As a business owner or entrepreneur in a leadership position, steering the ship that is your company can become particularly difficult in times of strife. The COVID-19 pandemic that started late in 2019 and has since swept the entire world is a prime indicator of a hurdle that business owners can help to clear.

Today, we want to take a closer look at how business leaders can better serve themselves as well as the communities that they reside in. Whether a large corporation offers support or support comes by way of an important small-business donation, the impact can be the same.

How Business Leaders Can Lend a Hand During COVID-19

At the time of this writing, COVID-19 has led to more than 64.7 million confirmed cases and an additional 1.5 million deaths. While these numbers are too staggering to properly quantify, small business owners and corporations around the planet are finding different ways to chip in and support their communities. In doing so, these businesses are directly changing lives while also developing a positive reputation, leading to a win-win scenario for all parties involved.

If you are a small business owner looking for different ways to help during these trying times, look to a few of the following suggestions to get you started.

1) Donate PPE – Personal Protective Equipment is the lifeblood that keeps the medical system operating safely and effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. PPE donations can be made through a variety of different platforms, all based on the location of your business and the area that you are seeking to support. This is the simplest way to directly support the nation’s frontline workers in their life-saving efforts.

2) Support Your Team – As a small business owner, the most direct impact that you can have will be on the staff of employees that work with you. Connecting your team to resources while also enacting social distancing and mask-wearing policies is a great first step toward showing real and actionable support for your roster. This includes finding ways to keep your high-risk employees safe. For further information, referencing the current COVID-19 guidelines as printed by the CDC and W.H.O is suggested.

3) Virtual Fundraising – While COVID-19 may have separated us all physically, the internet has allowed us to stay connected digitally. Virtual fundraising through social platforms (Kickstarter, GoFundMe) can be a great way to build your company’s name while simultaneously raising money for a good cause. Using your brand and outreach toward your existing customer-base can lead to literally lifesaving results. Working with a PR team or marketing professional is the right first step when establishing a virtual fundraising effort.

There are many different ways to support our frontline workers and vulnerable population from the comfort of your small business office. For businesses that want to continue pursuing the world of philanthropy surrounding business ownership, consider reading further into the concepts of Corporate Consciousness, a strategy that demands business owners acknowledge their impact on the world outside of the products that they sell.