99 Ways to Give Back to the Community

99 Ways to Give Back to the Community

99 Ways to Give Back to the Community

Many great workplaces believe that employees and businesses have a responsibility to give back, that is participate in civic and charitable activities which help enrich the lives of others in their communities. In turn, these organizations frequently provide opportunities for employees to get involved with charitable causes and organizations, and provide volunteer support to others.

Here are 99 ways to give back to the community.

  1. Provide employees with volunteer paid time off to participate in community service of their choice.
  2. Ask employees what charities they would recommend or are passionate about and do something to support those organizations.
  3. Research and make available volunteer opportunities for your staff.
  4. Pay employees to participate in pro-bono professional service during work hours.
  5. Allow and pay for employees to volunteer on committees of community organizations.
  6. Send candy to the U.S. military.
  7. Create Easter baskets and donate them to children’s services organizations.
  8. Sponsor a scholarship program for high school or community college students.
  9. Create a company foundation and offer grants and monetary gifts to charitable organizations.
  10. Give a certain percentage of your profits overall or on a product or service to charity.
  11. Offer a free speakers’ bureau for topics relevant to your organization’s services.
  12. Offer free learning and educational opportunities or events related to your industry (e.g. health screenings in health care) to the public.
  13. Match employees’ charitable contributions.
  14. Collect and donate children’s books to schools and book fairs in underprivileged communities.
  15. Allow high school and college students to shadow for a day.
  16. Host an internal bake sale to benefit a charity.
  17. Coordinate a food donation drive to benefit the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland Foodbank, or Akron Food Bank.
  18. Host a blood drive with the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland.
  19. Host a Toys for Tots holiday monetary and gift donation drive around the holidays.
  20. Become a toy drop site for Toys for Tots.
  21. Donate turkeys or hams to homeless shelters or local families in need around the holidays.
  22. Partner with the Ronald McDonald House and donate bicycles to children recovering from illness.
  23. Participate in “loaned-executive” volunteering.
  24. Donate company supplies to non-profit community organizations.
  25. Participate in Adopt-a-Family around the holidays. Purchase gifts and wrap them.
  26. Participate in the United Way annual campaign.
  27. Sell tickets for raffles to sporting events on a weekly basis to raise money for charities.
  28. Encourage employees to serve on non-profit boards.
  29. Host a company-wide volunteer day.
  30. Support an adult literacy program in the community.
  31. Donate food and personal items to the Cleveland City Mission.
  32. Collect soda caps and pull tabs to raise money for the Ronald McDonald “Pull for the House” program.
  33. Host a student invention or idea contest in your community.
  34. Tutor children in a low-income community.
  35. Buy local services and products for your business.
  36. Participate in a community clean-up event (e.g. Akron Partnership Green and Clean Day).
  37. Get involved in a community mentor program.
  38. Participate in “Coats for Kids.”
  39. Create a “giving tree” where employees can purchase gifts for less fortunate children and families and are reimbursed by the company.
  40. Visit the sick at a local hospice organization or nursing home.
  41. Participate in cleaning and painting tasks at residential facilities for the elderly or sick.
  42. Build a community garden.
  43. Provide planting and landscaping volunteer services.
  44. Collect pajamas for children in the community.
  45. Collect and distribute crayons, pencils, backpacks, and other school supplies to needy children and schools in the cities of Cleveland and Akron.
  46. Coordinate a Chili Cook-Off to benefit a charitable organization.
  47. Sponsor a dress down day to raise money for a charity.
  48. Have employees volunteer as teachers for Junior Achievement.
  49. Partner with St. Martin DePorres High School to offer a corporate work study program.
  50. Create a campaign to benefit the March of Dimes.
  51. Host a picnic lunch for or deliver lunch to your local policemen and fire-fighters.
  52. Sponsor or contribute to “Race for the Place” which benefits the Gathering Place.
  53. Offer use of your training or conference room to non-profit organizations for meetings and seminars at no cost.
  54. Financially support or actively participate in relief efforts for national or global natural disasters such as hurricanes.
  55. Participate in the annual “Read to Me Day” event at Akron Public Schools.
  56. Assist disabled children and adults with summer camp activities at Camp Cheerful.
  57. Volunteer to lead horses and help riders at therapeutic riding programs.
  58. Participate in American Cancer Society events such as Relay for Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and  DeterminNation.
  59. Offer a paid community service sabbatical to employees.
  60. Donate kitchen items and cleaning supplies to charitable organizations.
  61. Become a Golf & Club Sponsor and support OhioGuidestone’s largest fundraiser.
  62. Donate company vehicles to organizations such as Volunteers of America.
  63. Donate in-kind gifts such as blankets, car seats, or clothes.
  64. Go on a “Build Day” with Habitat for Humanity.
  65. Participate in “Save Your Change” programs.
  66. Prepare meals or contribute manpower to maintenance projects at Christian Children’s Home of Ohio.
  67. Donate food to Meals on Wheels and offer to deliver food to the needy.
  68. Adopt an animal at the Cleveland Zoo.
  69. Make lunch or dinner for the homeless and serve it at a local soup kitchen.
  70. Participate in charitable walking, running and cycling events.
  71. Volunteer as “RedCoats” at the PlayhouseSquare Foundation.
  72. Attend or sponsor special events or fundraisers as a team or staff.
  73. Make a donation to help support Preston’s H.O.P.E., an intergenerational park for children of all abilities and disabilities.
  74. Host a charitable concert at your company.
  75. Coordinate a telethon or radiothon to raise money for charitable organizations.
  76. Host an auction raise donation money.
  77. Volunteer at Camp Ho Mita Koda, a camp for children with diabetes.
  78. Become a corporate partner of a non-profit organization.
  79. Help animal shelters and foster agencies by volunteering for adoption events, transporting animals to and from appointments and adoption events, and make donations such as dog food, towels, and blankets.
  80. Assist with events such as PAWS-4-A-Cause, The Reverse Raffle & Silent Auction, and the Poker Run which are run by PAWS Ohio to raise money for abandoned dogs and cats.
  81. Make a donation to help the Cuyahoga Health Access Partnership (CHAP).
  82. Collect personal hygiene supplies for the Women’s Re-Entry Network.
  83. Mentor individuals recently released from prison through Community Re-Entry.
  84. Volunteer to help people with long-term needs at Lutheran Metro Ministry.
  85. Support a neighborhood center with child care or by monitoring youth.
  86. Mentor youth on life, business, and professional skills.
  87. Assist with a GED preparation program.
  88. Buy an engraved brick to support the Merrick House natural playground and the child care program.
  89. Donate bicycles or any bicycle related items to the Ohio City Bicycle Co-op.
  90. Become victim advocates or assist in caring for victims of abuse and violence at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center or Cleveland Domestic Violence Center.
  91. Help the Cleveland Adoption Network with program development, advocacy, and direct service.
  92. Assemble housewarming kits for returning veterans.
  93. Participate in the annual Thanksgiving Care-a-Van run by Volunteers of America. Prepare and deliver traditional Thanksgiving meals to the homeless and elderly.
  94. Assist those in work transition or those who are unemployed at Towards Employment.
  95. Provide career development support to others in need such as by reviewing resumes.
  96. Donate items to Seeds of Literacy to help in the classroom.
  97. Donate health-related products to MedWish.
  98. Sponsor a cage with Lake Humane Society to help rescue and provide temporary shelter to deserving animals.
  99. Become “Bigs” at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Hopefully this list provides your organization with many ideas to give back. There are innumerable charitable needs in Northeast Ohio, and our businesses have a great deal of resources to offer. We can and should give back whatever success we’ve had to our community, and encourage and provide opportunities for our employees to do so as well.

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