PPB May 2017

Rachel Newman, Director of Sales & Marketing

What does giving back to this charity mean to your company?

Especially in cold weather, access to clean, dry socks can, at the

minimum, protect from misery, and at the most save lives. It’s

a daily reminder that a small donation or kindness can make a

big difference. As a cash rebate program, it is easy to see how

Hanes4Education benefits local schools. It’s a simple and direct

way to support K-12 schools in our employees’ communities at

a time when schools are very much in need. Many employees

use the United Way campaign to develop connections with local

nonprofits and continue to volunteer and support them long after

the United Way campaign is over. It’s important to us that we

can improve and enrich the communities where we live and with

which we are involved.

What advice do you have for other companies that want to start

a charitable giving program?

With both the Hanes Sock Drive

and Hanes4Education, we framed our programs around our core

products—they are not peripheral programs but are aligned with

what we do every day. If a program is not directly connected to what

you do and who you are, you run the risk of losing momentum.

Also, with Hanes4Education, we made sure that there is

absolutely no work for the supplier other than ensuring that the

invoice they provide the customer specifies that Hanes products

were purchased. We wanted to make it easy for customers to

participate and remove any barriers to helping schools.

What has been the most unexpected result of your company’s

giving program

? It’s amazing how quickly a 10-cent rebate can

add up to real money that makes an impact on schools. It’s

energizing to know that every sale you make has the potential to

help a school.

FourSimpleWaysAny

OrganizationCanGiveBack

Coordinate

charitable donations.

Take up a regular donation for a

local charity or other community

organization. From providing a

collection box where customers can

donate money, food or clothing items,

to adding a donation opportunity

on the customer’s invoice, make it

easy for your customers to share

in charitable donations. One note:

if you are asking customers for

donations, make sure your company is

contributing donations as well.

Become a sponsor.

Give back to the community by

sponsoring a 5K run, a youth sports

team, local holiday parade or other

community event. It’s a great way to

support your community and has the

added benefit of providing advertising

and exposure for your business.

Donate products or services.

If you have extra promotional

items such as apparel or school

supplies in your inventory or as

showroom samples, donate them to

a community shelter or school. The

Kids In Need foundation is a great

option and one that PPAI partners

with regularly. Find out more at

www.kinf.org

Mentor job-seekers.

Offer a mentoring or job skills training

program during the holiday season,

or provide part-time job opportunities

to those who need extra income. It’s

a great way to provide on-the-job

training so that those in need can

acquire new skills.

Source: PCT December 9, 2014

Julie Richie is a former associate editor for

PPB

The Heroes Among Us

FEATURE

MAY 2017