You Can Make a Difference - Company Giving Strategies for 2025

Give with a grateful heart!

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Robyn T. Braley is a brand specialist, writer, speaker, community leader and media commentator. He is the President of UniMark Creative Inc. 

The needs are significant! We are still experiencing the aftermath of the COVID pandemic with health and social issues. Donald Trump's tariffs have triggered runaway inflation, layoffs, and worldwide economic uncertainty. Skyrocketing rental rates and food costs have caught financial experts and ordinary people off guard. 

The needs in our communities have been amplified several times over! People are desperate. Families are in distress. Many are forced to choose between paying the rent and buying food!

Every day, worthy causes inundate companies and private individuals with letters, emails and phone calls pleading for help. The challenge is to choose which organizations to help when so many need support.

All of this brings added pressure on food banks, family resource agencies, addiction recovery organizations, youth programs, and mental health services. Counsellors are overwhelmed by the number of people seeking help. 

Doug Ford and Ronald Reagan's Excellant AD-venture

Premier Doug Ford uses the words and voice of Ronald Reagan to refute tariffs!

In the fall of 2025, Doug Ford, Premier of Canada's largest province, Ontario, commissioned a television ad that used former Republican President Ronald Reagan's own words and voice taken from a 1987 broadcast to refute the validity of tariffs. See TV Ad. It ran for a week on US national news shows and sports broadcasts, including two World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The fallout was immediate. Donald Trump, in a temper tantrum, halted all trade talks with Canada and also imposed further tariffs. My post below outlines the upside—the unexpected public relations and earned media coverage the ad generated. 

Mark and Donald's SHOWDOWN in the OVAL OFFICE

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office

Late yesterday afternoon, I received a call from Digital Producer Tammy Ibrahimpoor at CTV News Toronto, asking me to analyze the body language of President Trump and Prime Minister Carney during their media conference in the Oval Office.

Click to read the CTV interview http://bit.ly/4h16U40.

The Time Is Now! Strengthen Your Brand with Easy-to-Use Tips

 

Fragile economies require extra effort to protect your brand. 

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Are you feeling the pressure of an uncertain world? Do you feel like your brand is under attack from overwhelming forces?

This post is the second edition, offering simple branding ideas that will help you counter the machinations of Donald Trump and the economic impact of tariffs. Mix in uncertainty brought by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and threats from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. 

Will peace between Gaza and Israel hold? What will that mean going forward?

Leaders Under Pressure

As a leader, you must monitor global events and attempt to predict their impact on your organization. 

• Tariffs
• Political turbulence
• Natural disasters
• Wars in faraway places

It's the Real Thing

While the tone of this post is positive, the reality is that for some organizations, the challenge ahead will be to survive. For others, the future may be bleak because access to your customer base has been cut off through the imposition of tariffs. It takes time to pivot and develop a new customer base.

To be blunt, there are only so many things you can do because what you face is beyond your control. That doesn't mean you surrender. There are steps you can take to fight back against the odds.

Please read my previous post How To Find Certainty In Uncertain Times

I have found that energy creates energy. Just doing something – anything - can provide the place to start. Just starting out, you can build momentum on your path to growth. In other words, you begin climbing the mountain by taking the first step.

How To Find Certainty In Uncertain Times

Fine-tune your communication, sales, and branding skills. 

Written by Robyn T. Braley

‘Uncertain’ is the word that best describes the business forecast for fall 2025. The war in Ukraine, the fragile peace in Gaza, and the threat from Iran are at the forefront. Lurking in the background is the question of what China's intentions are towards Taiwan. 

If that wasn't enough, China is now building a coalition with Russia, India, North Korea, and other countries in an effort to undermine U.S. influence. 

Then, there is the big, beautiful word – at least in the minds of some – TARRIFFS. Will they be introduced in new sectors, increased, expanded, reduced, or abolished altogether? Will U.S. courts succeed in declaring Trump-inspired tariffs illegal? Will the cost for businesses and consumers be minimal or substantial?

With the mercurial temperament of U.S. President Donald Trump and his influence on world events, no one knows! With Donald, things can change dramatically from one day to the next.

Global confidence has been negatively impacted. It can sink to the depths of despair in the morning and soar to euphoric heights by the afternoon, all because of a single social media post from the White House.

All of these combine to dampen the effect on economic forecasts because nothing is certain. And, economic growth depends on predictability.

Control What We Can

The best advice I can offer in these uncertain times is to focus on what you can control. We can’t control most outside influences, but we can control how we respond to them.