Making the most out of your support for a good cause

Small business shows its charitable side

For many small-business owners, the events of this year have highlighted the importance of community. As an entrepreneur, the pandemic has offered many lessons – a key one being that if you can, giving back to those who need it most is vital.

Earlier this year, as a direct response to COVID-19, I founded King Mist, a new disinfectant range that bridges efficacy and local ingenuity. I wanted to create something that not only met the increased demand for hospital-grade disinfectant but also helped my local community in other ways.

King Mist is Australian owned and made. Because of this, we’ve been able to create a number of local job opportunities, something that I feel incredibly proud of. Secondly, for every product sold, we have pledged to donate a portion of profits to chosen local charity partners over the next 12 months.

By partnering with local charitable organisations we’re enabling Australians to give back to groups that serve the community with every purchase of our products.

If you have a business and would like to support important local causes as well, here is my advice.

Establish a timeline

Charitable partnerships are not only a great way to do good in your community, they are also a fantastic opportunity to get your company’s name out there. Before starting, it’s important to think about what a realistic partnership timeline looks like for your business, and how it might fit in with your wider plans and goals.

Ensure alignment

Another big consideration should be ensuring that your chosen charity partner’s ethos mirrors that of your business. It is important the cause you are supporting is relatable in some way.

For example, we have chosen organisations that will benefit from using our product. One charity partner provides furniture and household goods to those in need, which ties back to our cleaning products. Making sure there’s a link is a good way to show your team and your clients that you really care about your business and your community.

Make it a team decision

For me, my employees are my number one priority, and getting their input into the charity partners we selected was key. It was important to me that everyone had a say in which organisations we would choose to support. In turn, this helped to boost team morale during what was an uncertain time.

Donate your time

Once you’ve chosen your charity partner, it is a good idea to think about other ways you can donate to them. For example, I have agreed to donate my time and volunteer with my selected partners.
As a small business owner, this is really important to me.

Another option, if your business is unable to make financial contributions, is to consider making volunteering part of your company culture, by giving employees a number of hours each month to donate their professional skills to a local organisation.

There are many ways to give back to the community,

Charles Liu, Founder, King Mist