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.

Why LinkedIn is Key for Building Your Personal Brand

Check out LinkedIn basics. 

Written by Robyn T. Braley

LinkedIn has become one of the most powerful tools for professional growth. It is ideal for those wanting to grow their personal brand and to build meaningful relationships.

 

A recent conversation with a client sums up why LinkedIn has soared to the top of branding must-haves. He observed, “When one of our salespeople cold-calls a prospective client or replies to an email inquiry, before the process goes to the next step, both parties go to LinkedIn for background information about the other person.”

“Relationship-driven marketing is what makes the B2B world go round,” he noted. “Potential customers often check out the LinkedIn profiles of our team before they go to our company website!”

He concluded, “By the time they meet face-to-face, both have learned a lot about each other.” The conversation took place during our meeting about developing consistent LinkedIn profiles for each of his sales and executive team members.

Active Listening! Tips to Help You Understand Better

When you ask a question, active listening helps you fully understand the answer!

It only makes sense! Why ask the question if you don't plan to fully listen to the answer?

Active listening is what follows asking thoughtful questions. When you ask a question, active listening allows the other person to know you hear what they are saying. They also help you better understand the entirety of that person's views, which is the goal of a meaningful conversation. You must listen with your entire body.

Culture Based On Trust

In the workplace, some leaders hear what they want to hear! They're selective in who they talk to and avoid tough conversations. That creates an information vacuum and a culture that discourages employee participation.

There's another side. Team members seldom risk asking hard questions if they don’t trust their leaders. They may say what their leader wants to hear rather than offer alternate ideas. Active Listening helps you build trust by showing you care. 

Meaningful conversations seldom happen unless there is trust. Building trust requires a safe, non-judgmental working environment free from the threat of retribution.

Activating listening demonstrates that you are present, attentive, and without an agenda, judgment, or preconceived notions. A culture that prioritizes trust over status fosters transparency and encourages open sharing of both good and bad news.

Check out my previous post ...

How to Ask Questions That Matter!