How Spherion’s Annual Community Giveback Program Benefits Our Neighbors and Our Businesses

Giving Tuesday takes place this month, which means many local businesses are getting in the giving spirit. 

At Spherion, local is our superpower. So we understand the profound impact that our businesses can have on our neighbors through mutually beneficial partnerships with community organizations. This is why our commitment to giving back is at the core of the Spherion franchise opportunity.

How It Works

When you join the Spherion franchise network, you're not just opening a business that supports staffing and employment needs in your area. You're becoming an integral part of the local community. 

A key piece of that evolution is our Community Giveback Program. During this program, each Spherion franchisee contributes $1,000 to a charity of their choice. Community Giveback amplifies the missions of nonprofit organizations that create change in our local communities. While some franchisees donate to long-established civic and nonprofit organizations with a proven history of meeting community needs, others choose to support newer organizations that are tackling underserved causes and groups. Many offices choose as a team who to support while other offices let the community decide through online voting. No matter how a franchisee decides to give back, the funds they donate are truly a gift from the heart.

By launching this program on Giving Tuesday, Spherion brings greater attention to local nonprofits on such a high-traffic day for charitable donations. As a result, our franchisees make a positive impact in their communities.

The Giveback Impact

The Community Giveback Program began in 2014. Since then, Spherion has donated more than $1 million to local organizations. Last year alone, our franchisees and teams distributed more than $165,000 to nonprofit organizations doing great work within their communities. 

The initiative has been widely embraced by Spherion’s franchise network: 

• Spherion Goleta donated $2,000 to Women’s Economic Adventures, a local nonprofit that helps women create businesses and become self-sufficient in their careers. Women's Economic Ventures inspired Spherion Goleta franchisee Trish Miller to become an entrepreneur as a result of attending a WEV seminar 17 years ago! 
• Spherion Chico has given $1,000 to the High Fives Foundation, a California-based organization that supports paraplegics, injured athletes, and veterans wanting to get back to an active outdoor lifestyle. This donation was personal: Corwin Berger, Chico’s branch manager, is a paraplegic who has benefited from High Fives’ programs himself.
• Spherion Fort Worth determined who to support by engaging their community through online voting. After tallying their community’s votes, the Center for Community Enrichment received a $500 donation. The Center for Transforming Lives and The WARM Place received $250 each.

The Community Giveback Initiative has been a resounding success in the past eight years. As a result, many Spherion locations have prioritized giving back to their communities throughout the year as well. 

For example, the team at Spherion Raleigh volunteers at Raleigh-based A Place at the Table, a pay-what-you-can cafe that provides community and nourishing food for all regardless of their means. Spherion Leesburg (Florida) collaborates with Leesburg’s Christian Care Center to help the center’s clients brush up their résumés and find work. For two years, the Spherion Mid-Ohio team has coordinated and funded a $20,000 donation in partnership with School Specialty to gift school supplies for Lexington Local Schools students in grades K through 12. 

Caring for our communities isn’t a once-a-year, “check that off the list” activity. For Spherion's family of entrepreneurs, it's an ongoing commitment to social responsibility.

Future of Spherion Giveback

As the ninth iteration of the Community Giveback gets underway this month, we’ve already seen remarkable support for local organizations both new and established. Several locations have partnered with organizations that they have supported in previous years, including Spherion offices in eastern and central Pennsylvania supporting youth sports, local food pantries, and local theater clubs for kids.

Offices have also partnered with organizations that are new to the initiative. Spherion Fort Myers will be serving meals at Community Cooperative, Inc.’s Sam’s Community Cafe and Kitchen in December. Spherion Sarasota will distribute food boxes to families in need through Harvest House. We’re excited to support more causes that are impacting our communities.

Franchise Ownership with Purpose

In addition to the financial benefits our donation recipients enjoy, there are many advantages of participating in Spherion’s blend of corporate social responsibility that create greater ROI for you, the franchise owner:

• Enhanced reputation: Our client partners and job seekers appreciate and support our socially conscious and generous franchise owners.
• Business differentiation: Individuals and employers often prefer to support businesses that align with their values. By engaging in philanthropy, Spherion differentiates itself from competitors and fosters loyalty.
• Better employee morale and engagement: We foster a sense of pride and belonging among our colleagues in the office and our employees in the field through giveback activities that support causes near the team’s heart.
• Talent attraction and retention: Millennials and Gen Z often seek employers who prioritize social responsibility. Being involved in philanthropy can help attract and retain top candidates.
• Community relations and networking: Supporting community projects helps our businesses build stronger relationships with local stakeholders, including other businesses, civic organizations, and community leaders. Being a philanthropic leader also attracts favorable media attention. 
• Long-term sustainability: By investing in our communities’ well-being, we are helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of our own businesses. A thriving and healthy community has a greater potential to create a better business environment.

These advantages are secondary to our central aim of supporting our communities, of course. But it’s no coincidence that doing right by our communities is good for business as well!

How will YOU give back as a Spherion franchise owner?

Our commitment to supporting our communities through philanthropy brings to life Spherion’s belief that franchise ownership should be about more than growing your own business. Being a successful and respected business owner is about impacting each of our communities in positive and lasting ways. 

Reach out to our franchising team for more information about the Spherion Community Giveback program and how you can leave a legacy as a Spherion franchisee!