Whether you call it community relations, corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility (CSR) or sustainability, there are many ways to get started and many benefits, too.

Most of the time, people think of community relations as a company getting involved in the community either through a partnership, volunteerism, or donation.

But, a community relations program isn’t limited to only creating partnerships with local nonprofits, it can also extend to how the organization can reduce its impact on the environment or work with an ethical supply chain. 

Whether your organization is large or small, there are many ways to create or step up your game. Here’s what you should know to create a community relations program and/or how to improve one if you’re ready for the next level.

Building a Community Relations Program Step 1: Start by looking inward

Hurrah! You’ve decided to step into a process of building community connections and making a difference. 

Before you look outward, start by looking inward. What does your company or organization’s mission and core values say? 

You may find that some of your core values match up very well with the mission of nonprofits and/or other community initiatives.Looking at what your organization or business stands for is a great way to get focussed on areas that fit your organization best. 

For example, if your business is woman-owned, Girls Empowerment Network which helps girls in grades 3-12 gain the confidence they need to be unstoppable might be a natural fit. On the other hand, if your business is located downtown near the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail surrounding Lady Bird Lake, volunteering with The Trail Foundation might be a match. 

Think about asking your employees what suggestions they have too. Their community connections as a board member or volunteer might make it easier to establish a relationship with a nonprofit or other community partnership. The only way to find out is to ask. 

A quick survey is one way to get information from many people quickly, but mentioning it at a staff meeting also works for smaller teams.

Building a Community Relations Program Step 2: Establish a relationship

Relationships with community organizations can start small and grow over time. 

A volunteer project is often a good way to try out an organization and to learn more about their needs. 

There are often many ways to get involved, so it pays to do your research ahead of time so you have a better idea about how volunteering and partnering might work. Sometimes you’ll find that organizations with similar missions execute their missions differently. 

For example, Meals and Wheels and More Central Texas offers a variety of ways to get involved from delivering meals and services to elderly, making donations of basic items their clients need to making a monetary donation to cover meal costs for one day. 

Keep Austin Fed, on the other hand, is a smaller grassroots effort that relies on teams of volunteers to pick up and distribute excess food for the hungry. 

Building a Community Relations Program Step 3: Determine how you will help

Once you’ve narrowed down the many choices, next comes determining how you will help. 

Finding a volunteer opportunity for a group is a great way to start, but you may determine that you’d like to make a greater impact. Ask your nonprofit partners what they NEED from you. 

Partnerships are two-way streets, so opening this conversation can bring about interesting ideas! 

Partnering can mean more than setting up volunteer days, they can also mean setting up dedicated time for individual employees to volunteer in the community. Headquartered in Austin, Dell Technologies Inc., encourages employees to not only volunteer in the community during the year but also matches funds to any charitable donation employees make. 

Volunteering can also mean agreeing to take on a larger volunteer role for a community organization such as chairing a fundraising event or sitting on a nonprofit’s board of directors. 

Giving back to the community can be baked into your business model because of a commitment to sustainability and environmental practices. And you don’t have to be a giant company to figure this out. 

Nina Berenato Jewelry, for instance, is Austin’s first fashion retail business to earn Austin’s highest sustainability honor as a Platinum Green Business Leader, and they did this with a team of four. According to global study in association with Nielsen, 81% of global respondents felt strongly that companies should help improve the environment. 

Building a Community Relations Program Step 4: Tell your story

Once your partnership is well underway, you should make your own plans for how you will tell your story. This can take root in a number of different ways because you probably have more audiences than you realize.

• At the most formal level, larger businesses can include their efforts in their annual report or if they are a large organization their CSR Report. Smaller organizations might report out on their blog, newsletter or social media channels. 
• Capture shareable images, photos and videos of your efforts during the year to share not only with your employees but also your customers, clients, or members. 
• Ask your nonprofit partner to include you in their next e-newsletter, invite you to speak on a topic, and they may be planning to promote it on social media, too.
• If a large donation to fund a specific program is made, there may be additional recognition opportunities such as a press release, featured blog post or inclusion in a proactive media pitch. When in doubt, ask. 
• If you have an exceptional volunteer, there are a number of awards to consider pursuing. These are just a few of the many opportunities that exist in Central Texas: 
  • Austin Woman’s Way Business Awards hosted by Austin Woman Magazine
  • 5 Who Care sponsored by KVUE News
  • Women of Distinction is one from the Girl Scouts of Central Texas, and 
  • Austin Chapter of the American Fundraising Professionals’ Philanthropy Day.

Building a Community Relations Program Step 5: Check-in and repeat

Keep your community relations program going by checking in with your nonprofit partners and with your employees. Surveys or even focus groups listening for your employees to receive their feedback can be very helpful to improve on your program.

Let us help you uncover a smart strategy

Whether you are at Step 1 of your community relations strategy or a seasoned pro, Amy Carr Communications has years of experience helping businesses, associations and organizations with community relations and thought leadership programs. Whether you’re large or small, we can help you uncover hidden opportunities to bolster your community relations program. We listen for your needs, leverage our established relationships, and partner with you to create a smart plan to drive your momentum forward. Relationships in the community take time. Contact us today to learn how we can help you boost your impact in Texas.