WHY SUPPORTING CHARITY IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

driving the social responsibility movement and it’s been reported that an overwhelming 70 per cent of the them respect brands that support causes and will rate them higher in their purchasing choices.

Given just how much spending power this group has (reportedly some $2.45 trillion globally), positioning your business as having a genuine philanthropic heart can only be good for business.

Only recently, we read about Geelong’s Magic Moment’s Foundation, which is yet again putting together its Basket Brigades annual drive, seeking non-perishable goods, unused toys and gifts to fill hampers for local disadvantaged families. It’s a great cause to support and it’s not hard to give them a hand.

On a bigger scale, some of the major global corporates have come up with creative ways of doing social good — for example, Stella Artois’ “Buy a Lady a Drink” campaign, which provides access to clean drinking water to women (mothers) in third world countries.

Or Apple, which matches employee donations and has delivered more than $100 million to charities.

But you don’t need to be a mega corporation or have a massive marketing team to have an impact.

And now is the time to get thinking about donating, before the season to be jolly turns into the season to be seriously run off your corporate feet.

Start by having a look around at the local organisations that genuinely matter to you, your employees and your community.

Small donations all add up and getting the team together for a day or two of volunteering with a local charity is a great leveller in the office and a great way to do some team building.

The benefits to employee morale are a major plus. It is no surprise employees respect companies that care for their community.

A couple of years ago, a Deloitte study found if a company chose to make a corporate donation, workplace culture improved significantly with increased employee involvement and an improved positive attitude. People like to work with people who care.

More cynically, charitable sponsorships and donations also give you an opportunity to have a positive conversation with current and would-be clients about the sort of company you are.

And, of course, a tax deduction is a benefit of a charitable donation. But if a tax break is your primary Grinch-like motivator in supporting a local charity, please don’t bother. So who do you help? Find a charity you believe in. Locally, we’re lucky enough to have some amazing charities who support families in our region. Apart from the Magic Moment’s Foundation, there’s terrific causes like Give Where You Live, Geelong Mums and Feed Geelong to name a few.

And there’s always national bodies like the Smith Family who also support local families.

Whatever you do — and however you do it — just make sure you do it for all the right reasons.

Just remember, Santa knows who’s genuinely naughty or nice.