Why supporting charities is good for business

Victor Pajak, managing director, Headquarters hair salon is a firm believer in supporting charities. Here he talks about why it’s great  for the charities and his business. How is getting involved with charity work good for the team? It creates a huge feel-good factor within the team. It brings the team together to focus on a project - and that project creates a lot of fun, and also a lot of satisfaction in that we are working together to help others less fortunate than ourselves. It's very bonding. How do you select the charities you want to get involved with? We always do fundraising every year for Breakthrough Breast Cancer - because breast cancer is a disease that's affected many of our clients and also family members of our own team. So it's a cause that's close to our hearts.  We also always try to do something for industry charity HABB each year.  I'm a keen cyclist, so I always do the HABB Cycle Challenge - and get clients and team members to back me. Also, if  a team member or a client has a special reason why they would like us to fundraise for, or contribute in some other way, to a particular cause, then we will usually try and fit in an additional event. Earlier this year we did the hair for an Afternoon Charity Fashion Show  Afternoon Tea at Peter Jones, which was being organised by BackUp (the charity for people with spinal injuries) because a client of ours works for the charity. How big a commitment is it to link with a charity? We don't see it as a commitment - we see it more as an investment, and sometimes it’s also an opportunity for the team to experience something new and learn from it.  There is always a cost of some sort to the salon - sometimes money for fundraising accessories such as tee-shirts or costumes, sometimes manpower if, for example, staff are away from the salon during opening hours to take part in a charity fashion show. But the benefits to the salon in terms of team work and  fun -  and sometimes the educational aspect too - far outweigh any costs. How has involvement with charities worked for the salon in terms of generating publicity? Involvement with charities works very well for the salon in terms of attracting publicity because it is now so very easy, through social media. Every charity fundraising event can be publicised through social media to attract donations, and then pictures can be posted afterwards too. Clients get to see how much was raised, and how it's been put to good use - and a wider audience also get to see what you've been doing. It's all excellent publicity, and  helps to attract new business. How does it generate good will with clients and potential clients? We find it's  an extremely effective way of generating goodwill with clients and potential clients. We often get approached by clients who would like a raffle prize, such as a cut and blow-dry, for a  particular cause or event that they're involved in - and they really appreciate it when we oblige, which we always try to do. The raffle prize often goes to a potential new client, many of whom have gone on the remain loyal clients over many years.  Clients feel you care about them if you help out with their own particular cause. On the wider front, with fundraising events like fashion shows and sponsored cycles,  I believe people  warm to a salon team that has an altruistic ethos and genuinely cares for others and goes to some trouble to make a difference. Can you give an example of a specific event held to raise money for charity - what organisation was involved and how did it benefit the business? For the last two years we have held a Blow-dry Bonanza to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. On a Saturday in October, all our stylists and Juniors offer their time from 5pm to 8pm to do  free blow-dries in return for a minimum £20 donation. The donors get a blow-dry before their Saturday night out, plus a glass of bubbly and a goody-bag. The atmosphere is fantastic - like a party! It usually raises more than £1,500 for the charity - and it always wins us new clients. We did it a second time in response to public demand - and I think it will now be an annual event for some years to come.