Published on January 16, 2020 Shep Hyken Customer Service & Experience Expert, NY Times Bestselling Author and Keynote Speaker
This is the time of year when many companies are looking at
their charitable opportunities. “Giving back,” as it is called, is when
companies make donations and participate in events that support others. While
many companies do this at the end of the year—perhaps in conjunction with the
giving spirit of the holidays—some conduct initiatives to give back all
throughout the year. By the way, giving back is more than just donating money
to those in need. “Giving back” could mean community involvement, environmental
efforts and much more.
In addition to doing great things for the world, giving back
is part of the customer experience (CX). Many customers appreciate it when the
world of business gives back. Some customers consciously choose to do business
with companies that prove they “care.”
There are so many companies that give back. For this
article, I’m going to share different ways companies go about it. Some of these
companies you’ve heard of and some you probably haven’t. By showcasing several
of these companies, it may give you ideas to start your own “caring” campaign.
Let’s start with a small company, Diba Shoes. It manufactures shoes and primarily sells
through retailers. Its way of caring is
through an effort to be environmentally conscious. Its shoeboxes are made from
recycled materials and don’t contain glue. Clearly stated on the box is the
message: “This
box is made and assembled without harmful glues to lessen the impact on our
environment. Please repurpose and give it a second life.” In addition to its environmentally friendly packaging, Diba
Shoes uses solar power and efficient lighting technology where possible. They
also provide electric vehicle charging stations for their employees and
visitors.
Richard Branson is recognized as one of the world’s most
successful entrepreneurs. An extension of his Virgin empire is Virgin
Unite. As stated on the website, “We started Virgin Unite with the aim of
bringing people together to encourage them to never accept the unacceptable, to
turn challenges into opportunities and to always push boundaries that make both
business and the world better.” Some
of their work focuses on business as a driving force for social, environmental
and economic benefit. They also focus on “Human Dignity,” protecting every
human’s basic rights to be free of issues they deem unacceptable.
Q&A: Austyn Weiner in Senegal
with UNICEF
USA Mortgage is a St. Louis-based mortgage company
that recognizes the importance of caring, focusing on charities that are near
and dear to its employees’ hearts. In the last two years employees have helped
to raise more than $100,000 for local charities. It recently launched an
employee volunteer program in which all employees are given two extra PTO
(Personal Time Off) days to volunteer in the community.
Karmagawa is an apparel company founded by Timothy
Sykes for the sole purpose of giving back to charities around the world that
impact education and the environment. Karmagawa donates a whopping 80% of its
profits to charity. And the other 20%? It’s used for funding its operations and
influencer trips that raise awareness of their efforts to help charities that
build schools, saving animals from poaching and creating documentaries such as 50 Minutes to Save the World to raise public
awareness about important global issues.
Almost two years ago I met Rusty Keeley, CEO of Keeley Companies, for lunch at his corporate
headquarters. We toured his facility and it became obvious that he is a man who
cares deeply about his employees and the community in which they live and
serve. There was a wall that featured some of the “giving back” the company’s
employees have done over the years. As Keeley shared the past experiences, it
was both impressive and emotional. The four pillars of its “caring program” are
community, children, health and education.
Marc Benioff is the founder, chairman and co-CEO of Salesforce, and an
Internet legend known for being one of the pioneers of cloud computing. The
concept of “giving back” is part of the Salesforce culture. According to its
website, the “gift of giving” helps them attract and keep the best and
brightest employees. Its 1-1-1 philanthropic model donates 1% of revenue, 1% of
product and 1% of employees’ time to the community. That adds up quickly … to
the tune of more than $280 million, 3.8 million employee volunteer hours, and
tech donated to more than 40,000 educational and nonprofit institutions around
the world.
From something as simple as not using environmentally
harmful glue on a shoebox to a larger effort that donates millions to
organizations in need, any business can start its own version of giving back or
showing they care. Any amount of effort, large or small, can make a difference.
It all counts. Benioff said it best: “The business of business is improving the
state of the world.” With that in mind, go out there and make a difference.
Show your customers—and the world—you care!
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience
expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and
the host of Amazing Business Radio.
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