Harvey. Irma. Maria. Mexico. Puerto Rico. Barbuda. St. Maarten. St. Croix, the Keys…. By the time you read this, what else? It is all heartbreaking. At the same time, we are hearing heart-warming stories of neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping stranger. Helping out has obvious benefits to the recipient and also to the contributor. See our recent article Executive Vitality: Be a Volunteer.
While these occurrences happened in late summer, they are not old news. Given the scale of the destruction, the opportunities for you to make a difference, personally and as a leader of an organization, will go on for the foreseeable future.
Is being a responsible member of the community one of your company’s values? At EXCN, we see that it often is. And there are good reasons, both for the employees and the company supporting the communities. Here are a few:
- Consumers like businesses that support causes they believe in (excellent public relations)
- Fund raising and supporting the community is a great way to define your corporate identity (helps attract and retain top talent)
- Employees are proud to work together toward a common goal of helping others (improves morale – promotes esprit de corps)
These are prime opportunities to demonstrate to your employees, yourself, your customers, and your communities that your organization lives its values and invests its money to help the unfortunate. You could organize a day or week of giving and deploy a group of employees who want to volunteer; or your foundation could make a monetary donation.
Even when well-intentioned, it is easy to take a misstep when we are in trying to help others. Here are some do’s and don’t’s from GlobalGiving, USAID, and other people who know how to help victims. How to Help Hurricane Irma Victims (and How to Avoid Scams).
You and the people you lead can make an enormous difference to people who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances. How?
- Donate money, goods, time, or talent.
- Foster an animal.
- Give a neighbor a ride, a meal, or a place to stay.
- Sponsor fund-raising and volunteering efforts within your organization.
Google “disaster relief” and you will see that opportunities abound. I won’t repeat cautions about scams because you know them all. You will see sites pop up for Red Cross, religious organizations, local and government organizations, organizations in the media and other nonprofits. The problem will not be finding any, it will be narrowing down the focus. Choose a way and an organization that resonate with you.
What has your organization done so far during this season of weather catastrophes? Are there roadblocks you need to remove to help efforts along?
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