When you work as a freelancer from home, it can be difficult to match the generosity of companies that actively make their support to the community a budget priority. Giving back to the community is an honorable behavior. For businesses, it’s also a clever promotional strategy, as it can also be used to improve the brand’s reputation and maximize networking processes. In other words, businesses that help others end up helping themselves in the process too!
As a freelancer, you might not have the budget to sponsor the local school sports team or to finance new infrastructure improvements in town. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t change someone’s life for the better. You are not powerless! All you need is to be looking for cost-effective ways to deliver additional value to the community without putting your independent business and your finances at risk. Here are some ideas to inspire you to become a positive force in your local community, even when you’re on a tight budget.
What about your old furniture and equipment?
Let’s be honest, when you finally decide to embrace the freelancing career, you will have to create a home office. Maybe you’ll transform the basement into the ideal workplace, maybe you’ll make the most of the unused guest bedroom. Whichever option you choose, it’s likely that you will end up with piles of items of furniture that you don’t need anymore.
Everything you used to keep in the room before it became your home office has to go. You can get in touch with Habitat for Humanity to help rehome your furniture elsewhere. Ultimately, giving back to the community can mean helping out a family to have a decent and safe home.
Support your local shops
Your local shops matter, especially because they’re the heart of a community. Independent shops keep bringing money and jobs to a local community, and that’s precisely what makes them so precious. However, they can have issues trying to survive in a digitalized market that is highly competitive. If you have a blog, mentioning your local shops can make a great deal of difference.
You can explain to your audience why you enjoy shopping at a particular place rather than another, or why you always order a long Americano from the independent coffee shop in town instead of going to a chain. It might not seem like much, but it can help small commerces to stay open.
Share your expertise to charities
If you’ve got relevant skills and experience, you can offer to free services to charity organizations. From marketing tips for non-profits to free designs for their communication campaigns, you can support their activities. While you might not be in a position to make a generous donation, giving your time and expertise is something you can shout about. Most charities don’t have the time or the budget to invest in marketing, strategy or even creative work, so every little task you do for them can drive new donations.
The bottom line is that you don’t need to be a wealthy entrepreneur to give back. You don’t even need to be rich. You can help without spending a dollar and still make a difference. So what’s stopping you?
