7 Practical Ways to Build Giving Into Your Business Model
For many business owners, the desire to give back is genuine but turning that intention into something structured, sustainable, and impactful can feel overwhelming.
A well-designed giving program not only benefits the community or cause you care about, it also makes your business stronger. Giving back in a structured way deepens team engagement, strengthens customer loyalty and helps align your business operations with your values. But just like any part of your business model, giving needs to be thoughtful and consistent to make a lasting impact.
The good news - there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Below are seven practical ways to integrate giving into your business in a way that works for you.
1. Percentage of Revenue or Profit Giving
This is one of the simplest and most scalable models. You commit a set percentage, say 1% of revenue or net profit, to a cause that aligns with your business values. It can be monthly, quarterly, or annual.
You can even give clients or employees a say in where funds go:
- Let clients nominate a charity when signing a new agreement.
- Rotate between causes chosen by your team each quarter.
It’s predictable, it scales with your business and it creates shared ownership of your giving program across your team and clients/customers.
2. Give Back Products or Services
Nominate a particular product, service, or package where a portion of each sale goes to a nonprofit. This works especially well if:
- The product has a high emotional or purpose-aligned value
- You can co-brand the product or campaign with the charity
It’s a powerful way to make your giving visible to customers and they’ll love being part of the impact!
3. Skills-Based Volunteering or, Pro Bono Work
Time and talent are often just as valuable as money. Offer your team a set number of hours or days per year to contribute to nonprofits. This can be done either through traditional volunteering or skills-based support.
Think:
- Legal firms offering pro bono legal advice
- Accountants helping with NFP budget planning
- Tech companies offering website or IT help
- Consulting firms offering assistance with growth planning
It’s rewarding for staff, hugely beneficial for NFPs, and a strong reflection of your company culture.
4. Customer Choice Donations
Empower your customers to be part of your giving story. Let them:
- Choose from a list of charities at checkout
- Vote quarterly on where your donations should go
- Nominate a cause when they refer a friend
This builds transparency and deeper customer engagement and can even spark great conversations.
5. Purpose Led Partnerships
Go beyond one-off donations by developing long-term relationships with nonprofits or social enterprises that align with your mission.
This could include:
- Bundled product or service offerings
- Shared campaigns or events
- Co-branded initiatives
Partnerships like these create alignment and shared impact - and they’re great for brand building too.
6. Once-Off Donations for Discovery Calls
If you are a professional services business that offers discovery calls or sessions, then turn this everyday business activity into a giving opportunity. For example, commit to donating a fixed amount, $10 to $20 for every new client discovery call or proposal sent out.
It’s simple, measurable, and turns lead generation into something even more meaningful.
7. Seasonal Giving Tailored to Your Business
Use natural peaks in your calendar like holidays or EOFY as a chance to rally your team or customers around a giving initiative.
For example:
- If you're in retail or logistics, run a Christmas food or gift drive.
- If you’re a fitness business, donate a percentage of your joining fee in Jan/Feb, your peak months.
- If you’re in the food and beverage industry, offer a percentage of December sales to a charity that provides support to families at Christmas
- If you’re an experience or activity business, donate an experience for every xx amount of sales or bookings made in your peak month
Seasonal giving can be a great entry point into more consistent programs and once you have the tools and experience, it becomes much easier and time efficient to run this annually.
In Summary
Giving back doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether it’s through money, time, skills, donations or shared initiatives, your business can build a model of giving that’s consistent, practical, and deeply aligned with your values. Start with one initiative that fits, build from there, and keep it real.
This is general guidance. Want to know more? For tailored support on embedding giving into your business model, book a consult here - it’s how we give back.
