Do you give back to your community? Maybe you sponsor a certain charity or buy ads in charitable programs or participate actively in community organizations. Whatever you do, your support as a local business owner is important to your chosen organizations. You have a great opportunity to help and bring awareness to causes and groups that you support and believe in.

Thanksgiving brings us a great time to stop and reflect on how we do give back to our community. As business owners, we understand that the better our community, the more successful our business. So, perhaps this year it is time for you to add to your community involvement or do more to help your fellow man, starting right where you live and work.

As a small business owner, even if you are a one-person home-based business, there are still plenty of opportunities for you!

Here are some resources to help you find an opportunity:

Volunteer:

Volunteer Match Go to this website, put in your zip code and you will find a list of current volunteer needs in your community. There are usually descriptions of what the organization needs as well as contact information.

Another organization Network for Good provides a similar matching service, as well as virtual volunteer opportunities. Read How to become an Online Volunteer to see if this would be a good fit for you.

Volunteer opportunities are vast and varied. You can do clerical work, serve on a Board of Directors, read to children, mentor a teenager, teach computer skills to senior citizens, make blankets for babies, work in a library or a church or a school, plant trees and gardens, or raise money for great causes. Regardless of your interests and abilities, you can find a way to share who you are and make an immediate and lasting impact on someone else’s life.

Food Drives:

Organize or participate in a local food drive. Many churches, community organizations, businesses and food banks will be conducting food drives in your area during November. Perhaps you can donate ten pumpkin pies or a few turkeys. Or, perhaps you can gather a group of friends, family and business contacts to cook and serve Thanksgiving dinner at a shelter.

Blood Drives:

Giving blood is truly a great opportunity – it is a very easy way to help save someone’s life. Blood donations typically fall during the holidays, too, so it is a wonderful time to give. You can sponsor a drive at your business location, too! For more information, visit Give Life or America’s Blood Centers. Both sites allow you to search by zip code.

Action Step Take a few minutes this month out of your busy schedule this month and find a way to lift up someone else. I guarantee you will be glad you did—the benefits you’ll get will be tenfold compared to what you give. It is truly more blessed to give!