It’s that time of year again! The weather has officially changed, stores have started to stock the isles with festive swag, the remnants of tiny Trick Or Treater’s are spread out all over our lawns and businesses of all sizes are asking the annual question of “What should we do this year to give back during the holidays with our team?” It’s a wonderful question to have and given that it’s the holiday season – it’s a great opportunity to help those less fortunate and reinforce your company’s culture.

Think about implementing a simple annual giving plan that does the work for you. What’s worked for us is that we’ve chosen a non-profit organization that aligns with our company’s core mission and values. By actively donating our time throughout the year we’ve become fully aware of their constant needs – not just ones during the holidays. So, when it does come time to think about the Holidays – we add in a nice holiday event centered around a specific need identified during the year.

It sounds simple, but we discovered early on that our charity benefited more from our deep understanding of their cause and the consistency at which we are involved.

I know what you’re thinking…what about spreading the wealth? And, I get it. Yes, there are so many wonderful opportunities and organizations that need help. Consider offering a day off for an individual to enjoy an “Employee Day of Service” activity. This will give everyone on your team the opportunity to give back to something that is important to them personally. But for us, as an organization, we found more fulfillment of championing one charity in particular.

In our office it’s become known as OUR CHARITY. In our eyes giving back is a constant. So, next year don’t wait until the holidays – start sooner. They’ll thank you for it.

– Rich