Creating Local Impact
I am taking a time out for a little boasting moment: out of everything the talented women I work beside have accomplished, their community focus is what I am most proud of. A commitment to community is deeply rooted in our Peritus Promise, which makes up the foundation of our company culture. Although we are a small business, we firmly believe that PERITUS public relations can still make a profound impact.
Last year, Peritus PR partnered with local organizations to raise awareness about issues that get us fired up. We’re passionate about supporting worthy causes and leveraging our skills to build awareness.
The good news for other small business owners? You don’t have to mandate a culture of community support when you hire people that align with your values.
I’ve been fortunate to work with professionals that innately love supporting philanthropic efforts and have a genuine passion for serving others.
A Little Goes a Long Way
We learned early on that you don’t have to take the fun out of charitable projects with intensive and lofty long-term plans. Each month, we identify a philanthropic organization, cause or initiative and find simple ways to support it. Little things that make an impact—pro bono media outreach, clothing drives, graphic design support, food preparation, volunteer outreach or simply event participation. In 2016, Peritus partnered with more than 22 nonprofit organizations and causes to focus on child healthcare, female empowerment, military support, special needs, social services, fertility awareness, global cultural heritage, conservation, hunger and many more. We are in a deadline-driven business, so having small, attainable goals and working with multiple causes keeps our team engaged and effective.
Rock What You Got
Our team utilizes our communications skills to help philanthropies promote causes and meet their goals. We know our strengths and try to leverage those by offering our time, talents and resources. Some of my favorite projects over the past year include coordinating promotional opportunities for Fiesta, Alabama’s largest multicultural festival, planning a major fundraising event for the Freshwater Land Trust that brought in over 1,000 attendees, hosting a clothing drive for Pathways women’s shelter, serving meals at The Ronald McDonald House, organizing a social media campaign for Alabama Literacy Alliance, developing a branded sponsorship package for Alabama’s PRSA conference and developing a fertility awareness op-ed featured in Weld, along with promotional and social media efforts for each worthy cause. Whew, it was a busy year, but these opportunities gave our team time to bond outside of the office and learn more about the heart of our great city.
Empower Your Team
In addition to Peritus’ company-wide efforts, our team members are empowered with a flexible work schedule to support various organizations they feel personally connected to. Our diverse interests ignite individual community stewardship serving local nonprofits and organizations including the YWCA, the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, Junior League of Birmingham, Alabama Literacy Alliance, Alabama National Cemetery, Birmingham Jewish Federation, and the United States Air Force; and events including Read Across America Day, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, National Walk at Lunch Day, Seminole Service Day and more. My advice is to empower your team to enjoy the flexibility of pursuing causes important to them. Don’t force involvement, and don’t watch the clock.
Invest in the Future
Investing in students is also a core value at Peritus, as we mentioned in our very first blog post. Students represent the future of our industry and many go on to become future community leaders. One of our first interns, Memorie English, is now a major influencer in the nonprofit communications community. Our team prioritizes connecting with students on a personal level, so if you ever need us for speaking opportunities, presentations and panels, or just a friendly face to offer career advice, give us a ring. Last year, we spent more than 35 hours connecting with 318 students during these types of networking events.
We look forward to continuing to donate our team, resources and communications talent to help support Birmingham causes important to Peritus PR.
My PUBLISHED by Peritus PR takeaway is this:
Take five minutes today to think of one small way you can use your talents to support your community over the upcoming weekend.