One of the many beautiful things about our world of professional beauty is that it is always the season of giving in the salon. No other career choice so well balances a passion for creativity with a spirit of charity. You have unmatched opportunities, individually and as a salon team, to do good for a special cause or segment of your community while doing well professionally.

I think this “right brain, right brain” trait of our industry is what attracts some of the very best people to it. I also believe we have the ability—responsibility, even—to leverage this unique feature and benefit more aggressively to recruit and retain talented, proactive people into beauty and to recognize salons for the service we provide beyond our chairs.

We already do a pretty good job as an industry at the “giving” part, all the way across the salon, school, distributor, manufacturer and association levels. Leveraging is where we can do better. Are you sure you are getting credit and building awareness for the good works and positive change you are creating? Not just for you and your business, but for the beauty profession itself?

To this point, SALON TODAY Editor Stacey Soble, assigned applicants to the Philanthropy section of this year’s SALON TODAY 200 to draft a presentation to their “local community betterment association” outlining the salon’s charitable efforts. They had to specify objectives and results, and how they engaged clients, staff, community and media, and identify the difference—financial and otherwise—their efforts had made. Imagine if every salon and beauty-related group who did a charitable event went through this same exercise and actually followed through and presented it or sent it to local leadership and media? Talk about impact!

To get inspired by these SALON TODAY 200 salons and learn from their experiences, visit salontoday.com/ST200-philanthropy.

While you are online, please check out at least two more salon industry websites currently featuring unique programs and specific resources to help salons and stylists who want to “do more.”

Heading into its third year is chairsofchange.com, an industry-wide movement presented by Matrix to empower, inspire and reward hairstylists working to make personal, professional or social change happen. Use the site to meet like-minded stylists, to learn how they are making change happen, and tap into coaching tips to create your own project.

If you already have a change plan in mind and a charitable idea you want to execute, now is the perfect time to connect at hairdressersatheart.com and learn more about the Wella “Supports Your Cause” Charity Challenge to help stylists and salon owners amplify their contributions to charity within their local communities. The entry process involves creating and submitting a video spotlighting your salon’s efforts to participate in community outreach programs. Deadline is April 1 and 20 salons will receive grants between $1,000 and $10,000 to help put on fundraisers or benefit the salon’s charity of choice.

Ask your suppliers, associations, colleagues and clients for more ideas. When it comes to hairdressers, big hearts abound, and not just in February.