Strong Community

PRACTICES

ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY

Engage the community

A blank wall or underutilized counter space can double as a reference site for people browsing in your store, and will not only make them feel connected to you and your values, but remind them that they can get MORE at your business than the product or service that you sell. This could be a corner in your business space with brochures and information, through which organizations can get connected with the broader community.

***EXAMPLE: Village Books challenges customers to commit to three steps to healthier consumption. They call it Village Books' Sustainability Challenge. Customers write down their three steps on a small slip of paper and sign it commiting to make an active effort toward healthier consumption.

Give others opportunities

We all need help getting a leg up from time to time, and a local business or organization may be just the place to find that support. Becoming a mentor to another business, or providing a work opportunity for a special needs person, are two important ways you can give back with what you’ve been given.

***EXAMPLE: Each year Leadership Whatcom participants work with local organizations to develop and implement micro projects that enhance community health. If your organization is interested in working with a “leadership in action'” project team to address an existing community need contact http://leadershipwhatcom.org/ for more information.

***EXAMPLE: Downtown Renaissance Network partners with Cascade Vocational Services to employ a crew of maintenance workers with developmental disabilities for their Downtown Beautification and Maintenance program.

Attend Sustainable Connections events

Every month there is SOMETHING fun going on at Sustainable Connections, whether it's a member networking, day-long conference, All Members Meeting in January, farm tour, green building site visit, or the annual Kindred Spirits Celebration in September. Keep your eyes peeled for member announcements noting the dates of events and mark them in your calendar right away. Not only will you connect with the like-minded group of business owners that makes Sustainable Connections such a great organization, but we promise - you'll have an absolute blast!

Find your Third Place

Beyond home and work, there are third places where the community we all rely upon is found. In Great Good Places by Ray Oldenburg, we read "Third places are the core settings for informal public life, they are the places where people can meet old friends, make new acquaintances, discuss the important issues of the day, and temporarily throw off the weight of the world that can drag them down." Oldenburg claims that involvement in public life has important psychological, social and political implications, and such involvement is made possible by the existence of third places. We all need these places, be they our book club, church, grocery store or weekly cycling group. Make an effort to find your third place and nurture it in your life. You'll be a happier, and healthier, person for it.

***EXAMPLE: Come to a Leadership Whatcom Productive Public Conversation to learn more about critical issues and how others in our community are seeing them. Hosted by LW Alumni, these free discussions engage a broad cross-section of our community. Participants leave with a tool kit of resources to help you keep these important, and sometimes contentious discussions, both productive and civil. http://leadershipwhatcom.org/

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Offer your skills Pro Bono

If you have a skill that takes special training, consider giving a percentage of your time pro bono in the community. Legal counsel, marketing and design consulting, financial audits - AND LOTS MORE - are things that many nonprofits, start up businesses, and community members need from time to time. Maybe your business can help, and you'll spread the word even further about the great work you're doing by getting out there. Sustainable Connections wouldn't exist without the hours of service that were donated in the first few years of its existence by many talented people giving of their specialty skills. From video work done by vidsmith to marketing assistance from Here's How Marketing - the list could go on and on, which demonstrates hw gifts from many add up to build one strong community-based organization.

Make a change

Look for ways to save money on a typical expense and consider giving away the difference in a creative way.

***EXAMPLE: Barkley Associates' clientele receive a holiday letter one year on plain paper, reading "The funds we save by not sending traditional holiday cards will be donated to a local charity."

Teach what you know best

Our community is blessed with one university, one technical college, 2 community colleges, and numerous other educational opportunities. When you receive that Whatcom Community College Community Education booklet each quarter, you'll find several Sustainable Connections members offering courses - so why not catch the spirit and start sharing what YOU know best? It is a fun chance to connect with people in the community, inspire new interests, and give a little of yourself back.

Be the leader you've been looking for

Participating on a board or in a leadership for a local nonprofit, participating in the decision making process of local government, and running for election for a local position are all important ways that community leaders influence the present and future planning of our community. Identify a cause you feel particularly passionate about, and dive right in! There IS something you can do about it.

***EXAMPLE: Leadership Whatcom's 10-month program brings existing and emerging leaders together to explore the principles collaborative leadership while exploring critical issues impacting Whatcom County's many communities. Improve both your understanding of Whatcom County and your skills in working with others who see things from a different perspective. Sponsored by the Whatcom Coalition for Healthy Communities, LW also offers a free, three-hour Productive Public Conversations series. Participants leave with a toolkit of skills and resources to support productive, large-scale discussions and enjoy an evening practicing strategies for keeping dialogue civil. http://leadershipwhatcom.org/

FIND WAYS TO GIVE BACK

Raise funds for a cause

Participate in a fundraiser by donating merchandise or services from your business, or offer to match small donations made by your customers. This can be done creatively to maximize your business' benefits as well as that of the partnering organization, if you get creative.

***EXAMPLE: Cascade Cuts, a wholesale nursery, opens their doors to the public one weekend a year, selling plants at retail cost and donating the difference to Sustainable Connections. THANK YOU CASCADE CUTS!!!

Sponsor a community event

One of the single best ways to catch the community spirit is to lend support to a nonprofit event. Sign up as a sponsor for your favorite cause and start reaping the benefits in visibility, increased customer loyalty, and that great feeling you get when you know you're making a difference!

Promote volunteerism

Encourage your staff to visit Whatcom Volunteer Center for ideas of where and how to volunteer, and consider offering them a certain amount of paid time a year to do it.

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