Working with charities and not-for-profit organisations gives you a chance to put your profit to good use. When you share who you support, it can help you publicly demonstrate your values and what it is you stand for. Increasingly, audiences want to buy from brands that stand for something, which is why we recommend that you share when you donate to, or work with charities.
Talking about your charity work or donations means striking a delicate balance; you want to talk about the great work you’re doing, but you don’t want to look like you’re giving yourself too much of a pat on the back for helping a cause. This means, more often than not, some organisations don’t say anything at all. But it shouldn't be this way!
Here are some tips on how to be a part of the conversation:
Be genuine
It doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you’re genuine! Talk openly about the importance of charity, why you’ve decided to donate, and how proud you are to support the charity in question.
Humble brags go wrong when your audience doesn’t see you as authentic, so take time to capture great images of your donation or your team with the donated amount, to show the humanness behind your actions.
Clearly state how the cause links to your business
When posting on social media, increase authenticity by taking time to discuss how the charity links to your business. Do they support a key business goal? Do you have a personal connection? Is it an important charity to the average New Zealander? Anything you can do to create a link will increase the likelihood of the connection being received well.
Encourage other people to get involved
What good is a charitable post or link that doesn’t encourage other people to spread the love? Wherever you can, add clear calls to action around others donating to the cause. Link or tag the correct accounts as often as you can.
You could even talk to the charity in question and set up an Instagram Collab, where you leverage each other’s engagement and talk about the importance of business philanthropy.
We know it's a tricky balance to strike. If you're still a little unsure, check out the video below about our work with Nga Tangata, a not-for-profit alternative to loan sharks we proudly support and donate to.
