10 ways to benefit from supporting your community

Improve your reputation

Using your firm's resources to support community projects and other charitable initiatives can have a range of business benefits, from improved reputation to staff with better personal and professional skills.

1. Better staff morale. Allowing employees to spend time out of the workplace lending their skills to causes they value can increase their total job satisfaction.

2. More skilled employees. Voluntary work can help employees develop a range of useful qualities. Aside from improving specific 'hard' skills, such as project management, they can acquire a variety of 'soft' skills, such as a stronger sense of responsibility and the capacity to get on with a wider range of people.

3. Sharper teamwork. Some businesses use community activities to develop team performance. A day spent working together on a conservation project, for example, can allow people to assume different roles.

4. Enhanced reputation. Being a socially responsible business will increase your reputation with your stakeholders, from customers and employees to neighbours and local authorities.

5. A stronger local network. Supporting local initiatives can generate goodwill and create good relations with people who can be very helpful to you (if you need support for a planning application, for example).

6. Reduced marketing costs. Generating good press and building relationships within the community which create word-of-mouth recommendation reduce your need to spend on promotional activities.

7. More efficient recruitment. A good proportion of potential recruits will be more attracted to businesses with a social agenda and volunteering opportunities. They may even approach you directly, saving you money on job adverts.

8. Increased sales. According to the UK Small Business Consortium, 88 per cent of consumers are more likely to buy from a company that engages in 'socially responsible' activities.

9. More attractive to investors. Business' social and environmental credentials are increasingly important in investment decisions. Potential investors are becoming more aware of corporate social responsibility issues, and may ask you for information on how you are addressing them before committing to investment.

10. A vibrant local economy. Whether the support you lend is financial, practical or educational, a more vibrant local economy is one of the potential long-term effects of backing community projects and initiatives.

For more information about supporting your community contact a Business Link Customer Service Adviser by telephoning 0845 058 6644 or request a call back at your convenience.

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