Community involvement is ingrained in how Chief does business. Our founder, Virgil Eihusen, was passionate about community involvement and maintaining strong collaboration with local leaders (https://chiefcorp.wpengine.com/leading-like-a-chief-entrepreneur/). This passion didn’t stop with Virgil. His son, Robert, and now his grandson, DJ, both live the mission of serving the community. However, taking an active role in the community is not reserved for the executive level or the hometown residents. It is for all of us.
Community involvement isn’t a mere option, it can be a lifeline that allows communities, businesses, and individuals to grow and flourish. Studies have shown that the businesses that a consumer chooses to work with is directly impacted by their corporate responsibility and philanthropy. Young people are more inclined to buy products from a company that contributes to charity, or to recommend the business to a friend. Therefore, getting involved in the community should be part of everyone’s corporate and personal strategic objectives.
There are several ways that businesses and employees can get involved. A few include:
- Host information sessions for high school and college students
- Sponsor employees to get involved with local leadership trainings
- Join a board
- Become a member of the Chamber of Commerce
- Support the local Economic Development Corporation
- Give back to local non-profits
- Create a corporate team to participate in a non-profit hosted event
- Give a tour
- Volunteer
Research also suggests that giving back actually boosts mental health. Beyond improving one’s overall health, here are a few more reasons to get involved in the local community
- You help the community grow
- By giving back to the community, you take an active role in community development, help community members succeed, and help foster a deeper sense of unity. Deeper ties with customers and other businesses foster stronger community ties and this, in turn, can help build stronger consumer bases.
- Community involvement increases brand awareness
- Community involvement puts a human face to your business. It makes your business visible, allows people to get to know your brand better, and helps you create a reliable, trustworthy, and generous business image.
- Community involvement can give you a leg up over the competition
- Community involvement can make your business a more favorable option over larger, impersonal competitors because customers like to deal with people they know and trust. By taking an active role in community development, you distinguish yourself from other businesses because you take on the community as part of your identity.
- Community involvement can also help with employee satisfaction and morale.
- Studies have shown employees are more likely to display higher satisfaction rates with their jobs if they know that they are working for a socially responsible enterprise. Higher satisfaction rates are more likely to lead to higher productivity and increased retention rates.
- Businesses Leading by Example
- Businesses big and small can do something to contribute to the community, whether it’s by donating uniforms for the local softball team or setting up a scholarship fund for city scholars.
Giving back to the community through active involvement comes with many benefits, not just for the community but for the business and employees as well. Chief takes great pride in building community partnerships and encouraging all of our employees to get involved.
