How Businesses Can Give To Impactful Causes Regardless Of The Time Of Year

Corporate giving is on the rise. Between 2022 and 2023, businesses gave 3.0% more toward their favorite charities. That’s vital because nonprofits depend on donations to achieve their goals.

But one-time donations are a single piece of the giving puzzle. Offering money is great, but it’s not the only way that a company like yours or mine can boost a charity. With a little creativity, any for-profit organization can make an impact on a nonprofit. The impact doesn’t have to be limited to Q4, either. Businesses can spread their support over the calendar year, which may help charities rely less on holiday season giving to make ends meet.

That said, I would never discourage a company from sending a sizable (or modest) check to a charity in November or December. However, offering assistance during the other 10 months of the year can be beneficial to all parties. From opening doors to marketing opportunities to boosting brand recognition, giving back regularly sheds a positive light on your business, showcases your preferred charities, and helps the world thrive.

Unsure how to get started? I’ve included a few ways other companies are lifting up their target causes all year. Feel free to use these illustrations to fuel your business’s unique style of giving.

1. Align your business with a like-minded nonprofit.

At a recent event, I learned that purpose-driven corporate mindsets are trending. More businesses are actively pinpointing their purpose and then seeking out ways to make the purpose come to life.

What could be a better way for you to double down on your business’s purpose than by aligning it with a like-minded nonprofit? Though it might take time to uncover a natural fit with a charity, you can be sure there’s at least one nonprofit that’s a match for your company.

A heartwarming example of this kind of joint advocacy between a for-profit and charity is Purina’s partnership with RedRover, called the Purple Leash Project. It’s an initiative that matches domestic violence survivors with pet-friendly shelter locations so they can bring their animals with them to safety. Purina provides grants and exposure as part of the collaboration and RedRover gets to expand its reach to more shelters and individuals.

2. Host an annual fundraiser.

When you’re an entrepreneur and business owner, you’re bound to receive a lot of requests from charities. Many of these requests will include the chance for you to sponsor some aspect of a regularly held event, like a 5K walk or golf tournament.

Case in point, each year, supplement company BUBS Naturals holds a Veterans Day fundraiser for the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation. I personally ran into the Founder of BUBS, Sean Lake, at one of my keynotes and you could see the passion that he had for honoring his friend. Rather than it being something that was for some marketing purposes like a lot of brands do to bring in new business, this was clearly an effort to make a real impact for someone that influenced the company in a positive direction. The fundraiser is simple yet profound: BUBS gives 100% of its Veterans Day proceeds to the charity. In 2024, BUBS raised more than $24,000 to provide assistance to Special Ops members transitioning from active duty to civilian employment.

Giving as a corporate sponsor usually requires little effort, which can be good if you’re pressed for time. But don’t overlook the good that you can do by hosting a fundraiser on behalf of a cause that your company cares about. I don’t believe it was just about the money when I was overhearing the conversation about the fundraiser. It was also about having a service mentality as a part of the company to serve and be generous to others. By doing this as a company like Sean did above, you can also inspire your employees to do more in the community and that can have a positive effect that spreads to others.

3. Support employees who support charities.

Employees may want to support charities but aren’t always sure how or when. That’s where you come in. A straightforward way to enable employees to donate toward a select group of nonprofits is by making it available to them as part of their employment.

For example, you could make it possible for your employees to earmark a small amount from their pay toward a nonprofit. You might even be willing to match the amount up to a specific figure. That way, employees are giving a little and the company’s giving a little. By the end of the year, you can tally up the total that your company and employees have given back. Or, you could pay your employees to volunteer.

Microsoft has been a continuous leader in this type of employee-led corporate philanthropy arrangement. Upon being hired, all team members receive $50 to any nonprofit they want. Today, nearly two-thirds of Microsoft’s employees support charities through a variety of corporate programs.

As the festive season rolls in, feel free to be generous with your corporate giving. But remember that giving doesn’t have to be a holiday phenomenon. It can be an everyday part of your company’s culture.