Philanthropy is a great way to get your business involved with its community. Not only will doing so help build a stronger sense of community around your business, but it’ll establish a culture of giving back among your employees and general business culture. Having a philanthropic approach to business will also make your company more attractive to younger employees, most of which are more likely to gravitate toward companies that are charitable. 

In order to establish this philanthropic lifestyle in your company culture, consider the following three ideas.

Volunteer Time Off

One great way to foster a charitable business culture is to offer volunteer time off to your employees. Volunteer time off, or VTO for short, allows employees to use this time rather than their paid time off to volunteer with nonprofit organizations. Doing this allows both your employees and the surrounding community that you value social responsibility and encourage your team members to dedicate their time to these efforts. Having this option available can also help attract and retain talented employees. 

Cover Employee Donations

Donating is a fantastic way to give back to your community, and offering to cover your employees’ donations to their charities of choice will serve to encourage this. Set aside a pool of money for each employee to donate where they see fit with reasonable guidelines, but ultimately ensure that the employees are taking the lead here. Doing so will empower your employees and let them engage with their community in a way that’s meaningful to both the community and themselves. Encouraging your team to share why they chose a specific charity with one another will also foster a closer bond between everyone since their choice may be more personally meaningful.

Pro Bono Service

More can be done outside of monetary donations to assist your community and its nonprofit organizations. Offering your company’s services to such organizations pro bono will not only help the nonprofit you’re assisting but also bring awareness to a cause you care about through your work. Volunteering your services is just as meaningful as any monetary donation.

Most importantly, philanthropy will help your business grow. Actively partaking in philanthropic activities will encourage personal development, which will encourage your employees to better themselves as a result. To build philanthropy into your work culture is to encourage passion and kindness in your company—what’s a better reason than that?