Within the cannabis world, margins are razor thin and there’s not a lot of room for additional spend in the budget. There is, however, always room to find ways to contribute to your community even if the money may not be there. While giving back in the cannabis world is hard, it’s not impossible- especially with some guidance.
As a rule, cannabis companies should not participate in any event that may affect or be visible to children. Cannabis is typically a 21+ adults only world (with certain medical exceptions in certain areas) and this is for an especially important reason- it’s our responsibility to keep cannabis away from children. While there may be great opportunities to give back to kids with school supply drives or present drops around the holidays, it is not a good idea to do anything that may cross over with children. From the outside, and particularly from the sides of cannabis opposition, may appear as a cannabis brand trying to appeal to children. It is simply bad optics for a cannabis brand to do anything that may encounter children, so ensure that whatever your organization does is clearly geared towards your target age demographic of adults 21 years of age or older.
Food Banks are Your Friend
One simple way to help your community is by driving your staff or guests to donate non-perishable food to a local food bank. Particularly in heavily populated areas or areas of financial disparity, food banks keep people alive and are an excellent way to give back. Many food banks can support in setting up signage or even receptacles to collect food at locations other than their food bank base. A great way to get people engaged with this is to talk about it on social media and offer something cool in exchange for donating. It can be something small like a pack of rolling papers for every three cans of food or something like that- any incentive helps!
Clean Up with Your Crew
Cleanliness is next to kindness, or something like that. Rally your troops (staff) and organize a clean-up initiative. It can be in your plaza or location, it can be at a nearby walkway, or even extend through a nearby neighborhood. If you do not try to clean up a school, most areas in your community should be a safe bet. These opportunities also make for great social content, so be sure to have your phone charged to take pictures. If you have bandwidth in your budget, this could also be a paid event for your employees to encourage a good turnout.
Furry Friends are Also Your Friend
Want to help your community while cuddling with some cuties? Of course, you do- that’s the dream. Reach out to your local shelter or animal rescue group and see if they are open to running an adoption event. It may take some time to schedule as many shelters utilize volunteers to keep them running, but you could create a fantastic opportunity to help house some new fuzzy friends. This also can help you create some incredible collateral to share on social- just picture all those gorgeous puppies finding their new forever home with the help of your brand!
Get Politicians Involved
We’re not talking about asking the white house for help, but your local politicians may need support and cannabis is a hot topic. Invite local politicians to do visits of your facility or retail location and talk about cannabis. With cannabis evolving to be a bipartisan issue, every politician has to take a stance on how the regulated market should operate. Bringing in your local mayor or even some state senators can bring in positive press and provide that politician a platform to discuss their stance on cannabis. Just be sure to find someone who is pro-cannabis, or it could turn out a bit messy. Typically politicians love to create content with business visits, so this can also drive positive press your way.
Hook Up Your Community
This may be a given, but many dispensaries offer discounts to veterans and other select groups. Create coupons in your system to be able to give discounts to groups you care about- teachers, first responders, veterans, and even other industry workers can bring in more customers who appreciate the kindness. Some dispensaries offer industry discounts on slow days like Tuesdays to bring in cannabis workers from other facilities. It may be small and it does cut into your margin, but the loyalty will more than pay for itself. Spread the joy and make new friends!
However your operation chooses to give back, just know that the world is a better place when we help each other out.
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