We’re well into the era of digital globalization, where businesses can deliver goods and services to far-flung communities around the world. That’s exciting because it opens many new doors for growth, innovation, and connection. However, when all eyes are focused on the frontier, it can be easy to overlook the benefits of community involvement on a local level.

Community involvement is one of the many direct ways in which businesses can make a positive impact in the world. Here are seven different benefits which show why every company should get involved with their local community today.

1. Increase Brand Awareness

It’s now the era of corporate social responsibility, and there is such a thing as negative publicity. Get noticed for the right reasons while building a reputation for being an active and contributive member of a community.

Actions always speak louder than words. Community involvement is an opportunity to spread awareness of a brand’s presence in a way which also communicates what that company stands for.

2. Build Trust with a Community

Consumers want to see that businesses care about more than making money. In particular, consumers want to know that a business hasn’t just come into their midst to exploit them for cash, data, or tax breaks.

The attitude that society exists for the purpose of enriching corporations has led to massive trust issues between consumers and companies on a whole. This distrust has irrevocably changed the way businesses approach the market, and companies need to care about the way a community perceives them. Community involvement builds trust by sending a strong message that a company takes seriously its participation in society.

3. Forge Alliances with Other Local Businesses

Not every business represents competition. Community involvement will bring a company into contact with neighboring services and retailer. This represents yet another opportunity to forge connections and alliances which strengthen the local business economy on a whole.

It’s a fact of life that sometimes a company will be unable to address a client’s specific need. However, it’s an incredibly powerful thing to be able to provide a thoughtful referral to another local business which can. Reciprocity often features in communities with close-knit business ties, and this pay-it-forward attitude comes back around.

4. Leverage Local Ties

Independent businesses have an advantage over large corporations: distrust of giant brands is at an all-time high. Much of this has arisen from the fact that large corporations are used to operating from a national or global perspective because their operations reach across vast differences. As such, it’s exceedingly difficult for very large companies to connect with communities on a local level.

Conversely, this is easy for smaller companies. In a small (or even mid-size) business, most employees will live and work in the same community. This gives a local business natural insight into the wellbeing and events within a community.

5. Improve Employee Morale

Volunteering is good for employee morale. A 2017 study found that community involvement through work, such as company volunteering, increased employee engagement and sense of belonging at that company by 71 percent. Part of this occurred because it encouraged employees to feel like they were a part of something bigger. Likewise, it’s also a salient way for a company to show concern about the causes and forces which influence the lives of its staff.

6. Attract Local Talent

Businesses which are active in the community often attract high-performing and talented employees. Such people care about where they work, and they want their efforts to matter. A company which concerns itself with the community’s wellbeing indicates that it cares about both of these things.

7. Foster a Culture of Collaboration

Teams, departments, and the company on a whole are much more than the sum of their parts. Activities which encourage team participation and collaboration tend to drive up employee confidence in themselves and each other. Volunteering is particularly valuable because it creates yet another context for employees to get to know each person’s strengths, weaknesses, and personality.

Experience the Benefits of Community Involvement

Businesses must sustain a healthy community in to ensure long-term prosperity. When companies practice community first and business second, they create lasting relationships with individuals and other local businesses.

XMC is proud of the partnerships it’s built with the local communities at each of its regional offices. Each community involvement experience enriches employees, provides greater insight into the local community, and reinforces the company’s core values. Plus, it leaves the world in slightly better shape than how we found it – something which benefits everyone.

XMC is defined by our core values and how we put them into action. Interested in forming a partnership with us for a community project? Reach out today to start a discussion with one of our regional offices.