News and Best Practices

Increase Your Role in Serving the Community

October 28, 2016

As a dispensary owner or manager, you may be relatively new to many local communities. Stepping into the spotlight provides a unique chance for you and your businesses to emerge as community leaders. An opportunity to show that you are helping people through medical compassion, as well as proactively working for the community, can benefit you and those who live in your area.

Your dispensary will attract people from many backgrounds. Drawing upon this diversity can help you have a positive impact in the lives of others. Your dispensary’s service to the community can empower others and start a trend.

How can you help people?

The possibilities to help people are endless. Understanding your community’s needs and organizing those who want to help are foundations for success.

For example, consider one or more of the many great national service programs, such as veterans groups, Adopt a Highway and Habitat for Humanity. As a result, your dispensary can be involved in ongoing community projects all year. Local groups—including soup kitchens, domestic violence shelters, suicide hotlines and animal care organizations—can also benefit from your help.

To get involved, include your staff and patients in the decision-making process from the start. Open communication is a great way to find projects that are meaningful and helpful to the local community. Once you’ve chosen the organization, distribute a signup sheet to identify those who will help. Ask them to write down their name, phone number and email address, as well as available dates and times to assist in the project.

Your crew can work on several projects at once, but keep the workload manageable. For example, if you work with Habitat for Humanity two Saturdays a month, there’s still time throughout the rest of the month for smaller in-store projects. Toy and coat donations or food and clothing drives will create positive word-of-mouth about your dispensary and staff.

Community gardens are another excellent way to bring together people and learn skills that feed both mind and body. A garden can also offer a variety of fruits and vegetables to those in need. Organizing this project will require a group of dedicated gardeners who want to share space and knowledge.

Getting it done

Appointing a project manager for larger projects will help ease the workflow. This manager will also assist in publicizing the project and organizing volunteers. With proper coordination between your volunteers and the organization, the manager keeps things running smoothly.

Community works will also generate interest in your business. Reach out to local media to tell them what you’re doing for the community. No matter how your dispensary chooses to help, inspiring others will secure your place in the community.

 

By Eric Stone
Dispensary Management Today articles are for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal guidance or advice on dispensary operations. You should contact an attorney or a qualified cannabis consultant for specific compliance and dispensary/retailing advice.
© 2016 CAN Performance Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
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