Crafting a public relations plan is about more than communicating a brand’s product and service offerings – it’s about telling the story of a business or organization, shaping its voice and emphasizing its values to connect with audiences.
A brand’s community engagement activities – or collaborative efforts that benefit the welfare of the communities with which it is connected – present an opportunity to share the brand’s heart in PR. Highlighting community engagement weaves a human element into messaging that clarifies the legacy a brand aspires to achieve.
In the financial services industry, community engagement can establish a firm or financial institution as more than a dollars-and-cents entity. By amplifying community connections in PR, financial services providers can build positive brand reputation, perception and awareness so that audiences associate their name with real community impact, not just business.
Strengthening Relationships
GAVIN works with financial firms nationwide that understand the value of community engagement, crafting media pitches and social content that focus on the good they’re doing in their neighborhoods.
Community engagement can take many forms – event sponsorship, donation drives, volunteerism and more – and span a variety of causes that connect to a firm’s mission, vision and values.
For Sound View Wealth Advisors, wealth is about more than numbers — it’s about creating a legacy, living with purpose and making an impact.
“Community engagement is a big part of who we are at Sound View,” said Jaime Kelly, director of strategic growth and development at the Savannah, Georgia-based firm. “It shows that we’re not just a trusted financial partner — we’re also invested in the health and vibrancy of our community. Our PR efforts highlight these initiatives to share the human side of wealth management.”
Sound View’s sponsorships and volunteerism have supported numerous causes such as Tharros Place, Kids Café and Ronald McDonald House of the Coastal Empire.
By consistently sharing these efforts in its brand communications, Sound View strengthens relationships in the community and expands its referral networks.
“Clients and prospective clients often learn about us through our community presence — whether we’re sponsoring a charity event, volunteering or attending local gatherings,” Kelly said. “We’ve also built deeper partnerships with nonprofits, schools and civic groups, leading to long-term collaborations that go far beyond a single event.”
Supporting Clients and Communities
Community engagement is about trust, listening and connection for Finanta, a Philadelphia-based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and federally chartered credit union serving low-income communities.
“When you show up in the community consistently, people start to see you as a partner, an organization that is looking out for them,” said Erin Davis, vice president of marketing and communications. “That trust makes it possible to have real, and sometimes tough, conversations about money. As we listen, we learn. We learn how to build services that actually fit people’s lives, not just what we think they need. Finally, thoughtfully engaging with our community connects us to a network of neighbors, nonprofits and local leaders who all want the same thing: stronger, more stable communities.”
As part of its community engagement efforts, Finanta hosts free educational workshops and regularly attends community events from Harrisburg to Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley.
“We don’t just meet people when they need a loan,” Davis said. “We meet them at community events, at small business roundtables, at business launcher pitches and through referrals from like-minded partners that we have decades of experience with. That’s how people start to see us as approachable and trustworthy.”
Maximize the Impact You’re Making
GAVIN’s financial services PR team is ready to help you amplify the impact you’re making in the industry and your community through intentional, tailored strategies in media relations and digital marketing.
Contact our public relations team today or email [email protected] to see how we can help you achieve your public relations and brand communications goals.
