Being a small business, we understand just how important it is to give back to the community. Any time we could, we would partner up with an organization who needed money or other types of donations so that we could give back to the community that supports us.
Here are just a few of the ideas that we have used over the years with varying degrees of success.
- Organize a blood drive. In our situation, we have a number of small shops in our shopping center. We went from store to store asking for a small item to be included in a gift bag that would then be given to each individual who signed up to donate blood that day. Those items could be a discount coupon, a discontinued piece of merchandise, or a free sample of your wares. In our case, a women’s clothing store donated a number of pieces of discontinued jewelry. The candy shop included two small pieces of candy in a cellophane bag. We put in a small travel candle. Each of these were tagged with our store’s name, address, and phone number. In this way, people who heard about the blood drive on television and radio also learned about a few small shops that they may have never experienced before. /li>
- Have a “Fund-raising Shopping Night”. The group that is trying to raise money will do all of your advertising for you. They must pick an evening that you’re willing to stay open exclusively for their group. They will advertise that on that night only 30% of all sales (or however much you’re willing to share) will be donated to the group’s cause. In order to make this even more successful, plan on serving refreshments. Steer clear of serving alcohol and make sure that you never exceed the maximum number of people per fire code otherwise your evening could be shut down.
- Take advantage of non-profit groups who are looking for a location to host an event. Most of the time they are very happy to work with store-owners and shop-keepers who are willing to give them room in their parking lot to bring in a live radio feed complete with DJ and announcer. This is by far one of the best forms of free advertising there is. In return, the nonprofit’s announcements will bring in many potential new customers. You simply need to be open and welcoming when these people come in to explore your store, which may be brand new to them.
