Do you support businesses that support a better life for everyone? If you don’t know the answer to that question, it’s time to reevaluate your spending habits. Fortunately, you don’t have to have a huge budget or significantly change your shopping patterns to have an impact on causes that matter to you. All you really have to do is direct your resources to businesses that funnel their financial power into the right channels.
TAsk the experts.
While it may sound like a simple thing, many consumers overlook the simple action of asking people that promote their pet cause where they shop. For instance, SPORK! takes pride in documenting businesses that support the disabled community. There’s no shame in reaching out or scrolling through the website for ideas and suggestions.
Inclusion statements.
Something else you may not know is that most companies have an official inclusion policy. And some, such as Walgreens and IKEA, outline these directly on their websites. Spend some time researching your product or service providers of choice to find out if they likewise have measures in place that promote equality for disabled people, minorities, and the LGBTQ community. If you find that it’s time to spend your money elsewhere, but you are concerned about your personal finances, look online for things like Walgreens coupons and special offers from your favorite inclusive retailers.
Buy local.
Hands down, one of the best and most efficient ways to support your entire community is to shop small. Not only does this keep money circulating through the hands of your neighbors, but you’ll also find that shopping small creates jobs and helps to encourage minorities and other demographics to open new businesses.
Bitty & Beau’s coffee shop is an excellent example of how alternately-abled individuals can thrive with community support. The coffee shop, which first opened in 2016, now has franchises in four major cities, and employs people with intellectual and other disabilities. This small, self-dubbed human rights movement is slowly but surely having a significant impact into the personal economics of people with disabilities across the country.
Volunteer.
Another excellent way to become acquainted with companies both small and large that support the same interests as you is to volunteer for events and charities. This will put you in close proximity to others with similar inclinations and passions. And, although volunteering is an excellent way to network for your career, it serves many other important purposes.
Lending a hand puts you ground-level with the people with whom you are trying to help. This might be minorities, those with a certain disease, or marginalized demographics that could use a hand up. And, if you happen to make a professional connection and find yourself advancing your career because of your volunteer efforts, then that’s just more resources you can use to make the world a better place.
Know your reasons.
It is one thing to say that you support a certain cause, but it’s another to have a deeper understanding of why it’s important and what your support can actually do. When you support minority-owned businesses, for example, you are helping to tighten up the lingering Jim Crow-era racial wealth gap while simultaneously encouraging local job growth. Being cognizant of how your actions have an impact is one of the best ways to ensure that you are always mindful when you shop.
Ultimately, funneling your money into businesses that support causes that matter is an efficient way to ensure that your voice is heard. Actions, after all, speak louder than words, and when you choose to put your money where your mind is, you are speaking loudest of all.
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