By: Kelly Smith; photos by Brooke Dennis and Justin Hackworth for Alt Summit
Companies whose mission is to give back to the greater community are driven, focused, and have loyal customers. For the most part, people like knowing that what they purchase can make a difference to someone else – even in a small way. These big companies spend a lot of time and money making sure that their efforts are feeding their goal on a regular basis, which can seem overwhelming to a small group or a single person blog.
But here is the thing, you don’t need to save the world to do something good. You just have to get started and things will trickle into place. Over on my blog Cloudy Day Gray, I organize craft therapy donations for families with critically ill children in the hospital. My goal is simply to brighten someone’s day and I do it every three months.
Five Tips on How to Get Started Doing Good
Here are my five tips on how to get started:
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Figure out what you are passionate about and write a mission statement.
- Brainstorm and decide how you can contribute to that cause with the means that you have. As you grow, your work to do good will also grow. There is nothing wrong with starting small. Start an Instagram campaign supporting a cause, offer a portion of your sales toward a cause, invite your audience to donate clothes or food that you bring to a shelter, raise money as a collective community, make something yourself and donate it directly to your cause, or team up with others who have similar goals.
- Contact lots of people who can give advice, point you in the right direction, assist with finances, offer support, or join the cause. Social workers, PR people, and community members are the best people to start with first.
- Write down your goals and make a timeline. Sometimes committing to yourself in a tangible way is just what people need to get started.
- Keep moving forward. Each time you give back you will learn and grow from the experience. Each time, things will get a little bit easier. And each time, you will figure out what is right for you and your blog.
Between Alt sponsors, speakers, and attendees, I for one am so proud of the good work that is done in this community. Be sure to use the #AlterYourWorld as you set goals and do good.
