Virginia Business Magazine, Feb 2024 Issue:
This Richmond-based strategic media company has spent 2023 in a record-breaking year and has celebrated their success by giving back in a big way. The staff at Spurrier Group and their CEO Donna Spurrier know that the passion for what they do has amazing rewards, and this year they took it a step further and became leaders of social impact in the corporate landscape.
“We were grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our 25th anniversary with the giving campaign. That experience ignited the desire within the team to get involved beyond monetary giving and use our time and talents to support many of these deserving nonprofits ”, Spurrier says. This year they had the opportunity to give back directly into the community by making care kits for the children and parents at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Taking a few minutes out of the day and putting together kits that will bring joy and comfort are a small ask of time and energy yet yield a high pay off.
The American Humane’s Pups4Patriots program made a special visit to the Spurrier Group office, where they spent the day with a retired air force veteran and her service dog. She shared how she copes with anxiety and PTSD after serving in the military and how meeting her special match through American Humane’s program was a profound turning point in her journey. One of the takeaways after a day of learning and listening was that voicing veterans’ struggles with mental health are conversations that don’t need to be had in whispers but amplified through more programs like Pups4Patriots.
When the staff can’t get out into the field to volunteer they donate their wealth of knowledge of performance-based media to assist nonprofits with holistic strategies that they can implement with their internal marketing teams. Monetary donations are imperative for a non-profit’s goals to continue their mission, yet utilizing talents are also a way to give back. Intelligence in the ever-changing media landscape is invaluable to an organization that needs to be smart with every single dollar for maximum impact.
Donna Spurrier used her 40+ years of experience and position in the advertising community to speak about the importance of corporate social impact for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This past year she participated on a panel of local executives who all support the mission of St. Jude with the goal of inspiring more companies to get involved.
Corporate social responsibility and volunteerism can benefit a business of any size. Reduced stress, a more engaged workforce, nurturing collaborative relationships, and discovering untapped skills can lead to accelerated growth, high employee retention rates, and increase in brand equity.