How to Make Giving a Part of Your Company Culture Being generous with your profits is just as important as being thankful if you want to run your company correctly.
By Sandi Krakowski Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When we started our company, it was important to me to bring the concept of giving into everything that we do, as it has always been a fundamental aspect of my life as a person. I've always believed that you can't go too far in generosity, but I also know that as the CEO of a corporation, with staff, expenses and more, you also can't give away everything you earn. So my goal was to make our giving a culture focus, and not just something I do as the CEO.
When people are hired we share how we give a percentage of company profits to charities close to our hearts, things like paying for adoptions, helping fight human trafficking, providing for people in other nations, caring for the poor and hungry in our own local area. We even provide periodic updates to our staff, with pictures and tangible evidence of our company's efforts.
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Being generous is just as important as being grateful when building a company. It sets the mindset of the entire team, flows into our culture and infects everything we do. It's not uncommon to hear about my passion for paying for adoptions while I teach you how to make an additional $1 million on your Facebook page, or about the school we built in Asia to protect children who are caught in the horrible pain of human trafficking right while I'm teaching you copywriting.
Every company has a soul. It's what motivates the decisions and the will behind everything we do. Giving is a huge part of what motivates us at A Real Change International, Inc, the corporation I own.
If you're thinking about implementing generosity and giving into your culture, consider the following three principles:
1. Make a commitment. Set aside a specific percentage of all profits the company earns to be given to a worthy cause. Whether it's 1 or 10 percent, make a commitment to always give this portion to the chosen organization. As a company, we donate a certain percentage each month to several groups that we chose early on to give to.
Related: How to Let Go of Employees With Love and Dignity
2. Get everyone involved. Give to organizations and causes your staff cares about. Does someone know a family in need? Become a "Secret Santa" during the holidays. We've adopted single mothers and struggling families as our target charities during the winter holidays. These efforts have been a great motivator and help us stay focused when we might have otherwise lost our drive due to holiday parties, gift shopping and family visits. Making a big impact in someone else's life gives everyone a reason to work harder.
3. Give with your heart. What does your team care about? I mean REALLY care about? What motivates you so much that you would be willing to even be uncomfortable so that you can give? Many charities and soup kitchens say that they receive donations at Thanksgiving and Christmas but are oftentimes forgotten during the summer. Let's make our giving not about us. Let's stop taking photos during our giving, turning every giving effort into a marketing campaign and as a company, turn our hearts toward real generosity and give when we could be on the beach laying in the sun. Give when it's uncomfortable. Talk about causes that most people get uncomfortable about. Human trafficking is horrific. It's not pretty. It's in every single major city in the United States. The pictures need to be seen. The stories need to be told. It's gruesome and it's terrorizing. Allow yourself to feel that, go there and give as a company, with a big heart.
Giving motivates, inspires and encourages us to think beyond our personal challenges, obstacles and frustrations. Giving is a huge part of big company growth and healthy inner company relationships. Make a difference, give as a company and share the wealth and the wisdom with someone else.
