There are a lot of strategies you can employ to make your business more successful. However, not many of these strategies help your business while simultaneously helping those in your community and boosting your personal level of happiness as well. So when you do find something that can achieve all three of these things, it’s only natural to want to jump at the opportunity.

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Although community outreach programs are beneficial to a multitude of parties, it can sometimes be hard to convince a board or managerial team with more traditional ideas of improving business that these types of actions will actually give you a great return on your investment. So to show you just how helpful community outreach programs like sponsoring school art programs can be, here are three ways community outreach can benefit your business.

More Loyal Customer Base

In today’s society, there’s an ever-growing population of people looking to do business with companies who consider their corporate social responsibility. In fact, Lindsay Lavine, a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, shares that 82 percent of American consumers actively think about how a company contributes to society when deciding what businesses to purchase from. Knowing this, it becomes clear that companies who participate in community outreach can have a much stronger and more loyal customer base because the customer is there for more than just their products or services—they appreciate the heart of the company.

Happy Employees and Strong Company Culture

Not only do community outreach programs make your company look better in the eyes of your customers, but they makes you look better in the eyes of your employees as well. According to The1Thing.com, employees are proud to work for a company that takes their impact on the world around them seriously and contributes where they can. This, in turn, makes the employees happier to work for that company, which makes them more productive and creates a more positive company culture—all things that can contribute to a healthier bottom line for your business.

Minimize Brand Vulnerability

With the impact social media can have on the success or failure of modern businesses, it’s a smart idea to do anything you can to minimize your brand’s online vulnerabilities. And according to Chris Campbell, a contributor to KISSmetrics.com, community outreach does just that. By actively building your company’s brand image in a positive light, community outreach serves as a type of insurance against potential negative statements or issues that could impact your business in the future and hurt your brand. For this reason, you almost can’t afford not to serve in your community in one way or another.

Community outreach is a great way to bolster the image of your company on the outside while also creating a better company on the inside. So if your business could benefit from having more loyal customers, happier employees, and a strong brand image, consider how you can reach out within your own community soon.