Community Service at your Dealership or company

[MikeHaeg]

I recently attended a local young professionals event that focused on three young executives who are superstars in their field. It was a panel format and the moderator opened the discussion to volunteerism and community service.

She asked “What does your company do to serve the community?”

One particular gentleman’s answer hit home. To summarize, he said:

“We have various charities and organizations we support. However, I am most proud that we don’t just volunteer around Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s not just a once a year thing. We do things year round, even if it’s not a huge drive or campaign.”

Ever notice how Churches fill to the brim on Easter and Christmas? I like the panelists answer because I think it’s similar to this. We serve when the time is right or it's convenient. I'm guilty. You may be too. Let's talk about ways we can improve and share some ideas.

* Do you encourage employees to volunteer?
* Do you have a formal program?
* What are some creative ways that your company gives back to the community? Examples?
* What are the positive outcomes?
* What challenges do you face?


**Author’s Note: Hopefully I don’t come across as preachey. I’m guilty myself and simply looking for ideas!

 

[JessicaRuth]

Love this. My idea for a company would be.....

The company gives employees (they can pick whom or spread it out to everyone) let's say $25 to $50 and a half day off. The employee then chooses where they are going to volunteer or donate the money. They could volunteer at a shelter and donate the dough, or they could go buy food for a food pantry, double the donated amount with their own money, or anything that particular employee wants to do.

The one stipulation I would put into place is the employee must take photos and write a blog about their experience. That way it's personalized and not being relayed to whoever runs your blog.

Love to hear other ideas.

 

[ewalraven]

**Author’s Note: Hopefully I don’t come across as preachey. I’m guilty myself and simply looking for ideas!

Not preachy at all! I think this is a great idea. I've always wanted to have a calendar of activities that are unique and each and every week. It would be nice to integrate something like this on the site to show the community that you really do care. I guess what I'm getting at is instead of hearing and reading "Weekend Extravaganza", "End of Month Blow Out", "$20 Oil Change". Wouldn't it be nice to hear about really just anything else?

Totally agree with Jessica about the photos as well. Gives the customer something to read and look about besides, well, the usual.

 

[MikeHaeg]

Love this. My idea for a company would be.....

The company gives employees (they can pick whom or spread it out to everyone) let's say $25 to $50 and a half day off. The employee then chooses where they are going to volunteer or donate the money. They could volunteer at a shelter and donate the dough, or they could go buy food for a food pantry, double the donated amount with their own money, or anything that particular employee wants to do.

The one stipulation I would put into place is the employee must take photos and write a blog about their experience. That way it's personalized and not being relayed to whoever runs your blog.

Love to hear other ideas.

Nice! One thing I've noticed personally, and you hit on it as well I think, is that a touch of uniqueness and freedom is beneficial in rallying the troops.

Change up the events, the activities, the times, the ways you give back. This keeps things fresh, even if it's just a monthly thing.

 

[JessicaRuth]

Exactly. Imagine a potential customer checking out the blog (because they're all read daily, right?!) and making the leap from checking out the website to being personally connected to the dealership because they saw a common charity...

....in a perfect world.....