finding it more and more difficult to raise their much needed capital. What would happen if more businesses became involved and used that involvement as a marketing tool?

It is difficult as an individual to think of donating even the smallest amount of money to a charitable organization when we ourselves are hard pressed to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. The old adage of charity beginning at home still holds true today. However there are simple ways a company of individuals can make a difference and cause an impact.

Butler & Samuel is a small print shop here in Oak Hill. The owner, Jack Butler, was raised to give back to the community in any way possible. Due to the recession he has had to make adjustments to his overhead just like a lot of other businesses. One of those adjustments was cutting out donations.

Owning a printing company, Jack sees and prints direct marketing pieces on a daily basis. A lot of those pieces are from charities. He still charges the organizations ten percent over cost to help defray their costs but he wondered what more he could do.

Inspiration hit him at a most unusual time, as is common for him. Stopping at his favorite coffee shop on the way to work one morning he passed across his four dollars in payment and realized that four dollars could be better spent elsewhere. A light bulb went off over his head.

With the approval and support of Butler & Samuel employees, this small company started a trend. One day a week an employee would forego their morning trip to the coffee shop or bring a lunch instead of buying one. The money saved was put into a Charity Fund. The first of every month the money was donated to a local organization.

The money raised was not a hardship on the employees. They were already spending it on a want and not a need. By banding together they began to make a difference and feel good about doing it.

Butler & Samuel began to use their idea as a marketing tool. Located on their website, direct marketing mailings, invoices, statements, envelopes, email signatures and social media sites the company made sure to note they support local charities. The idea became so popular that Jack asked his clients to do the same thing one day a month. Within six months almost every business in town had a Charity Day.

The power of marketing does not always lie in how a business advertises itself. Sometimes the power of marketing lies in showing how a business is making a difference in someone's life.