Business giving back to the community

Aligning your business to a charity is a great way to give back to the community. David Bell, managing director of Kwik Kopy discusses how the First 5000 partner chose to work with its charity Hands across the Water to create the 2012 Kwik Kopy Hands Classic.

You want your business to find a way to give back to the community, but choosing which charity to support can be a challenge.

Here are some of the points we at Kwik Kopy Australia think it’s worth considering:
 

Do it for the right reasons
When embarking on a charity initiative, consider the sort of giving that you’d like to be involved in and why you’re doing it.  If corporate charity is undertaken as an obligation or as a means of self-promotion, this will show through in your efforts, and no matter how great your giving, it will be seen as less than sincere.

Do your research
It is important to research the group you choose and ensure their needs and objectives do not conflict with those of your business.

Choose a charity that reflects your own mission or values
Some of the most successful partnerships are those that have a natural fit.  Look for organisations whose mission statements resemble or complement your company’s values.  

Pick a charity that means something to you
It’s not always necessary to choose a charity that is directly related to your business.  It can also be effective to pick a charity or cause that means something to you and your team.  

Partner with your charity
Look to build a strategic partnership over time where you and your chosen charity work together to promote the relationship.  Through continued involvement both organisations are exposed to each other’s network of contacts which opens the door to even more potential customers/donations and builds a greater brand awareness level within the community.

2012 Kwik Kopy Hands Classic
As a keen cyclist myself, I am very pleased to announce that for the sixth year in succession the team at Kwik Kopy will lead an 800km bike ride raising money for charity.

The 2012 Kwik Kopy Hands Classic (25 to 30 March) will be a six day ride departing Sydney and heading north to the beautiful Hunter Valley. From there, riders will travel west though the Bylong Valley to Mudgee. From Mudgee they then head back to Sydney via Lithgow, the Blue Mountains and Windsor.

Our chosen charity
Each year Kwik Kopy supports a different charity and this year we are pleased to partner with Sydney based charity: Hands across the Water which supports the children in Thailand who were orphaned by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.  

Founded by former Police Officer Peter Baines, the charity now supports over 300 orphans and their communities at three different sites and has committed to supporting them for the long term.

One of the things we particularly like about Hands is that 100% of what people donate goes directly to the children and their communities.  No donor funds are spent on marketing, staff overheads or administration!  

To learn more about this charity and donate to the 2012 Kwik Kopy Hands Classic, please visit: http://handsacrossthewater.org.au/node/421

David Bell joined Kwik Kopy Australia in 2004.  With over 15 years experience in running small to medium sized enterprises and a vision for new innovations and ideas, David Bell demonstrates strong general management and leadership skills combined with significant experience. He has been successfully involved in developing and executing strategies to return companies to profitability or to take businesses from one level of performance to the next. David is particularly experienced in building successful management teams and guiding them to deliver superior performance.  He was named on the 2011 ProPrint Power 50 list which features the 50 individuals making the biggest impact on the print industry each year.