How To Create An Innovative Giveback Program

How to create an innovative giveback program without breaking the bank.

- Michelle Goodman

AARON AND EVAN STEED were busy high school athletes looking for a job that wouldn’t interfere with their practice schedule. They found it in 1997 when a family friend needed help moving and offered $20 and a pizza. The brothers enjoyed the work and wanted more, so they dubbed themselves Meathead Movers and blanketed the neighborhood with flyers; their high school’s pay phone became their office line.

The first inquiries came from family friends and neighbors. Then strangers. And then, the unexpected: domestic violence victims, both women and men, who had little money but needed to quickly flee a dangerous situation. As more victims called, the Steed brothers realized they’d found a logical cause: moving these people for free. “It was pretty obvious that this was an important thing for us to do,” says Aaron Steed, CEO. “I can’t think of a more impactful way for a moving company to utilize their services. You’re potentially saving a life every time you do it.”

By finding a way to help their community, Meathead Movers joined a growing movement of entrepreneurs who make philanthropy a part of their operations. It’s good citizenship, but it’s also good business: 64 percent of customers prefer to buy from socially responsible companies, reports a study conducted last year by Good.Must.Grow., a Nashville-based marketing agency for socially conscious businesses. And it isn’t overly complex or challenging to create a program—all you need is the right intentions and helpful partners.