Impressions - April 2024 - 26

More often than not, community
involvement happens organically.
You learn about something
going on you are interested in,
or someone asks for help
Holidays are a great way to bridge the gap between business and
community. Photo by Allistair F/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com
" My wife hates me for this, because I want to support the community
all the time, " says Rauen. " I know how much work, eff ort and
passion goes into putting on a gathering, whether it's fundraising, a
music festival, or a 'Taste Of' type food event. "
Rauen notes that if nobody shows up, organizers are not going
to put the event together again. If a community doesn't have people
showing support for things, then there's nothing else to do. Th e more
events there are, the more that support spins around, highlighting the
diff erence between an active, viable community vs. an inactive one. Th e
more your business puts into supporting these activities, the more the
community will be willing to show up.
Who is Your Community?
Identifying your community and the people whom it is made up by
is key to further garnering that support that has been discussed up
to this point.
" Getting involved in your community is the mark of a good neighbor, "
notes Atkinson, " but a lot of people think 'Well, that's the people in
my neighborhood.' I think you have to paint it with a broader brush. "
" For me, my community is anyone in the decorated apparel industry.
It's people who belong to the same associations. I consider participants
of Shirt Lab to be a part of my community, " he observes. " You
need to start by defi ning who your community is by looking at who
and what matters to you. "
As a consultant, Atkinson became aware of a shop where 60 percent
of the workforce is on the autism spectrum. He provides guidance
and assistance as a coach when he can. Th is is just one example
of community involvement.
" We all have a community we live in, " agrees Rauen. " And then
there's micro-communities within that. Maybe you have a religious
one, a fi tness one, and one surrounding whatever activities your kids
are involved in. "
" Th ere are always community things happening that you're passionate
about. But it goes beyond that. Sometimes it's what your friends or
family enjoy doing. I am an avid trail runner and I have friends who
have no clue about trail running, but they will show up to cheer me
on, and that brings them into my community. "
Getting Started
More often than not, community involvement happens organically.
You learn about something going on you are interested in, or someone
asks for help. But if this is not the case in your circumstance, Atkinson
makes a simple suggestion: Ask questions.
" One of the things I did back when I was running a shop is I noticed
that between 40 and 50 percent of the workforce was female. I
asked them, 'What matters to you?' And the resounding response was
breast cancer awareness. What I discovered was that a good chunk of
the work staff either had cancer or was recovering or knew a family
member or a neighbor who had it.
Atkinson's company then became involved by raising money through
American Cancer Society walks and other activities. Th is wasn't an
P.26
ImpressionsMagazine.com April 2024
Striking the Right Balance
A challenge that goes hand-in-hand with community involvement is
picking and choosing what you do, because as your reputation grows,
you will get asked to contribute to more than time and resources allow.
" You can over-commit, " admits Badger. " It's easier to say yes than
to say no to requests. We must be choosy with the ways we spend our
downtime. Overcommitting can add stress and result in a negative
outcome to your well-being. Finding balance is key.
She has a list of questions she asks herself before pledging a new
commitment:
* Do I believe in this cause?
* Does this align with my personal and company missions?
* How am I feeling about my free time right now?
* Will the time commitment cause more stress?
* Is there another time that would be better?
* Is this the best use of my platform?
Badger also advises that it is okay to say no or " not at this time "
and not feel the need to explain your answer. Overextending yourself
or your business helps no one in the end. You must respect yourself
and your own boundaries. Th ere will always be other opportunities
in the future.
Atkinson agrees. " When an opportunity arises, I recommend asking
these questions: Do you have the time? Do you have the money? Is it
something you care about? You need to set some guidelines for how
you're going to handle things. T-shirt shops are notorious for getting
hit up for every cause, and they all want free shirts. So having a policy
is a defense for handling requests. "
Another good strategy, Atkinson suggests, is to have an application
and review process ready when asked to participate in these types of
opportunities. Ask the canvasser to fi ll out the application and let
them know you review them on an annual basis in order to decide
which projects you and your business are willing to be a part of for
the year. Also, let them know about the list of projects you are already
committed to so they can proceed accordingly.
order, but a communal decision made by the staff as a whole. Atkinson
and his staff committed to numerous activities all throughout the year.
" It's important to fi nd out what your employees care about. Th at helps
your business by keeping them happy, " Atkinson says.
When choosing what to participate in, Badger looks at her mission
statement and aligns her activities with the message she wants
to send out into the world about who she and her company are and
what their collective " why " is. In many ways, Badger and her team
share their own light through involvement in and out of the shop to
further bring light to their community.
" As a for-profi t business, in the back of my mind I am thinking
that these eff orts may bring in new customers, " she says. " I also know
that it helps with the company reputation and trust. But that's not
the main motivation. Often, it's just doing good for the sake of doing
good. For the love of my community. Also, we benefi t! We sometimes
get so caught up in our day-to-day that we need that heartwarming
feeling that volunteering brings. "
http://stock.adobe.com http://www.ImpressionsMagazine.com
Impressions - April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - April 2024
