Let’s be honest: “community engagement” is often thrown around like confetti, but too often it becomes a buzzword with no follow-through.
We believe in utilizing our talents and time to create lasting connections that uplift everyone. Whether you’re an individual itching to do more good or a business ready to step up your social responsibility, investing in your community is one of the most rewarding moves you can make.
Why It Matters
When businesses get involved in their communities, the impact multiplies. Stronger communities mean healthier families, better opportunities, and tighter safety nets when life gets messy. For companies, it’s a visible way to live your values and build trust with both customers and team members.
Think of it as a two-way street: you contribute to the community, and in return, you earn deeper loyalty, stronger partnerships, and long-term relevance. Not a bad ROI, right?
How Businesses Can Show Up
Here’s the deal: community involvement doesn’t have to mean writing big checks or scheduling perfectly posed photo ops. It can be real, intentional, and aligned with what your team actually cares about. A few ways to get started:
- Volunteer days: Set aside a few hours for your team to get hands-on experience with a local nonprofit.
- Let your team roll up their sleeves and make an impact (literally). Whether it’s helping at a local food bank, participating in a community cleanup, or reading to kids at a neighborhood school, these hours can spark a connection and a sense of purpose. Want to take it up a notch? Let employees suggest causes they care about, then coordinate group outings around those.
- Pro bono work: Offer your services to a mission-aligned org that could use your expertise.
- What’s your superpower? Use it for good. Designers can help nonprofits with branding, marketers can build campaign strategies, and developers can improve a clunky website. For example, Taproot Foundation connects professionals with nonprofits in need of pro bono support—it’s a win-win for both impact and experience.
- Event sponsorships: Make a meaningful impact by backing events that support causes you believe in.
- Sponsoring a cause-aligned event demonstrates your support and puts your values front and center. Think local arts festivals, nonprofit galas, or 5Ks with a mission. Want to go beyond a logo on a banner? Volunteer at the event or host a booth to connect with attendees in a meaningful way.
- Revenue sharing: Donate a portion of profits to a local initiative that matters to your team.
- This one’s all about impact with every transaction. Select a nonprofit or community cause that your team is passionate about, and then commit to donating a percentage of your profits for a month (or more!).
The key? Make it meaningful. People can spot inauthenticity from a mile away.
If you want to show up for your community in a way that’s genuine, not performative, it starts from within. Here’s how to keep it intentional and aligned:
- Get your team involved early.
Run a biannual survey to see what causes matter most to your employees. Better yet, form internal committees focused on different impact areas (such as education, equity, or the environment) and let them help select nonprofit partners or events to support. - Ensure the right people are informed.
Share your community impact wins and plans through internal newsletters, SharePoint, Slack channels, or even a “community corner” in your all-hands meetings. You could also establish a team of ambassadors to champion volunteer events or donation drives across departments. - Learn the art of the humble brag.
Sharing your impact externally shouldn’t feel like virtue signaling. Frame your efforts around transparency and progress, not perfection. Highlight the partners doing the work and tell the story from their perspective, giving them the spotlight while reinforcing your brand values. - Support your community partners with intention.
Equip them to speak about your partnership proudly—share logo files, branded templates, or social media copy so they don’t have to guess how to represent your support. This makes them feel valued and ensures consistency in how the story is told. - Want inspo? Here are some brands doing it right:
- Thompson Gray’s “TG Together” has fostered a culture of giving through structured volunteer programs and storytelling that celebrates the team’s contributions.
- CFD Research’s “The Delta Foundation” exemplifies corporate philanthropy grounded in community need and internal engagement.
- Avion’s “Avion Takes Action” initiative stands out for its ability to tie business success to tangible, local impact.
- Thompson Gray’s “TG Together” has fostered a culture of giving through structured volunteer programs and storytelling that celebrates the team’s contributions.
The Ivy Initiative
At Flourish, we have built an entire initiative around giving back that aligns with what we know we’re good at and what we believe will make a lasting impact. Enter: The Ivy Initiative.
Since day one, this program has allowed us to offer (at no cost) strategic marketing, PR, social media, event planning, and video services to nonprofits we believe in. From the beginning, our Founder knew she wanted to use Flourish as a vehicle for good – and naming it officially made it real and part of our ongoing strategy.
Over the years we’ve helped countless non-profits, small businesses and women-led efforts and continue to do so today.
Recently, we partnered with the Village of Promise through the Ivy Initiative, helping amplify their impact around ending generational poverty with intention. The Village sought a unified marketing and communications strategy to translate its powerful mission into measurable growth, visibility, and sustained community impact. After weeks of research, stakeholder interviews, and an in-depth assessment of existing marketing activities and efforts, they received a comprehensive playbook that not only educates their team but also provides them with the tools to do so effectively.
We’re not sharing this as an attempt at a humble brag, but to provide a glimpse into how the reason you exist could inform what your organization decides to invest in for its community outreach. We love to do marketing, but felt that teaching others how to do it would yield a greater return for them in the long run.
Ready to Make Your Move?
You don’t need a big budget or a PR team to start giving back. Choose one cause. Find one way to help. Start there.
Whether you’re donating time, money, or skill, your involvement matters! Not just for feel-good points, but for real-world impact. At Flourish, we’re proud to invest in the communities that shape us, and we believe the most strategic brands are the ones that give a damn.
So, what’s stopping you?
