Look, I know what you’re probably thinking.

Between juggling client work, managing your finances, and trying to keep your business running smoothly, adding “charitable giving strategy” to your plate probably feels like one more thing you don’t have time for.

But the reality is, giving back doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming, or something you do just because it’s expected or the “right thing to do” around the holidays.

When done thoughtfully, giving back can be one of the most meaningful parts of running your creative business… for you, your community, and (if you have one) your team.

Why Giving Back Matters As A Small Creative Business (Beyond the Feel-Good Factor)

I’ve worked with many clients over the years who make giving back a core part of their business. 

• Some donate a percentage of sales. 
• Some volunteer their time and expertise. 
• Some partner with causes through fundraisers.

And you know what? Every single one of them will tell you it’s made a real difference. And not just for the organizations they support, but for them personally and professionally.

Giving back can be a powerful way to connect with your values and make a tangible impact on causes that matter to you.

It’s also, frankly, a really good team-building thing if you have a team.

But before you jump in, let’s talk about how to do this in a way that’s most effective and sustainable for your unique business.

What Kind of Impact Can You Make?

Here’s something I always tell clients when they’re thinking about giving: 

“There’s no one right way to do this.”

Different causes need different things. Sometimes what’s most impactful is your time. Sometimes it’s money or resources. Sometimes people need you to show up more than they need a check.

I learned this firsthand when I supported organizations after some serious storms hit the US in 2024. The groups I worked with wanted goods – clothing, toilet paper, bottled water. They were loading trucks and needed physical resources they could distribute immediately. Too much cash sitting in accounts wasn’t helpful at that moment because the infrastructure to manage it had been damaged.

Cash is always helpful, but in this scenario it was less accessible than handing out a bottle of water and toilet paper, right?

So the first step is thinking about the cause or organization and what can be most effective for them, matched with what’s most achievable for you.

Because sometimes we have money to write a check but can’t give our time. Sometimes we can volunteer but can’t make a financial contribution. Sometimes we can pick things up and drop them off but can’t be there organizing for days on end.

There are lots of different ways to give, and it’s a matter of matching what you have available with what the need is.

How My Clients (And I) Give Back

Let me share some real examples of how I’ve seen creative entrepreneurs structure their giving:

The Percentage Model 

I have one client who puts aside 5% of all her sales throughout the year, then splits it amongst causes she feels strongly about. She usually donates throughout the year, then at the end of the year makes sure that full amount is allocated.

The Team Rotation Model 

Another client I work with has a team, and as a core value, they give back. Each quarter, one team member gets to pick their cause or organization that becomes the focus for that quarter. Then they either do a day of service when they would normally be working, or they make a monetary donation. This might be a percentage of sales or a specific fundraiser for that cause.

The Time and Expertise Model 

I have another client that donates time running actual workshops in communities she feels tied to. She goes where her services and workshops wouldn’t normally be available but should be, and donates that time. She also donates the resources needed for the workshops like art supplies and kits. In addition, she financially supports those communities outside of these workshop pop-ups.

My Approach 

For me personally, I continue to give back through mentorship. Right now I’m in my second year volunteering with RISD‘s mentorship program, where students in their graduating year are paired with a mentor.

I chose to do it because RISD has given me so much over the years. It’s my alma mater and it’s a place that has opened so many doors for me. It’s a community that means a lot to me, and I want to give back to it.

It also aligns with my business on a professional level. Through this volunteer work I get to support creatives, especially the new generation of young creatives and aspiring entrepreneurs. I give my time each and every month to that program, and I’ve found that to be an incredibly impactful way for me to give back.

Align Your Giving With Your Values

No matter how you choose to give, you want it to align with your values.

For me, mentoring creative entrepreneurs through RISD is a perfect fit. It’s one of the best ways I can align my giving with my values.  I love to coach, so I love to give back that way.

For you, it might be completely different.

• Maybe you feel strongly about environmental causes. 
• Maybe it’s supporting local youth arts education. 
• Maybe it’s a health-related cause that’s touched your life personally.

The point is, when your giving aligns with what you genuinely care about, it doesn’t feel like an obligation. It becomes something you’re genuinely excited to be part of.

What You Need to Know About Public vs. Private Giving

Here’s where things get interesting. You need to decide if you’re giving publicly or privately. Here is some insight to help you weigh the pros and cons of each.

Private Giving 

If you’re giving privately, meaning you’re not publicly sharing or acknowledging your donations in any way, or you’re giving anonymously, you don’t really have to consider your audience all that much.

Obviously, if you’re operating from a place of integrity, you’re most likely not going to align with causes your ideal clients are staunchly against. But when you’re keeping your giving private, there’s less to navigate.

Public Giving 

There are real, tangible benefits to giving publicly, though. And let me be very crystal clear about something: it is not wrong to give publicly, even as part of your marketing and PR.

Some people like to villainize it, but I wholeheartedly believe it’s not wrong as long as it’s a win-win.

What does that mean?

If it benefits the organization, even if it benefits you as well, that’s okay. There’s no need to keep it quiet.

In fact, sometimes giving publicly can draw more support and attention to a cause or organization. The fact that others are seeing you use your platform to do it can inspire them to support in the same way, so it might actually be more impactful and better to give publicly.

At the end of the day, those causes are likely thrilled to have the support, funds, or time. They want it talked about because this kind of exposure will usually encourage others too and bring more support their way.

When Public Giving and Fundraising Make Sense

If you choose to give publicly or do it as cause marketing or PR, you do need to think about the alignment of your ideal clients and that cause or organization.

This is especially true if you’re doing it as a fundraiser.

Here’s an example from outside the typical creative services world, but it illustrates the point well:

My husband owns a business called BuxMont Trimlight, which sells permanent holiday lighting for homes. It’s a consumer product marketed to the masses, which is different from how I tend to work as a coach with creative businesses or how you might work as a copywriter, artist, or designer.

His business does a lot of partnering and fundraising with causes and organizations they support. For example, with our kids’ school as well as the local baseball and softball leagues.

Here’s how it works: anybody that comes to him and mentions that fundraiser during a set period of time gets 5% off their lighting and installation. But on top of that, he also gives 5% of any sales attributed to that fundraiser back to the cause.

So it’s 10% less profit for BuxMont Trimlight (taking 5% off for the customer and giving 5% to the cause), but it gives people incentive because they get it cheaper than they would outside the fundraiser. And it allows them to support the cause at the same time, because the cause gets 5% of every sale that mentions them.

It works because:

• The product aligns with the audience (families in our area who want holiday lighting)
• The cause aligns with the audience (their kids’ school)
• All three things (product, cause, and audience) make sense together

That’s the key. When you’re considering a public partnership or fundraiser, all three things need to align for it to make sense.

What About Product vs. Service-Based Businesses?

Fundraising like my husband does works best for consumer goods or services, but not necessarily for B2B businesses.

As a creative entrepreneur or freelancer, you might have a much smaller audience. You may not be selling to the general public in the same way.

Here’s where the approach can look really different depending on your business model.

If you sell consumer products (like on Etsy, at craft fairs, through your own shop, or as an artist selling prints and originals) fundraising partnerships can work really well for you. You’re selling directly to the public, which means you can:

• Partner with causes through percentage-of-sales campaigns (like jewelry designers often do for breast cancer or childhood cancer awareness)
  
  
• Create special products where proceeds benefit a specific organization
  
  
• Run seasonal fundraisers where customers know their purchase supports a cause
  
  
• Partner with charities as a business where a percentage of every sale goes to an organization you support
  
  
• Donate some of your products to the charity or cause as auction items or other fundraising efforts

Your audience is likely broader, and people often love knowing their purchase makes a difference beyond just getting a beautiful product.

If you’re service-based and work B2B (like copywriters, graphic designers, web designers, or coaches working primarily with other business owners) fundraising partnerships don’t always translate as easily. You likely have a smaller, more targeted audience. You’re not selling to the general public in the same way.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t give back. It just means your approach might look different:

• Donate a percentage of your annual revenue to causes you support
  
  
• Offer pro bono work to nonprofits you believe in (like designing their website or writing their fundraising materials)
  
  
• Volunteer your time and expertise through mentorship or workshops
  
  
• Partner with other creatives to support a cause together
  
  
• Donate resources or materials related to your work

The format changes based on your business model, but the impact can be just as meaningful.

5 Things to Consider Before You Commit

Before you decide how you want to give back as a small business, think about these 5 things:

1. What’s most effective for the cause? Do they need money, time, resources, or visibility? Ask them directly if you’re not sure.
   
   
2. What’s achievable for you? Be realistic about what you can sustain. It’s better to commit to something smaller consistently than to overcommit and burn out.
   
   
3. Does this align with your values? If it doesn’t genuinely matter to you, it’s going to feel like a chore.
   
   
4. If giving publicly, does it align with your audience? Make sure your clients or customers would support this cause too, especially if you’re making it part of your marketing.
   
   
5. Is this a win-win? Both you and the organization should benefit from the relationship. That’s not selfish, that’s sustainable.

Making It Part of Your Business Rhythm

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, build giving into your existing business rhythms.

Use your CEO time (ya know, that strategic planning time I’m always going on about) to reflect on the causes and organizations you’re genuinely thankful for.

Make it part of your quarterly planning, mid-year review, or monthly wrap-up routine.

The truth is, a business that includes giving back as part of its foundation can be incredibly fulfilling to run. And when it’s structured thoughtfully, it becomes part of who you are as a business, not just something you do because it’s Thanksgiving.

Your Turn

Since we’re in the season of gratitude, here’s my challenge to you:

• Think about one cause or organization that genuinely matters to you. Not because it looks good or because everyone else supports it, but because it aligns with your values and the impact you want to make.
  
  
• Then decide on one concrete way you can support them, whether that’s time, money, resources, or visibility.
  
  
• Start small if you need to. What matters is that it’s intentional, sustainable, and meaningful to you.

Because at the end of the day, giving back isn’t just good for the world. It’s good for your small business, your team if you have one, and your own sense of purpose in the work you do.

And that’s something worth building into your business strategy, Thanksgiving or not.

Want to build a creative business with strong systems, sustainable practices, and room to give back as a small business? 

Business Building for Creatives gives you the framework to run your business with intention, from client relationships to operations to the values that drive everything you do.

Click below to learn more about the self-paced online course specifically designed with creatives in mind.