Community engagement is a powerful tool that can enhance your agency’s reputation, strengthen client connections, and attract or retain employees. But when juggling day-to-day operations, how do you make time to give back, or extend that goodwill beyond a one-time event? Learn how to plan, promote and re-promote your charitable efforts using the tips below.
As a bonus, download our handy calendar to map out moments to Make More Happen in 2025.
Plan ahead
Think about weeks when your agency has downtime and offer staff time off to volunteer. You can encourage them to pursue their own projects and share back, or organize a volunteer outing with several team members to pitch in at a local food bank or shelter. If there is a cause that your staff is passionate about, carve out time to give back during an awareness month.
If you want to fundraise or host an event during a season like back-to-school or the holidays, start 1-3 months ahead, use AI to help you draft a project plan, and hold weekly time to make the event a success. Sponsoring a golf tournament or a gala? Leave enough time to invite your staff and clients.
Don’t forget about post-event planning – ensure that someone is assigned to share out thank-you notes, photos and results from your activity soon after you finish.
Promote!
The Community Giving Guide offers lots of creative publicity tips. Start by designating a photographer or asking for selfies at any of your community engagement activities. Capturing good photos of your agents in action can be leveraged across lots of different channels.
Make it a family affair and include your staff, clients and their families in volunteering or donating alongside you. Some agency websites guarantee a small donation ($10-20) to a favorite nonprofit for every client referral they receive. You’ll demonstrate a commitment to your local community and provide an easy opportunity for your network to give back – perhaps inspiring them to do more.
Beyond sharing how you make a difference on social media and in newsletters, you can pitch media, share with the local Chamber, or apply for awards. Tag your nonprofit partners to extend your reach.
Recycle content with a new spin
Have a great piece of content that deserves to be re-shared? Think differently about how to bring a new angle to the same content, or a new channel for sharing it. There are lots of digital tools and marketing automation solutions to make this easy.
- Does your agency volunteer at an animal shelter? Share your staff’s “love” of rescue animals on Valentine’s Day, use Pet Insurance Day in April to promote products, invite press and elected officials to your pet food drive on International Dog Day in August, and reshare that news clip during the holiday giving season. There are unlimited pet appreciation days to feature individual staff and their fluffy friends – people will get to know your agents better and receive a continual reminder that your agency cares.
- Does your agency principal care about breast cancer prevention? Feature her volunteering at a charity 5K during Women’s History Month in your newsletter and repost that photo to social in October.
Plus there are lots of evergreen moments to share your volunteer photos, videos and stories throughout the year. Start with 1-2 and build from there – you’ve got this!
