Philanthropy at Work

[The following article was contributed by Maria Spadavecchia at directpayinc.com. a sponsor of the Library of Professional Coaching]

Ohhh… the joy of giving. Well, it is, indeed, a joy to give. Give a compliment. Give someone a helping hand. Give sage advice. It seems nowadays, more and more people are looking to give, than to receive. And that’s a good thing. Actually… correction: that’s a great thing.

But what about giving in your business? I’m not just talking about a monetary donation to your local Knights of Columbus or Little League team – that’s great, and those organizations count on local business’ donations to thrive. I’m referring to giving of one’s self and time to a worthy cause that will impact a person or a group in a profound way.

Such measures in philanthropy can go a very long way, not only in helping the community, but in team-building and morale-boosting for your employees as well.

You don’t have to be a non-profit to get in the spirit of giving. As your team’s leader, you set the tone on what culture you’d like your business to follow.
Here are 3 tips to motivate your team, and get them in the spirit of philanthropy:
1. Ask them to each come up with 2-3 causes that are meaningful to them and present opportunities for your company to volunteer services or donate time.
2. Challenge your team members to get involved in individual causes in their spare time – maybe 3 hours a week or 10 hours a month.
3. Have each staff member chose a cause that your company can donate to throughout the year, i.e. book drives; clothing drives; food drives; supply drives.

After just a few months of sharing ideas, you’ll find that your team is motivated and excited about the prospect of giving! The end result is a win-win all around; not only are you collectively helping worthy causes, but being philanthropic just feels good.

Photo: Bob Johnson, Moab, 2014