Local, National or International Donation?

So you now have a good idea of what you want to support. Now, at what level do you want to support this charity? Should you support local charities, national or international? The answer to this may be determined based off the type of business you own.

If you are a sole proprietorship or partnership the best decision would be something that hits close to home. Sole proprietors and partnerships are very involved in their work and have little funds or time for anything other than the business. A charity that would work well would have to be something that was very important to the owners. The owners would be able to either volunteer their time or funds to the cause of their choice. A good example would be domestic violence; the owner would be able to donate time at the community shelter or even hire an employee that is looking to get back on their feet. This would allow the owners to feel good about the work they were doing while helping the community. A charity that is near your own experiences will allow you to be pleased with your experience and more involved.

A small business depends on the community surrounding. As a small business it is important to remind the community that you are there not just for yourself, but also for them. When getting involved in a charity it may be difficult to explain to your clients that you are supporting a school across the globe instead of your local high school football team. For these reasons it may be best to support your local community which could be beneficial to both the business and the community. Besides supporting local sporting events, the business may also sponsor a scholarship for a student that plans on going into the area of business in which you work. This will remind the community that the business supports its local patrons in more ways than just its services.

A larger business, such as a national corporation, should approach charities differently. A well known national charity will be able give the corporation valuable publicity in exchange for donating to their cause. A corporation can also use the charity to draw in customers that may want to donate to their particular cause. An example would be P&G having a promotion in which if a customer buys a 10 items that are specified and P&G would donate a percentage to a charity such as National Breast Cancer Foundation. Currently P&G is running a promotion for which every "pink" coupon they will donate two cents to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. A customer that believes that this cause is important enough may buy a product that they would not normally buy.

There are many worthy charities and it may be very difficult to choose the charity that is best for you and your company. Managing your donation dollars properly can allow your company to boost employee morale and bring name recognition to your product all while supporting a good cause.