Know What You’re FORமாதிரி

FOR the Community

The problem with many churches, nonprofits, and businesses is that if they closed down tomorrow, the community around them wouldn’t know it. The organization’s purpose never flowed beyond the walls of the organization.

When you widen the circle of impact, it leads to a priceless, tangible result every organization is secretly striving for—brand loyalty. Loyalty is how your organization endears itself to people, causing them to believe in what you’re doing and support you as you do it. Loyalty is how your organization makes them feel—giving them a sense of pride, appreciation, and gratitude. 

The good news is creating this kind of loyalty doesn’t have to be mysterious, expensive, or nonstrategic. Loyalty can flow through the customers and the team to a wider community. This is where the magic happens. This is where making a bigger difference happens. 

This leads to a few important questions for you and the organization to think through:

• What problem is our organization trying to solve for the community?
• How are we making the community better?
• Why should the community care if our organization starts to struggle?
• What larger purpose do customers or participants belong to when they support our organization?
• What would we like to be known FOR in the community?
• What are we known FOR in the community?
• Where are we doing good for goodness’ sake, no strings attached?

Remember, if there isn’t a purpose bigger than the business, the business won’t get any bigger. The larger you can draw your circle of influence, the wider your potential impact spreads. 

Does your community know your mission? How is your organization making things better, regardless of whether I participate or buy? This is the difference between building a community and a customer base. A customer base can be fickle; a community of believers is loyal.

This is what being FOR the community is all about—adding value online and offline to people’s lives, whether or not they’re customers. When a brand creates something that makes life better, people notice. They talk. They’re impressed. They become a sales force for free.