Remembrance Day is one of the most important days in the calendar, giving UK citizens the opportunity to keep our country’s veterans and fallen soldiers in mind. Across the country, offices, schools and shops will all fall silent at 11am in order to mark the day with a minute’s silence, while war memorials will blush with colour as local residents place poppy wreaths around their bases.
However, commercial property based businesses can do a little more to participate in Remembrance Day than the minute’s silence, simultaneously raising money for a good cause and cementing their status as a caring local business all at once. While many options exist, some have a greater pull than others and can truly help in drawing consumers into your store or workplace.
Participating in a sponsored event will really raise awareness of your brand in the local community, especially if the sponsored activity is particularly unique. Perhaps several of your employees, for example, would be willing to shave their hair or have their legs waxed in order to raise funds for Help for Heroes? This type of event is especially effective in both raising money for charity and lifting the local prestige of your business as sponsored activities tend to garner quite a lot of attention in the local press.
If this seems a little too much for your employees (and their legs!) why not try holding a bake sale or a coffee morning in the office? Placing a collection tin in the break room and encouraging employees to donate generously for their morning snack may not raise hundreds of pounds, but any charitable contribution is always greatly valued.
Alternatively, simply ordering a poppy wreath from a local florist and laying it at the nearest war memorial with a personal message from staff at your business is a heart-warming way of reminding the local community that your business cares.
If your local community tends to host any larger scale events on Remembrance Day in order to raise money for charity, it is always a good idea for local businesses to get involved. Floats can be sponsored in a parade, stalls can be set up in market events, employees can offer assistance in charity runs or even join in themselves… the list is truly endless and really helps in establishing a community spirit which centres around local employers. If no events of this type are held – why not examine the possibility of starting one for next year?
Remembrance Day is not only set aside to remember those who fell during war, but to keep in mind the soldiers still on the front lines and their families – many of whom may live in your town. By showing your business is willing to support charities which help these soldiers and their families, you stand out from the crowd as a generous and caring pillar of the local community.
Does your business tend to do anything out of the ordinary to mark Remembrance Day, and if so is the event usually a success in terms of fundraising?
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