Community is hugely important to many of the retailers and other small businesses we work with. They’re deeply involved in efforts to help area schools, charitable organizations and other causes. These efforts are personally meaningful, but they also make good business sense: many customers prefer to do business with those companies they feel are helping the local area thrive.

If you’re participating in charitable events or similar occasions, you want to make sure as many people know as possible. There are some fairly obvious ways to make this happen: include information about what you’re doing on your website and social media, put up signage in your store to let your customers know what’s going on, and encourage your staff and team members to talk about it. It’s always a good idea to send a press release to relevant local media: feel good stories about community activism often get run on a slow news day and puts your company’s name out there in front of the public in a positive way.

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But don’t stop there. The businesses that realize the greatest benefit from their community involvement proactively reach out to their partners in order to enhance the reach of news about the event. For example, if you’re collecting canned goods to benefit a local food bank, it doesn’t hurt to ask the food bank to publicize this through their own social media or other communications channels. Nonprofits often have enhanced access to community calendars; if they’re willing to, have them list the event on your business’ behalf. Working together to spread the word about your charitable efforts is a vital aspect of working together to make the community a better place!