When it comes to community service, car dealers are often the very foundation of their communities. A great example is what the Jim Ellis Automotive Group did in May of this year.  

The Atlanta-based group successfully raised $65,000 for first-responder organizations that serve various dealership locations around Atlanta, including the police and fire departments. The money was raised by donating a portion of every new or pre-owned vehicle purchase during the month of May to local first responders. 

 In total, the $65,000 was split amongst 10 local police and fire departments. In addition, the Jim Ellis Automotive Group catered a lunch for each first-responder department and extended special offers to each organization’s members, including $500 off a vehicle purchase and 15 percent off parts and service through the end of 2017.  

Consumers – especially Millennials and Generation Z – increasingly care more about doing business with companies that make a difference in their communities. This event – while certainly a sales event – gave consumers a feeling that they were making a difference by choosing to buy their vehicle from these dealerships.  

That doesn’t mean that you should shout from the mountaintops every time you do something good, or issue press releases. However, at times, there isn’t anything wrong with it. You should certainly use discretion on how to share these activities. Simple activities can be shared with the community through social media images posted to the dealership’s Facebook page and other social media properties. Large scale initiatives, like the one the Jim Ellis Automotive Group coordinated, absolutely deserves recognition in their communities. Raising $65,000 in a single month for first-responders is not a small feat and is for such a great cause. These men and women put their lives on the line in their communities regularly and should be appreciated.  

Kudos to the Jim Ellis Automotive Group for this event and congratulations for the impressive results. Hopefully, the communities are also aware of the initiative -- appreciate it and vote with their wallets by choosing their dealership.