By Mike Davey
Hamilton, Ontario — October 31, 2017 — Many shops across Canada make a point of sponsoring local non-profit or charity events and organizations, according to the results of Collision Repair magazine’s latest survey. The data shows that 72 percent of the survey respondents engage the community in this way, with a further 14 percent saying they don’t at this time, but have in the past. The remaining 14 percent do not sponsor or host events of this kind.
Next, we asked readers to let us know the types of events and organizations they had sponsored or supported. Please note that respondents could choose more than one answer, so the percentages add up to more than 100 percent.
Sponsoring sports teams, children or adults, seems to be the most popular, with 83 percent of respondents indicating that they have done this. Food banks, homeless shelters and similar services came next, drawing 73 percent. The numbers drop off from there. Local hospitals drew 50 percent and schools came in 47 percent. Youth and women’s services were nearly tied, at 43 and 40 percent. Religious outreach, such as the Salvation Army, came next at 37 percent. Finally, senior services were supported by just 20 percent. The “Other” category drew a response of 23 percent. This included a number of varying responses, such as “people with developmental disabilities” and “Habitat for Humanity.”
We also asked respondents why they chose to support these endeavours. As always, comments are presented anonymously, with only minimal editing from us.
“It’s important to give back to the community that supports you. We should never forget that there are many that need a helping hand and we are fortunate enough to be able to give.”
“Support in the community shows we give back to those in need and we are just not in a money grab situation. The local initiatives also go a long way in advertising. We find a lot of times, since we are in a small setting, the recognition we gain is more valuable than advertising dollars to the media.”
“We live in a small community. It takes everyone’s support to get things done.”
Next we asked if readers had ever hosted an event open to the public, such as a free car care clinic or booster seat clinic. The majority (59 percent) have not done this, but 17 percent have run at least one, and 24 percent have run them on multiple occasions.
Axalta and AkzoNobel are exploring the possibility of a merger, as reported in Collision Repair magazine’s latest Tuesday Ticker. Do you expect the merger between Axalta and AkzoNobel to go through? How will it impact the repair community? Take the survey now and let us know, and watch for the results next Wednesday!
