Community Involvement : Great Tools and Resources for Homeschooling Parents

I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My father was a Chef who specialized in opening new restaurants, or giving an existing restaurant's menu a "face lift."  I always said I learned my math costing out menus!

My Grandfather was a contractor/builder and my Grandmother's family were retail merchandisers.
How does that relate to community involvement?  Well regardless of what business your family is in, there are great opportunities to not only teach business skills but to show how greater community involvement can mean a greater bottom line!

As an educator and business coach, I like to demonstrate how community involvement can help clients gain free publicity and often new customers, while improving the community they live and do business in.  A Win-Win situation!

Parents, especially homeschooling parents, can easily take advantage of these ideas.  As a side note, if you are thinking of starting a home-based business...which is something I highly recommend  to most homeschooling or stay-at-home moms...I 'd love to talk with you! For more information please visit my website  CEO-MOMS.net and lets talk soon!

But, back to community involvement.  Businesses that participate in community involvement programs distinguish themselves from their competitors in a positive way.  Current research shows that  82 percent of American consumers consider corporate social responsibility  when deciding which products or services to buy and where to shop.

Here are four things to consider when incorporating community service into your business and family plan.

•  Build relationships within your community. Look at your community to see what's important. For example, does the animal shelter need donations?  Businesses that host  "community impact" events, get media attention and can often enlist family and friends to help with the event.  If you have a business that has a slow day of the week or a slow season, use that time to sponsor events and drive up the bottom line on otherwise slow days!

• Get your employees on board.  When your employees feel they have a voice in the business, they do a better job. Giving employees an avenue to give back and be recognized for their good work is important to morale and builds a collaborative and inspired team,  Often these events uncover leadership opportunities for employees, which leads to increased staff performance and fulfillment and, ultimately, increased productivity and sales.

• Create a custom volunteer plan.  Business owners should evaluate their business and employee strengths and select volunteer activities that draw upon those strengths. For example, if you own an accounting firm, you could volunteer to help a nonprofit set up their accounting practices or do their taxes.  Similarly, if you own a restaurant, consider catering a church or community staff meeting...offer to match the tips for that event and to show your appreciation for your local leaders. It's tax deductible and philanthropic too!

•  Let customers know about your community involvement programs.Once you've implemented your strategy, let current and prospective customers know what you're doing by including this information on your website. Put a dollar amount of how much your donated time or services would normally cost next to the number of hours your employees have spent giving back so it's easy for customers to understand how much your company gives to the community.

If you are homeschooling your children let them participate in community involvement programs.  Even if you are not an entrepreneur, the business that you or your spouse works for may well have a community involvement program that would be appropriate for you and your child to participate in. If they don't have a community involvement event perhaps, you could brainstorm one and suggest it!  Business owners are always looking for ways to get more customers, free advertising and greater profits!

People love to see children engaged in these programs and it creates an integrated education learning situation for them too!  Using all the tools and resources that are at your disposal makes your job as a homeschooling teacher/mom easier, a lot more fun...and profitable!

Read, Read, Read!

Helen Grace

If you found this article helpful, you might want to read my blog on Crafternoon Delights.com.

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