 Hi, my name is Glenn Muskie and I work with NDSU for the Extension Service and I want to Talk with you today briefly about small business charitable donations Or as it says getting more from your $20. I recently had a chance to do this presentation for the national rural telecommunication Organizations and thought that you might be interested in hearing some of the highlights Donations can be a marvelous thing. They can be very beneficial to your organization or They can be something else So you can be focused on them with trying to get something that is a win-win for you and your community and for the Organization or it can feel simply like a big sinkhole Or you're pouring a lot of money into it and you're not getting much out of What happens with the donations is you as a small business owner are obviously a key contributor to the economic development of your community However through your donations You're also a contributor to many other aspects of that community. You give leadership You give organizational support You support events you let your employees go out perhaps to be part of the organ is part of the efforts and stuff And those are all key to making a Dynamic community we measure this thing called Corporate social responsibility in four different ways and that's your business commitment your personal leadership Collective action and business support and while some of those have as you can see Financial support really there are many ways that your business Two communities and what does it bring to you? It brings you recognition goodwill And those are two of the big ones, but it also attracts you to helps you attract new customers retain customers And turn those customers into ambassadors as they see your Work and influence and impact on communities and hopefully overall It's giving you a feeling of success and it's giving the community a feeling of success about your business During the presentation I outlined seven steps, but we're only gonna look at three of them here as to the most important aspects of this charitable donation Aspect that you're undertaking One probably a key one is develop your focus get no one for a few key causes Look at where your business and the community efforts tie together Or if you don't find the natural one just go out and create one Perhaps it's with schools Boy Scouts senior citizens Parks and recreation whatever the case may be look for that key focus and try to get the most out of it Also think change Don't just do the same old thing every year What what can you do through your donations that will move your community forward that will change? Life for a group of people in the community that will bring your community New opportunities and new challenges get no one for something here It goes back part of the focus and stuff and so what I what we're talking by this as you continue to go back to these efforts over and over and over again and Lastly make sure to market Most often what I see small businesses doing is they market the idea that they gave an award if they even do that Instead as you develop your focus be thinking about marketing the pre-award stage the award the post-award During the events in between events and with social media There are so many opportunities to get your story or to get the story out in front of somebody else and remember it's that bottom line there the key Story is not about your business here It's about the effort that you're undertaking That your business is part and parcel of and trying to make a difference in your community And so you want to focus on not your business But the story that you're trying to tell here and help the small business help the The entity that you're working for tell their story quite often They don't have anybody in that marketing position and so you can step up right there and be part of Helping Make a bigger change just by the effort you're with them The goal remember is not the awards the goal is Change community effort better community stronger communities Whatever the case may be that's what we're working for your efforts make a stronger community Make it a better place to live and an enhanced quality of life with that. I just want to say Do something good every day If you want to set of the complete slides Here's where you go to get those and also if you want to hear more about this and other topics about small businesses and Helping you move forward build your business You can find them on my web page and also you can follow my Twitter's or my Facebook posts I try to do those on a regular basis and help to move you forward Thanks a lot for tuning in and we'll come back another time Thank you