5 ways organisations can impact their communities

Most companies these days recognise the importance of giving back to their communities, whether on an ad hoc basis or through fully fledged corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes. Not only do these initiatives help to uplift people and communities, they also have a positive impact on employees and company culture – particularly if they’re strongly aligned with the company’s overall value system. With that in mind, here’s a look at five ways for businesses to make a real difference.

1. Ongoing support

“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.” ― Maya Angelou

A substantial part of your CSR strategy may be to identify and partner with charitable organisations with similar values to your own. Ongoing support efforts could include regular donations, awareness campaigns, fundraising activities and administrative support and advice.

2. Mentoring initiatives

“We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” — Whoopi Goldberg

Mentorship is a highly effective way for companies and employees to have a lasting impact on youth in their communities – after all, we all have knowledge and skills to share. As a business, you could identify existing mentorship initiatives to get involved with or even create your own mentorship programme if you have capacity.

3. Once-off contributions

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”  – Jane Goodall

From time to time, you may have the opportunity to make a once-off contribution to an organisation in need or during a fundraising campaign. It’s not possible to partner with every organisation on an ongoing basis and it’s worth remembering that any form of support can make a difference.

4. Sporting sponsorships

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.” – Nelson Mandela

As Nelson Mandela observed, sport has the ability to transform lives – and it provides a wonderful opportunity for organisations to get involved with the growth and development of young people. There are likely to be a number of initiatives in need of support in your community, and sponsorship opportunities may include the funding of equipment, transport, coaching clinics, events and more.

5. Volunteer initiatives

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe

Another way to cultivate a spirit of social responsibility in your organisation and to make a tangible difference is by getting involved with hands-on volunteer initiatives – e.g. tree planting, local school or NGO renovation projects, community food gardens, etc.

The Lithon Foundation

At Lithon Holdings, we aim to make a significant impact in the lives of people and communities, and one of the ways we do that is through the Lithon Foundation. We founded this section 21 company in 2014 to bring love and hope to people and organisations through networking and collaboration. It operates under three simple guiding principles:

Love: To identify individuals and organisations who are making a difference in their communities and support them through mentorship and leadership, and to connect them to opportunities.

Give: To secure sustainable local and international funding to meet the needs of identified projects and to ensure that allocated funds are spent in a responsible manner.

Guide: To guide, support, assist and motivate identified individuals and organisations through funding, mentorship and leadership on an administrative, financial and management level.

Keen to get involved? 

If you’d like to be part of making a difference, why not get involved with a Lithon Foundation project? You can find out more about the Foundation and the organisations we partner with here.