It hardly seems possible, but in the blink of an eye the holiday season will be upon us once again. With the economic woes of this past year, high unemployment and cost of living, the upcoming season will possibly bring with it a higher demand on our local charities and their programs.
Being involved for most of my life in non-profit endeavors in one fashion or another, I’d like to bring to your attention that now is the time to get involved. Everyone seems to want to jump on the bandwagon when the spirit of the holidays hits them, but by then it's usually too late for you to have any significant impact.
Now is the time to determine where your passions lay, what project or cause you can vest yourself in, and how you can make a difference in your community.
Many people in our industry say, “Collect Toys For Tots; get the PR out of being a drop-off location." While that is all well and fine, doing it for PR value is such an empty thing to do. Everyone wants to be a drop-off location for everything from canned goods and toys, to back-to-school supplies, but they don’t seem to think of what happens behind the collection barrels.
Who delivers them? Who collects the barrels and what happens to the contents collected? How do they get distributed and how can you help? This is where you can make a huge difference in your community while doing a good thing and earning truly generous of spirit publicity value for your site.
As a good manager you know the demographics of your community and you know where the need is greatest, and it may not be the cause of the day. In many instances what is needed may be the least advertised and little is known about it. In this case, you can make a significant impact, bring attention to a worthwhile cause and promote your facility at the same time without appearing to be just another one in the crowd.
I’ll leave this topic at this point and let you mull the idea over for a bit. In a couple of weeks, I will share more ideas on how you can truly give back to the community that has supported your business, while gaining pure-hearted publicity value that will equate to more rentals and an improved perception of your business.
One caveat, whatever you determine best suits your community, your passions and that of ownership is something you need to be prepared to support year-round.
In the meantime, read these ISS news items about self-storage facilities that have supported various community organizations.
San Diego Self Storage Supports Nativity Prep Academy
Self-Storage Owner Champions San Rafael Clean Campaign
Texas Self-Storage Facility Hosts School-Uniform Swap