You get what you give, and when it comes to giving to others on a personal level or behalf of your spa or massage practice, you get quite a lot. Volunteering your massage therapy services, donating products, or serving on a local charity board has benefits on several levels.
Let’s start with your health. A study has found that regularly giving to others is actually good for your health. In fact, it even can prolong your life. In “The Caring Cure: Can Helping Others Help Yourself,” which ran in Psychology Today a few years ago, Dr. Sara Konrath describes research at the University of Exeter that examined 40 studies from over 20 years to determine the connection between volunteering and health. The conclusion was that volunteering is associated with lower depression, increased well-being, and a 22 percent reduction in the later risk of dying.
While more research still needs to be done to understand how volunteering actually affects your health, Dr. Konrath draws her own conclusions. Any activity that gets you out of the house doing something makes you more physically fit, for starters. Volunteering enables you to meet other people and make friends, and building social connections is good for all of us. And finally, volunteering feels good. It can give you a deep sense of happiness, associated with a longer and healthier life.
Giving back helps your business
By doing good, you not only feel good, but you can also help grow your spa or massage practice. A study by Ernst & Young and the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund found that 62 percent of small business owners say that giving back to their community has made their company more successful in the long run. Here are some of the ways giving back can boost your bottom line in the long run.
Expand visibility: When you volunteer, you get to showcase your skills before potential new clients. Depending on the event, you may get press coverage about your involvement.
Gain community goodwill: Giving back to the community is an excellent way to build goodwill. Your customers value your contribution, and you gain respect among community leaders who may help promote your company to other local organizations.
Meet Other Professionals: Volunteering provides you with an opportunity to network and potentially meet other professionals who may help co-marketing activities or introduce you to other individuals who, in turn, can introduce you to other companies and business leaders.
Learn Something New Volunteering for a sports event or work with firefighters or police who’ve been on duty during an emergency can be a learning experience. They enable you to expand your skills into a new potential new treatment area.
Enhance employee morale: Involvement in a local charity can boost employee morale. Working together on a charitable event sponsored by your spa or massage practice also helps build bonds among employees.
Check with your local professional massage therapy organization chapters, Chamber of Commerce, and even your city community relations to find out where you can offer your help. If you hear of an event coming up in your community that looks like a good opportunity to get involved, get in touch with the organization’s managers or event planners.