The Non-Profit Coffee Shop

Community support has long been a part of our business model at Cape Medical Supply and it’s one of the key strengths to doing business with a local company; not only do they employ team members at all levels who keep money in the community, but they tend to work to support the local non-profit community in a much more meaningful and impactful way than a larger corporation with a branch/satellite operation would. In 2008 we had the good fortune and high honor of being named the business of the year at Philanthropy Day Cape Cod, a tremendous honor for our entire team, as well as a BIG responsibility moving forward.

One of the neat ways we have tried to leverage a very small amount of money this year is through our “Non-Profit Coffee Shop,” a fun and low maintenance way to raise dollars for local non-profit organizations. It goes like this; the company bought one of those single cup coffee brewers a few months back and the company buys all the cups for team members to brew. Lots of flavors means near universal appeal; whether you’re into tea, hot chocolate, decaf, flavored or just a regular cup of Joe, this system has it all. When you take a cup, you put a dollar in the jar…100% of the money in the jar will be donated to a local non-profit or family in need around the 2010 holiday season.  This certainly isn't the only or largest philanthropic initiative we will take in 2010, but it's a fun one and one I think could be widely replicated to do more good in more places.

So the company buys the brewer and all the coffee, sells it to team members and guests, and the money goes to the local non-profit community, an attractive and fun solution to help everyone support the community. It’s a low cost way to not only raise a modest amount of money (I think there was $50 in the pot after 1 month) but also to engage our entire team in the process, excite people about giving back, and provide some pretty good coffee in the interim.

I’m a huge believer in the power of non-profits when they are managed and governed effectively; they fill a gap between the actual needs a society or community has, and the means we have to meet those needs through tax dollars alone. There is a great community of non-profits in Southeastern MA and we are honored to have met with so many of their leaders over the years to learn more about the great work they are doing.

So do what you can to support local businesses and local non-profits, wherever you are – your community will be better for it. If you run a business and do this, you may discover team members find a little more meaning in the work they do or more pride in the organization they represent, because you’ve demonstrated compassion, generosity, understanding, and perhaps some self-sacrifice in the process.