- Flexible workspaces can have a positive impact on communities both inside, and outside, their walls.
- Volunteering or investing in local nonprofit initiatives demonstrates your commitment to the community.
- Here’s how workspace businesses can take action and change their local area for the better.
This article was written by Holly Welles, a real estate writer for The Estate Update.
Companies that invest in their local communities distinguish themselves from their competitors and create both a loyal customer base and a more fulfilling work environment.
These businesses impact more than just themselves, though.
Their efforts often create ripples within the community that can affect recreational areas, local businesses, schools, organizations and more.
There are several ways your workplace can make an immense impact and change your area for the better. Here are some of them:
1. Sponsor Local Organizations
One way you can begin increasing your influence is by sponsoring local organizations and businesses. For instance, you might consider sponsoring the local high school’s football team by either making a financial donation or purchasing training supplies or game-day essentials.
You might also fund a local business that could use the monetary boost. Maybe the owner just recently opened or is struggling to update their space. You could donate supplies and furniture or loan them some money to help them establish themselves in the community.
Boosting others will help both you and the populace. First, it will benefit local organizations and companies by giving them better opportunities to succeed. And secondly, sponsoring others is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to advertise. By supporting a wide variety of groups, you’ll reach a broader audience, increasing your likelihood of gaining new clients.
2. Create Volunteer Initiatives
There are multiple places you and your employees might choose to volunteer. For instance, volunteering at a homeless center and serving food to people in need may be a great opportunity. Or maybe joining efforts to weed a community garden suits your business better. Either way, volunteering can help customers, workers and residents form a strong bond and sense of unity.
Giving back will also boost company morale. Most employees want to feel like they’re contributing to something greater than themselves. Fulfilling this desire takes more than merely working for a company.
Find out what’s relevant to your employees. Understand what they have to say and formulate a charitable initiative that resonates with them. Doing so will create a more meaningful experience for everyone involved.
3. Invest in Community Green Spaces
You can also create neighborhood involvement by investing in local parks, preserves and playgrounds. These nature-filled areas are vital to any populace as they provide a place for people to gather, connect and play.
Thus, they should be one of your top outreach priorities. You can donate money to different park programs, but it’s more meaningful if you and your employees go out and physically involve yourselves in improving the recreation system.
Recreation investment can include re-mulching playgrounds, cleaning up litter or planting trees. Planting greenery can reduce atmospheric carbon, providing a cleaner city for everyone. And it may also improve property values, making your community more attractive to homebuyers — which boosts the economy over time.
While it may seem like a major undertaking, merely spending an hour or two to clean up and beautify neighborhood parks isn’t that big of a commitment. Your efforts won’t go unnoticed.
4. Host Charity Events
Another way to increase your involvement is to open your business up to other organizations — both non-profits and for-profits. You might do this by hosting a food or clothing drive. Or you might plan a 5k or another type of fundraising event where people participate to benefit a specific charity.
Suggested Reading: Coworking Social Impact Standout Looks to the Future: A Q&A with the All Good Work Team
Host an event such as a banquet or charity ball where people can pay to enjoy food, beverages and entertainment in the name of giving back. You could charge people admission to raise funds or ask for contributions throughout the event.
A get-together like this can significantly benefit the neighborhood, especially if you have a good turnout. It can also serve your business well, as the festivities bring your company a good deal of publicity.
5. Help Fellow Entrepreneurs
As an already established company or coworking space, your workplace has so much to offer. From greening efforts and volunteer initiatives, there are many chances for office members to get involved and make an impact.
However, one of the most crucial ways to influence others is by investing in the local job market and business creation. By offering physical space, expertise and advice to other entrepreneurs, you help them establish their companies and nonprofit efforts within the region.
You might do this by speaking at universities or high schools, teaching the younger generation the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Or, you could invest in creating a business development center within your office building for transferring skills to the local populace.
This initiative may be the most valuable contribution you can make to your community. In sharing your knowledge with others, you help them stand on your shoulders, allowing them to one day invest in their area too.
Share the Knowledge Among Neighbors
Reaching out to other people, especially those needing help, can do you a world of good. Assisting others brings plenty of rewards, whether directly to you or to the community. Brainstorm ways to get active in your neighborhood and show citizens you care.
About the Author
Holly Welles is a real estate writer with a focus on millennial experiences at home and at work. You can find more of her research on workforce trends on her own blog, The Estate Update, where she researches the best places to live and work.
