Embrace a Cause that Aligns with Your Mission

86% of U.S. consumers today expect companies to have social or environmental responsibilities. That developed out of the last two decades of changes in perception of companies and what their place is within communities. The majority of potential buyers today want to work with companies whose values align with their own. There is a common thread in these beliefs that companies should be responsible not only for operating safely and in the public interest, but have a duty to use their unique powers wisely to be of social benefit.

There is a more recent subset of this shift where businesses have taken on political issues as their cause. This is a tricky business, and purely political activities seldom connect very well with a corporate mission. There are exceptions, depending on your service or business model. Some national companies have successfully navigated a political approach in ways that improved their business. Others have been devastated by an approach which places their imagery at the whim of changes in the political landscape. That process externalizes the message from a focus on your company and links it with the success or failures of matters isolated from your organization.

Our advice would be to consult the distilled wisdom of the ages: “Always keep business and politics separate.”

Tucson Botanical Gardens is a unique treasure in the central city.

The cause you select should be one almost all of your employees can internalize as well. Embracing a cause extends beyond making donations. Companies have been “donating to charities” since well before the current movement. Embracing a cause generally runs deeper. You may want to have volunteer days, joint show booths, or drives to raise support within the community. So the cause you support should be one that fits with your corporate culture, and ideally reinforces your corporate mission.

For example, if you run a bookstore, a cause in Tucson you might consider for a cause is Literacy Connects. That local group supports a wide range of programs that help young readers and English as a second language learning. It is a local not-for-profit, which makes it unique in what may be your sales territory. There are many activities a group such as Literacy Connects sponsors that company management and employees could help with on a volunteer basis. You can turn the events into an even more positive event by taking everyone to a local restaurant afterward for fellowship among the people who are building your small business.

With each event come opportunities to post and promote the relationship between your corporate mission and your cause. However, it is easy - almost natural - to inadvertently turn those posts into a bit of chest thumping. We recommend avoiding the appearance of that posture. If your posts are focused on promoting your cause, you should be able to easily strike the right tone.