As the winter season approaches, so too does the season of giving. Salons and spas are pillars of the community; they provide comfort, relaxation and encourage confidence among their clients. Salons and spas that prioritize community outreach and philanthropy are even more connected to their community and typically see a correlating boost in business.
From providing free or discount services to neighbors in need to coordinating fundraising efforts, salons and spas have an influence that can make a significant impact on their communities. Let’s look at a few things for salons and spa owners to remember when approaching charitable giving this season.
- Enlist help: Talk to employees and clients about community needs or events they may support. Playing a role in either can help salon and spa owners ensure they are making an impact where it matters most. For instance, if several employees from the same salon are passionate about a particular cause, or several clients are involved in a nonprofit in need of additional fundraising, leadership should consider supporting those endeavors. From there, leadership can develop goals for their philanthropic efforts and plan to ensure their efforts have purpose. Including the input of employees in this process will help make giving back a team effort and ensure employees feel heard and supported.
- Get out there: Charitable giving comes in various forms, and salon and spa professionals have the unique ability to offer their skills as a form of philanthropy. For example, one local Maryland salon held an event offering free haircuts to community members experiencing homelessness. This is a great way to get personal with the community and offer services that boost client confidence. In addition to offering free services, salons and spas can hold events to support local causes, implement donation campaigns to allow clients to contribute to a local nonprofit and more.
- Leverage partnership: Salons and spas can partner with community organizations or fellow businesses to increase the reach of their efforts and further build on their community reputations. Whether a spa partners with a local food bank to collect donations ahead of the holidays or a hair salon partners with a nail salon to offer free haircuts and nail services to those experiencing homelessness, there are multitude of ways to use partnerships while giving back. Salon and spa owners should research which organizations would be best to partner with on their efforts and develop a plan alongside them.
There are plenty of ways for salons and spas to serve the communities in which their businesses flourish. In addition to doing something good for the community, giving back can be good for business. It shows clients their favorite salon or spa cares about the community, participates at the local level and is willing to get out there and make a difference. Take the first step. Start talking to employees and clients about what causes, organizations and issues need attention in your local community.
Kathy Lopez, Account Manager for SASSI, the Salon and Spa Specialty Insurance program at Brownyard Group. She can be reached at klopez@brownyard.com.
