“It’s probably time we showed people what we’ve been up to.”
So began one of our weekly wrap-up meetings in early December, as we finalized the details of our 2022 plan. My operations partner Kara has always been the member of the team responsible for driving our day-to-day responsibilities, and we’d discussed earlier in the year the need for us to report on our initiatives which serve as the basis of how we bring our organizational mission of connecting commerce with purpose to life.
We just didn’t know how to show that work in a way that could be impactful, but also easy to understand and not a heavy lift for the reader.
If you too have kept your philanthropic activities under wraps, not because you are unwilling to share what you’ve done but rather you just haven’t thought it out, here’s a handy step by step process to follow to give yourself a chance to do something similar.
1. Round up everyone in your organization. (Just you? Have a meeting with yourself)
2. Explain your desire to document the philanthropic work done by your team
3. Outline the categories where potential contributions have been made
4. Brainstorm and record all activities that could qualify
5. Quantify the time given, money spent and raised and any discounts or donations given
6. Make it simple! Make it easy to read! Definitely make it social-media friendly
When you study the infographic we ultimately settled on as the vehicle by which we would communicate the sum total of our impact, the numbers in the dollars raised and our total direct financial contributions are noteworthy, but not staggering. The fact that we were able to source more than two-thirds of the products we sold from factories we’re willing to defend as working hard to make the world a better place is a great step in the right direction, but there’s much left to accomplish as we grow in the volume of spend our business has under our guidance in the weeks and months ahead. We feel like we found a way to accomplish telling the story in a way that would be interesting and worth spending some time with.
The adage says “you don’t manage what you don’t measure”. By being willing to publish the results specific to our efforts to make good on our mission, we’re not only emboldened to set our sights on more aggressive targets, we’re reminded of the value of our work when we’re at our best, which only inspires us to those more aggressive targets we’re willing to set for ourselves.
Make 2022 the year you start documenting the ways you make an impact with your business. Even the smallest efforts are recognition-worthy, as it’s the exercise of getting things down on record that matters most.
Roger has spent 20+ years making complex concepts more understandable for both buyers and sellers alike, and has devoted the majority of his recent career to injecting purpose via philanthropy to his sales and marketing efforts. He’s intent on making the world a better place and his nirvana exists at the intersection of Mission, Passion, Profession and Vocation. He loves the outdoors and seeks memorable experiences whenever possible. Contact Roger at roger@socialgoodpromotions.com or 810-986-5369.