There is an old story about the boy walking along on the beach picking up starfish, one by one, tossing them into the sea. He is questioned why he is doing this. What difference can one child make, tossing one starfish at a time, back into the ocean so that they might live? The answer, of course, is that in the grand design of the universe it might not make that big of a difference, but to those starfish getting a new lease on life, it means the world. In much the same way, I think that small businesses sometimes feel that they, too, might not be able to make much of a difference in our community. In fact, I personally know that feeling, having owned a small business in Nashua for about a decade. It can be frustrating, wanting to do good – wanting to help people – but feeling that you are too busy, too cash strapped, or both in order to really help out. That was the same feeling I used to have, because the truth is that very small businesses – small retailers, sole proprietors, hair salon owners, café owners, etc. – are, in fact, incredibly busy and tied up in the day in and day out grind of survival. I remember many days worrying about paying the bills, getting new customers, and keeping the lights on. And I also remember wanting to give back but feeling unable to do so because most philanthropy seemed to involve giving more time or money than we had. Of course we did what we could, but always felt like it could have been more, or maybe more focused, or maybe more targeted and effective. And invariably we had the feeling that we might not have been making a difference at all.

Using that as a backdrop, we have been working hard at launching a brand-new initiative at United Way which we call “Small Business United.” The concept is to create a true win-win scenario for the business and the community. I will admit that I am incredibly proud of this new initiative, which has been a dream of mine for quite some time.

The way Small Business United (SBU) works is really very simple. It’s a dollar a day program. For $365 per year, or a dollar per day, a small business of 20 or less employees can become a member. As a member, the business gets benefits which can help them to grow their business. We all know that customers like to buy products and services from businesses which demonstrably care about the community where they live and work. So as a SBU partner a business gets branding, including a special SBU logo, placement in an ad in the Nashua Telegraph, social media coverage, and placement on a dedicated United Way web page recognizing that business as a “Small Business with a Big Heart making a Big Impact.” In essence, it’s the United Way “seal of approval” that your business gives back to the local community. Additionally, on the web page we’ve created the business has a link back to their own web page, which helps with search engine results since our own web page is well regarded by search engines including Google. So, for the business it’s a big win. Customers begin recognizing you as giving back and additionally studies have shown that employees and potential employees increasingly care to work for companies that support their local communities.

Speaking of the community, what is the benefit to the residents of Greater Nashua? Well, the funds raised through the SBU program support the United Way Community Safety Net. This safety net includes programs as diverse as the Adult Day Program at Gateways to the Bereavement Support Groups at Home, Health and Hospice, to the Early Childhood Programs at Girls Inc., and the Transitional Housing Programs at Bridges, Front Door, Family Promise, and Marguerites Place. As I often tell people, these safety net programs are the heart and soul of Greater Nashua, and they are all supported with one donation of just $1 per day with over 85% of our revenues going to support this work.

Since it’s inception just a few months ago we have already grown the program to include members including C4 Design, HCB Solutions, Scrap Metals Incorporated, Editing for Style, LLC, Mac-N-Choose restaurant, and most recently Web Action Group. Each of these pioneers has come on board with us as an early adopter of SBU demonstrating truly that they are Small Businesses with a Big Heart making a Big Impact. And I will add that we are also incredibly grateful to the Nashua Telegraph for its part in helping to amplify these voices.

If you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur, which is what we consider to be the engine of our local community, we would invite you to join us in SBU to help create a more vibrant community and uplift us all in the spirit that Great Things Happen When We LIVE UNITED.

Mike Apfelberg is president of United Way of Greater Nashua.

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