Why Give?

Did we get you with that title? After all, it’s a big question. Thankfully, we don’t intend to try and list all of the reasons for all of the different types of giving that gets done these days. Instead, we thought we’d tell you why we recently decided to donate money to a local charity instead of running a traditional business promotion.

 
First, “why we did it”. We’re a local company with local ties and local employees. We live here, provide services here, and likely know most of the men and women whose lives are bettered through the charities we support.
 
We chose the Central Missouri Honor Flight as our receipient. So far, they’ve hosted 31 flights and taken 1,952 local veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials dedicated to their honor. We honor both the organization’s mission as well as our US veterans themselves, so it’s a perfect fit. In fact, Socket has eight veterans on the payroll representing every branch of the military, and many, many
more have a father, mother, or grandparent who has served in the US military. Several of our relatives have even gone on an Honor Flight themselves. Our employees can tell you what it meant to them to get to see their father or grandfather be moved to tears by the experience.
 
We also decided to run a local charity promotion because we were betting it would mean more to local company leaders. Getting a price break might be nice, sure. But all companies do that from time to time. What about that kind of promotion would make Socket and its character stand out? So instead, we told business owners we’d give the Central Missouri Honor Flight organization $50 if they’d just request a quote from us in January.
 
Did it work? We think so.
 
First, we were able to give $500 to the Central Missouri Honor Flight. That's nearly enough for two veterans to go on a trip of a lifetime.
 
Second, of the business owners who took advantage of our offer, many responded personally to let us know they were touched and proud of our efforts.
 
Here’s a taste of what we heard:
 
“Just a note to thank you for the $50 donation to Central Missouri Honor Flight on our company’s behalf – great cause!” (by the way, this company also mentioned they would be going with our company at the end of their current contract!)
 
“I hope all is well with you. Thank you for the donation to Honor Flight as a result of the business services quote. Socket's a great addition to the community, and we appreciate your heart for positive change in society.”
 
Pretty cool, huh? 
 
So the next time someone at a conference table asks, “Why give?” remember that even simple giving can have complex, far-reaching benefits for your organization.
  
We gained community respect, earned new business and honored some local veterans, all in one move.