Top tips: How can a global business support its local community?

Top tips for entrepreneurs from OnBuy founder and CEO, Cas Paton:

How can a global business support its local community?

It may come as no surprise that corporate social responsibility (CSR), as well as pursuing the environmental social and governance agenda (ESG), has become a must for businesses across the world.

Those that are committed to CSR and ESG know that it can lead to an enhanced reputation. So, how does your business give back to its community? If you’re not sure, then it’s time to figure out how it can.

As a business owner with a growing firm, it’s your responsibility to support the community whenever you can. You and your employees can make a huge difference in helping others.

From our headquarters in Poole, OnBuy has become the world’s fastest-growing online marketplace, according to Alexa rankings, and we’re pressing ahead with global expansion which will see us in a range of countries – including US, France, Spain, and UAE – by year-end 2023. Even though our business has an ever-growing reach, supporting small and local is still highly important to us. Our business model is based on fairness and transparency, so we’re always focussed on doing the right thing, not the biggest thing when it comes to CSR and charity support. That’s the only way it should be in my opinion.

We’re proud to support music festival Teddy Rocks, having first sponsored the event in 2018. Teddy Rocks Festival takes place in Blandford and raises money for children’s cancer charity, Teddy20. Our sponsorship deal helps to cover the running costs of the festival, allowing Teddy Rocks Festival to donate all proceeds raised to Teddy20.

This year, we’ve also spread a little magic to The Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, which provides emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness, donating 100 magic kits to families it supports.

Plus, many of the OnBuy team are currently in training for October’s Bournemouth Marathon to raise money for Julia’s House Children’s Hospice.

Here are some of my top tips on how your business could support the community:

Support a youth sports team – chances are someone on your staff has a child on a youth sports team. You may be able to supply kit or funds it needs.

Sponsor an event – sponsoring an event such as a local marathon, or even your employees participating, can be a great way to show support.

Volunteering – volunteer your time. Whether big or small, businesses can show their support by encouraging employees to volunteer. Allow your employees time to volunteer to a cause of their choice.

Donate your knowledge – you might be an expert now, but you were once a beginner, right? Before you became a leader in your industry, you were hungry for knowledge so why not look to support others in your industry looking to grow. As an expert, your knowledge is of value to others so share it!

Good deeds aside, giving back is important from a business perspective as it can create stronger customer relationships, improve employee morale and consumers value social responsibility. I would always advise making sure whatever activity you are doing; it ladders back up to your purpose and values too. You can start anytime, so start today.

As a business owner with a growing firm, it’s your responsibility to support the community whenever you can.