For Better Retention, Start in the Community

• June 10, 2026

By Colleen Flynn

Independent agencies are no strangers to community involvement, from sponsoring local events to supporting charitable causes year-round.

But for some agencies, giving back goes beyond tradition. It’s built into how they engage with the people they serve. And when examining agencies with the highest client retention, that commitment to serve shows up with surprising consistency.

The math checks out, according to Liberty Mutual’s “2026 Independent Agency Growth Study.” The study found that agencies in the top 10% for retention are active in giving back. Within that group, 75% provide monetary donations to community causes and 47% donate staff service or volunteer hours.

Those numbers reinforce an important concept: When an agency shows up for its community, it creates more opportunities to build familiarity and goodwill.

That plays out in practical ways. When an agency supports a school fundraiser, provides small business education, backs a charity run, or sends volunteers to help with a food drive, people—both clients and non-clients alike—notice.

It registers: “I’ve seen them before. They helped out. They’re involved.”

That kind of visibility can go a long way. And giving back can take many different forms. Here are a few ideas:

1) Financial support. For some agencies, a modest donation may be the most realistic place to start. That could mean sponsoring a local team, contributing gift cards or supplies to a fundraiser, donating raffle items or making a small recurring contribution to a nonprofit that matters locally. It doesn’t have to be a huge check to make an impression. Consistent support, even in smaller amounts, still shows clients that your agency is invested in the community.

2) Time and volunteering. For other agencies, time may be easier to give than money. Volunteering can be just as visible and meaningful, whether that means helping at a food pantry, joining a cleanup day or setting one or two volunteer days each year. Some agencies may choose to serve together as a team, while others may offer employees time off to support causes they care about personally.

3) Expertise and education. Sometimes the most valuable contribution isn’t financial or hands-on labor. Agencies can provide workshops focused on risk in specific niches, mentorship opportunities, networking events and more to their communities.

Successful agencies make this kind of involvement a routine rather than a one-off effort. It might be a small sponsorship each year, a regular volunteer day, a standing donation drive or offering office space for a community group when it’s needed.

Community involvement may not always be labeled as a retention strategy, but it deserves serious consideration. Agencies that give consistently create more touchpoints and more relevance in their clients’ lives.

Those moments add up. And when clients see an agency as an active, reliable presence in the community, it becomes easier to maintain strong, long-term relationships.

Colleen Flynn is program manager for Independent Agent Giving and the Make More Happen Awards at Liberty Mutual Insurance.