Community Giving

Sharing Time, Talent & Treasure

Now more than ever, businesses are looking for unique ways to engage with their employees and customers. Socially-conscious millennials make up the largest generation in the U.S. workforce and many organizations are adapting to the call for cause-based missions.

Top Ideas for Community Giving & Engagement

1. Provide employees with paid volunteer hours annually.

2. Organize a team bonding volunteer activity.

3. Send regular emails with volunteer opportunities to your team.

4. Donate to a nearby Quality Rated childcare facility to help provide quality childcare for the current workforce and potentially partner to get discounted rates for your employees.

5. Contribute to the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund to alleviate the local housing crisis.

6. Create a community grant to support local non-profits and initiatives.

7. Buy a table at or provide a sponsorship to community events.

8. Sponsor an employee at a local non-profit to offset wage or operational costs.

9. Engage with a neighborhood school, Title I school or a school that aligns with your industry.

10. Create internal fundraisers to donate to local non-profits. Example: $5 Friday jeans day 👖

11. Donate surplus materials to educational programs.

Tips for Incorporating Giving in your Company Culture

1. Start small with a narrowed focused area.

2. Create a giving budget and align it with your company mission and goals.

3. Listen to your people.

4. Lead by example.

5. Create goals and measure your success.

6. Implement consistent and sustainable practices.

Connect and Explore Options of Where to Give

Okay, so we got your juices flowing on how you can engage more with the community. Now what?? A starting point would be to identify the non-profits that align with your company’s interests. Here are few places to get you started.

• Connect with a non-profit. Check out a list of our non-profits and choose how to engage based on your interests!

• Volunteer as a group. For corporate groups, the United Way of the Coastal Empire has a dedicated staff person to assist you. Email Laurie Humphries or visit their volunteering matching page.

• Volunteer as an individual. Download the IVolunteer International app to find or submit volunteer projects around you!

• Find the perfect school to donate time, talent or treasure. Use the map below to identify the best match for your company related to school engagement!

Engage with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System

Choose your own adventure! You can use the map below to find a neighborhood school, underserved Title I school or a school that matches your industry focus. Click on the dots to see more details.

1. To identify a neighborhood school, type your address in the search box in the top right of the map and explore the schools in your company’s neighborhood.

2. To find an underserved Title I school, click on the blue dots.

3. To find a school that matches your industry focus, click on a dot and view the industry focus.

Benefits to Employers

• Increased employee engagement

• Higher brand awareness and reputation that increases sales

• Improved employee productivity

• Team bonding

• Better recruitment and retention of employees

• More likely to attract investors if company has positive Corporate Social Responsibility

• A Deloitte survey of hiring professionals reported that:

  • 92% of respondents agreed that volunteering improves employees’ broader professional skill sets

  • 92% of respondents agree that volunteering is an effective way to improve leadership skills

  • 80% of respondents said active volunteers move more easily into leadership roles.