By Hannah Dannenfelser, Community Involvement Ambassador,
Arlington Community Federal Credit Union
Businesses, especially Chamber businesses, know that community engagement is a key to success. Giving back to your community has proven ROI in staff recruitment and retention, organization reputation, and brand awareness. Business development and networking opportunities often emerge from being involved in the community, as well. Of particular relevance in our region – corporate social responsibility efforts are considered a “must” by the Millennial generation.
Arlington Community Federal Credit Union
Businesses, especially Chamber businesses, know that community engagement is a key to success. Giving back to your community has proven ROI in staff recruitment and retention, organization reputation, and brand awareness. Business development and networking opportunities often emerge from being involved in the community, as well. Of particular relevance in our region – corporate social responsibility efforts are considered a “must” by the Millennial generation.
In case you have any doubts, a 2015 study from Cone Communications, a public relations and marketing firm, revealed that more than 9 in 10 Millennials and 8 in 10 people in the general U.S. population would switch brands to one associated with a cause. Cone found that 62% of Millennials and 56% of the general U.S. population would take a pay cut to work for a responsible company. As of the 2016, the Census Bureau reports that the Millennial generation makes up 35% of the workforce, the largest proportion of any generation. Millennials are one quarter of the U.S. population (Fry, 2018), but when we look at Arlington, residents ages 20-34 make up a third of the population. It goes to show that in Arlington, even more than anywhere else in the country, Millennials’ opinions of your organization matter.
So how does your company find ways to deepen your community engagement? Getting involved in the Chamber can be a crucial first step. You could start by plugging into the Chamber’s Community Action Committee, which connects businesses and non-profits to learn from each other and to collaborate on addressing community issues. The Community Action Committee’s next event is a Chamber Breakfast Connection focused on community engagement on Thursday, November 1 at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Before your workday even starts, you can make major strides towards discovering both businesses and non-profits committed to giving back, and get a jump start on deepening (or starting!) your community engagement efforts. The speed-networking format allows you to connect with many organizations in a short period of time. Before you go, check out this Chamber blog post by my friend and fellow Community Action Committee member Jay Reiner. He describes the format of the event and how best to prepare to maximize your networking time!
There are so many ways to further your business’s community engagement efforts and it can be hard to know where to start. This community engagement focused Breakfast Connection is a quick, convenient, and easy way to dive in. Make sure to register to attend if you’re looking to grow your business by giving back. I look forward to seeing you there!
So how does your company find ways to deepen your community engagement? Getting involved in the Chamber can be a crucial first step. You could start by plugging into the Chamber’s Community Action Committee, which connects businesses and non-profits to learn from each other and to collaborate on addressing community issues. The Community Action Committee’s next event is a Chamber Breakfast Connection focused on community engagement on Thursday, November 1 at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Before your workday even starts, you can make major strides towards discovering both businesses and non-profits committed to giving back, and get a jump start on deepening (or starting!) your community engagement efforts. The speed-networking format allows you to connect with many organizations in a short period of time. Before you go, check out this Chamber blog post by my friend and fellow Community Action Committee member Jay Reiner. He describes the format of the event and how best to prepare to maximize your networking time!
There are so many ways to further your business’s community engagement efforts and it can be hard to know where to start. This community engagement focused Breakfast Connection is a quick, convenient, and easy way to dive in. Make sure to register to attend if you’re looking to grow your business by giving back. I look forward to seeing you there!
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