An Oasis of Philanthropy in November

This last day of November gives me the opportunity to reflect on the special month in many ways that November has been.  Amidst a month of giving thanks, overeating, and shopping, there is an oasis of philanthropy.

November has Thanksgiving Day, designated shopping days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the newly created Small Business Saturday, ( mentioned here earlier). And right smack in middle of this celebrated month exists another type of designated "day" meant to encourage and honor philanthropy, the act of caring and giving to others. National Philanthropy Day  founded by the Association of Fundraising Professionals has designated Nov 15th  for events all around the country. Last year more than 100 AFP chapters held NPD award ceremonie snot only on this day but throughout the entire month, on whichever day worked best for honoring the individuals,organizations and small businesses in their communities that "change the world with giving heart".

The official website of National Philanthropy Day lists the dates of the chapter events all throughout the country and the recipients of the awards. In northern California these following small businesses have been honored.

The Central Coast:
Earthbound Farm, the largest grower of organic produce in the United States,was named philanthropic organization of the year for the Central Coast as part of National Philanthropy Day for their support to a wide array of charities and more than 350 nonprofits. Many of these charities are nominated through their employee giving program. You can read their full story in the San Jose Mercury News

San Francisco:
Borel Private Bank & Trust Company for 30 years has been providing private banking, investment, and trust services on the San Francisco Peninsula. Borel has received this award in recognition of their support of over 243 community non-profit organizations with contributions and employee volunteerism.

Silicon Valley
The Wish Book of the Mercury News features stories of needy individuals families and organization with links for readers where they can earmark their donations. Since 1983, readers have donated more than $6.5 million for individualized needs such as wheelchairs, food or computer equipment for recipients.

Sacramento
Sleep Train‘s company philosophy has included a commitment to giving back to the community for over 20 years. Their philosophy about community involvement is that "their success is not measured by the bottom line alone". Sleep Train's main cause has been to help make a difference in the lives of foster children. Sleep Train, was  featured on our blog in 2009.

I hope National Philanthropy Day will continue to expand all over the country and be held almost every day in November somewhere-so the whole month of November can be thought of as a month of changing the world with a heart.

How American Express Small Busines Saturday Could Work To Fight Hunger

While retail businesses are waiting anxiously to see whether consumers are feeling less pinched on this big holiday shopping weekend, the lines at the local food banks have doubled.

Small, local businesses have been hurt with the downturn of the economy contributing to the loss of jobs and reduced revenue to local communities. And yet, small businesses, many of them featured here, throughout this downturn have been finding creative ways to help support their local communities in spite of their own hard times.

Several posts here,earlier addressed the need for small businesses to understand that one of the most powerful ways for small businesses to grow is by giving back to their local communities. As I pointed out earlier small business can identify local community needs often better than larger companies and can offer unique opportunities for sponsorships and partnerships to local charities.

Now, small businesses may be getting a chance to get in on the weekend shopping madness with the declaration of Small Business Saturday.

This Saturday, November 27th comes a national movement, via American Express, to drive shoppers to support small businesses called Small Business Saturday(SM). This day was created to support the small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country.

Here is how the program works:

* American Express is giving a $25 statement credit(1) to 100,000 Cardmembers who register their Card and use it to shop on Small Business Saturday at any locally-owned, independent small businesses that accept American Express.

* American Express is also giving $100 of free Facebook advertising(2) to 10,000 business owners who sign up at facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday to help build online buzz and drive customers to shop at their businesses on Small Business Saturday. By simply entering a few pieces of information and clicking a button, these business owners can create a personalized, geo-targeted ad that will run on Facebook leading up to November 27th. Facebook has donated $500,000 in Facebook credits for these small business owners to use in the future.

 * Small business owners can also download online promotional materials and use a number of social media tools to promote their businesses on the inaugural Small Business Saturday.

* Everyone can spread the word about the day and their favorite businesses by giving a shout-out to their favorite local shops and restaurants via Facebook and Twitter.

* For every person who ‘likes’ Small Business Saturday on Facebook, American Express is donating $1 up to $500,000 to Girls Inc. to empower young women to be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

There are great reasons to support local businesses and here are the four reasons their site gives.

For every $100.00, $68.00 returns to the community.
Small Businesses employ over half of all private sector employees.
Small businesses represent over 99% of all employer firms.
In the last decade, 60-80% of new jobs were generated by small businesses.

And I'd like to add one more:

As small businesses grow they can give more back to their community.

So, I'd like to see a scenario where Small Business Day Can help boost a local business and help a cause, such as hunger:

In my area, in Palo Alto, CA a local men's clothing store, Patrick James is hosting an annual food drive until Nov.30th. Customers who bring canned items to any Patrick James store receive 15% off of that days purchase.

Now couple that with small business day, where a customer of a Patrick James store, could bring in canned goods for the, receive a 15% discount for their purchase and the $25.00 credit from American Express.

Let there be no doubt about the fact that the American Express Small Business Day is a strategy to boost the use of American Express credit card during the holiday season while aiming to boost sales for local small businesses. This is not meant as a criticism as this move is purely strategic and may prove to be a boon for the local small businesses.

Should they continue this idea, I would love to see some kind of partnering with local causes which would create a real boon to communities all over this country, and help to eradicate hunger, as well as other important causes.

Mingled Motives: Is Business Philanthropy Little More Than Good PR?

With the holiday season whipping into full swing and charitable giving on the minds of many, Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik asks some thought-provoking questions in today's column. Best of all, Hiltzik took a moment to interview our own Lalia Helmer and contribute her comments. What a cool shout-out!

Hiltzik asks, very rightfully, whether large-scale corporate philanthropy and "caused-based marketing" efforts amount to much more than a clever profit-booster, referencing among others the Product Red campaign, American Express' efforts, as well as a controversial program launched by Skechers USA this past summer, one that's widely believed to have copied the beloved TOMS Shoes model.

If you'll recall, Lalia cited the Skechers effort as an example of "how not to do business philanthropy." Hiltzik, in turn, fleshes out further thoughts on the topic.

The larger question, though, and one that transcends the TOMS/Skechers debate, remains: are the motives of heavily advertised philanthropic efforts somehow polluted when they simultaneously boost the bottom line of a business? It's a fascinating discussion, and a complex one, I think.

Here's Hiltzik's conclusion:

I'm always a bit suspicious when big corporations try to enlist me in their charity campaigns. My feeling is that if they're inclined to be generous, good for them, but leave me to my own philanthropies. That way, there's no confusion about when they're being genuinely good-hearted, and when they're just faking.

I certainly see his perspective. Then again, it's inherent to the nature of capitalism for businesses to enhance their bottom line by giving the consumer what they want, be it products or corporate practices. In our fast-evolving twenty-first century climate, there can be little question that consumers desire a more socially-conscious form of business. In that sense, many companies with an evolved sense of larger obligation thrive because they are responsive to the public. So why not advertise that fact just as they would, say, a superior product? Though certain efforts and organizations may be dubious, on the whole business philanthropy, at its most effective, can be a win-win.

Nau -All "Purpose" Apparel

Portland, Oregon-based clothing company Nau has struck the perfect balance of high-quality products, sustainable practices and inspired giving. The company specializes in outdoor apparel with an urban twist, utilizing strong design and dark, earthy colors to capture a look that's "minimalist, modern and timeless," and equipped for long-term durability.
Perhaps most importantly for any boutique clothing line, Nau has a penchant for great lifestyle branding. Beyond just the design of the clothes, which definitely pop, the company champions The Nau Collective, a loosely affiliated community of artists, designers and activists, as well as their funky and insightful blog, The Thought Kitchen, that's "dedicated to stirring the pot."

If the sleek, cool design of the clothes and the overall strength of the brand weren't enough, though, it's Nau's built-in commitment to sustainability that sets them apart. According to their own "Principles of Design," Nau creates clothes and accessories based on a three-fold commitment to sustainability.

First, the social platform of their principles requires that 2% of all proceeds go to Nau's Partners for Change, a group of non-profits such as The Breakthrough Institute, a pro-environment think tank devoted to clean energy solutions, and Kiva, a micro-lending website that allows users to help finance entrepreneurs around the globe. They also sponsor an annual Grant for Change contest, in which innovative individuals and orgnizations compete for a $10,000 grant.

The second tier of Nau's Principles of Design governs materials. The company strives to utilize renewable, highly recyclable fabrics. Their shipping philosophy entails extensive carbon offsets, and an overall strategy to maximize the energy efficiency of transporting goods. In purchasing, sourcing and constructing their clothing, Nau stresses traceability, allowing their staff and buyers to know the source of fabrics. They place a strong emphasis on fair labor practices, verifying standards in their factories via independent audit. They even have a fascinating corner of their website devoted to "working with wool," which details Nau's commitment to animal health, good land management and high environmental standards in the use of that material.

The third platform of Nau's "Principles of Design" governs the aesthetic of their clothing, a matter that speaks for itself as soon as you take a glimpse at their hip, fitted looks.

Without a doubt, Nau has tapped straight into the new zeitgeist of philanthropic and sustainable business. Their great products, backed by a strong mission, go a long way toward lending a serious cool factor to environmentally-friendly giving.

Get Inspired! TEDxYouthDay Is Tomorrow

I am sucker for anything that is inspirational to others to create positive change in the world and certainly the TED conferences have led the way in this movement. Which makes me so excited to be part of this event tomorrow! Thanks to my friend Christina McClure, the genius behind putting together a local TEDxYouth event in Palo Alto, I get to be a staff member with my very own t-shirt to wear tomorrow!  Hope I get to have time to send twitters #tedyouthday and #tedxyoutcastilleja, from the event in between directing kids to their appropriate destinations.

For a list of inspiring speakers check this site: http://www.tedxyouthcastilleja.com/

All the information for watching this event and all the livestream TEDxYouthDay events around the world is copied here from their website:

YES! You can be a part of TEDxYouth Day – Universal Children’s Day – anywhere in the world! We are expecting people from all over the world to join us for this exciting event which will take place simultaneously around the world this coming Saturday!
MEET US RIGHT HERE! Saturday, November 20 from 10 am to 5:30 pm PST and we can all watch the event together.

http://www.livestream.com/tedxyouthcastilleja

Also, if you want to check out the more than 60 other TEDxYouth events around the world, some of which will be livestreamed as well, go to http://www.tedxyouthday.com/events/

How e-Cycle Created a Winning Company With Passion For the Environment and Charitable Giving

More and more entrepreneurs are starting businesses with a triple bottom line model: businesses that benefit people and the planet, and experience growth and profitability. One company, e-Cycle is leading this trend with its success and profitability as a business that provides an environmental service to businesses and non-profit organizations by recycling old cell phones, as well as an opportunity to help support charitable organizations and causes using the funds from the resale of these phones. 

Press releases are a terrific way to learn about companies that are doing good. Sometimes I get access to and am able to post a press release like the one for e-Cycle, a company that recycles cell phones for businesses and for non-profit organizations.The earlier post was about their incredible success and their phenomenal growth which led to their placement by Inc.on the 5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately-held, for-profit companies in the U.S.

But the real treat for me was to follow up on this story with an interview with Tonia Irion, co- founder of e-Cycle and vice-president of marketing of this innovative company and to discover the ways they not only help the environment, but help companies to give back to charity.

But first a little bit of background and history. Back in 2005, Tonia and her husband Chris were high tech executives who were looking for a change in their careers. With the goal of working together as a couple, and balancing their roles within their new company, they came up with an idea to help companies recycle their used cell phones by buying them, deleting all the information and recycling them through an EPA approved facility.

Since the start of this company in 2005, in Ohio, the company has seen 400 percent growth that has continued to provide employment to over 60 people in these three years of a struggling economy.

L. How did this business start and what was the inspiration for tying it into charitable giving?

T. We spent a lot of time speaking to entrepreneurs in the area and they told us to do something that we were passionate about. And we spent some time mulling that over and came up with that we were passionate about technology, we were passionate about the environment and we were passionate about creating a for profit company where we would be able to give back to charity.

So when we started the company, actually we were vetting the ideas that we had, our first client was American Cancer Society and we collected phones through their Relay for Life walks. They collected 60,000 phones, and we wrote them a check for $30,000.

L. Where did you go from there?

T. What we realized prettyquickly in order to be able to scale and to be able to write charities large checks, which is what we wanted to do, we would be better off partnering with businesses and encouraging businesses to donate all or a portion of their profits that they were going to receive back from the sale of their cell-phones to a charity of their choice. That was the premise for how we began to grow the business and today we work with companies that have chosen this route of whether to give all the proceeds or a portion of the proceeds.

L. So basically you are the channel for these businesses where you write the check to the charity of their choice. This makes it easy for businesses especially if in this economy they are cash strapped, They get this little bonus that has come their way to give back.

T. In this next year we will be looking into starting an actual foundation where we are selecting several charities, we will all let it be up to the client, if they have a charity of choice that they want to give to and also we get the question form a lot of clients about who do you you recommend. So we need to spend a lot of time thinking that through and setting up the charity.So if we are pointing the client in the direction, it has been a vetted charity.

L. Do you have any sense when you set up the foundation of what kinds of charities you will be interested in?

T. There are several that we are looking at this. We haven't made the decision yet . We will probably ultimately choose one or two national and one or two international, and we will choose one or two that are ongoing and a couple that we change every year.

L.Do you still work with nonprofits?

T. Yes we do . We do it in the same way where we are collecting them for businesses, they collect them and we buy them from them. Non-profits are a big portion of e-Cycles's clients and the funds they receive from us go back directly to them..

L.You must feel very good about being more than a triple bottom line company, really. It's a wonderful model, there is such a virtuos cycle here. It also impressive that your company is doing so well.

T. Yes, are very happy about that. 

This is a great way for any sized companies to give to charities without having to dip into their revenue. Companies that are looking for ways to give back to charity can pick which charity to allocate the funds to and can use eCycle as the channel through which this can be processed. This is a quadruple win-win-win- win- for the environment, for charities, for companies and for eCycle.

Getting Tongue Twisted With CSR Job Titles

While the CSR debate has highlighted one key fact, and that is that it remains difficult to agree on a common definition of Corporate Social Responsibility, the definition of what employees do within this context may be even murkier. In the last few months I have met and gotten to know a number of  people who have a job where they  are involved in some way with a corporate program  focused on social responsibility, citizenship, philanthropy, community relations, employee volunteer programs and so on,  which arguably falls somewhere under the CSR or Corporate Citizenship umbrella.

A few of days ago I posted here on my blog my summary of the webinar hosted by the Boston College Center For Corporate Citizenship. With a twist of my tongue, I added and transformed their name to be Boston College Center for Corporate Community Citizenship. Thanks to Chris Jarvis for the correction of their name on his Realized Worth facebook page where he posted the link to my summary, and where I responded that I must have had "community"  on my mind. (which I always do, anyways). Aside from what tends to be on my mind, it's easy to get tongue twisted with all the various labels, descriptions and job titles within the whole CSR domain.  

As an example, here's just one job title I saw on the BCCCC website. A position that, well, seems to cover it all: "Director of Community Engagement Worldwide Community & Corporate Citizenship". Wow, try to say that one three times fast!

For more tongue twisting job titles check out the various postions held by the attendees of last year's BCCCC conference, people who are managers and directors of the following:

Business & Society Relations *Community Awareness *Community Engagement and Philanthropy *Community Investment & Volunteerism *Community Investment *Community Involvement *Community Outreach *Community Public Affairs *Community Relations *Community Responsibility *Community Service *Community Support * Corporate Citizenship & Community Relations *Corporate Citizenship *Corporate Community Affairs *Corporate Community Involvement *Corporate Community Relations *Corporate Community Support *Corporate Contributions *Corporate Partnerships *Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability *Corporate Responsibility and Analyst Relations *Corporate Responsibility *Corporate Social Responsibility *Corporate Sustainability *CSR & Community Relations *CSR Analyst *CSR Strategy & Reporting *Employee & Community Affairs *External Affairs *External Communications *Global Community Involvement  *Global Community Involvement/Special Events *Global Corporate Citizenship *Marketing & Corporate Citizenship * Community Liaison *Senior Corporate Volunteer Coordinator *Corporate Relations *Community Benefit, Research *Social Investing Program *Social Responsibility and Public Affairs *Stakeholder Relations * US Community Partnerships *Corporate Giving *Employee Volunteerism and many more....

Moving on from tongue twisting to meaning-what exactly might be the difference, let's say, between a corporate involvement manager and a corporate relations manager and a community awareness manager and how might they be interchangeable? Language creates meaning and a job title should reflect accurately what the person does and does not do. 

Forgive me for my ramblings. A couple of weeks ago my daughter got married, and my son, gave the bride and groom a toast. He said that he had been speaking to his future brother-in-law the night before who said to him: "Wow, tomorrow I am getting married, isn't it surreal?" My son replied, "eh, it's just a formality."

Similarly, the title of the position a person holds within an organization may be just a formality, but it can affect outcomes. Businesses, in general, often struggle with how to define the roles and responsibilities of an employee and how their job title or position reflects that. But for jobs under the Corporate Social Responsibility umbrella, a job title may be even more important. in that it reflects a purpose, a mission and a strategy.

This is a great opportunity for a business to define what its social mission, its purpose, and goals are and to help define the employee's role in the implementation of the mission and achievement of those goals.

And if you get their title right, maybe they will be able to say it three times really fast

Absurd WaysTo Make Your Employee Volunteer Program Have More Impact

It seems that Bea Boccalandro, President of VeraWorks and a faculty at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, BCCCC, thinks that employee volunteer programs are absurd and the key to their adding more value is to make them even more absurd. At least that is how I heard it at last week's webinar:  Employee Spirit + Corporate Strategy. Can both exist within your employee volunteer program?”

"Yes we are taking it to absurdity. I recommend more absurdity...Movement from true volunteering may seen uncomfortable, a sense that something is absurd is required to being novel"

Now before anyone jumps out of their Employee Volunteer office chair, is it important to explain that she is advocating that  businesses can create much higher impact in the community by leveraging the core strengths and assets of the business, rather than by duplicating the traditional fundraising and extra hand volunteering that any other business or non-corporate volunteers engage in.

Her suggestions may seem radical, and so she acknowledges that these changes need to be small at first and  that both types of volunteering can co-exist. 

She gave some great examples of companies doing just that, companies such as:

Hasbro which has has focused all their employee volunteer programs around children's causes.

Health insurance company Aetna  brings along employee volunteers that hold blood drives when the company visits college campuses for recruitment.

Levi's,which ties their corporate volunteer day on May 1st with their 501 jeans line. 

Timberland,( my favorite story), has what Bea described as an intangible asset, an employee mentoring program within the company where senior managers would mentor junior managers and so on. By using this intangible asset they apply the same skills and performance evaluation to mentor underprivileged youth in local community leadership development program.

As an added bonus we got to hear a presentation first hand from Louise James of Accenture about their Accenture Development Partnerships, their exemplary worldwide community engagement  and development programs.

Bea does not leave us dangling in the air about how to go about making these "absurd" changes. She outlines specific steps any company can take make these changes in her report:
The End of Volunteering: A Necessary Step to Substantive Employee Engagement in the Community

The beauty of this message is that small businesses can take advantage of these forms of volunteering and maybe even better than their larger counterparts. Small businesses may think they cannot have a large impact on the community because they cannot provide enough extra hands for fundraisers and activities like serving meals. But they too have assets, the kinds that Bea has suggested for large corporations such as: specialized expertise; intangible assets like employee skills and corporate programs for employee development; and hard assets like trucks, buildings and even blue jeans! They too can match their core business with charities that are focused on a similar population.


I support Bea's suggestion of being more "ABSURD" as  it means any number of things: thinking outside of the box, being more disruptive, more innovative and creative. That is the way of the future for all forms of business philanthropy including volunteerism and possibly the best way to create positive social change.























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Why Social Responsibility is Important To Your Business:

Good Things Do Happen to Good People!

By: Dianne Taylor



Many business owners and managers see corporate social responsibility (CSR) as something that’s ‘nice to do’ but not really connected to growing the business and profits. Just the other day I had an experience that shows how wrong this is….


I took part in a training exercise where half the class pretended to be ‘employers’. The other half of the class pretended to be ‘potential employees.’ We (the ‘employers’) had to find a way to attract the ‘employees’ to come and work for us.


Sounds simple? Well I thought so. I was an employer offering flexible working hours, a great salary and career development. Yet my new recruits were undecided. But then I spoke about our corporate social responsibility program and they were suddenly a whole lot more enthusiastic. I signed them up.


Okay, so it was only a game. But it is a great example of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can make all the difference to your competitive position. Initiatives such as pro bono work, philanthropy, support for community-building initiatives and environmental awareness can add significant value to your company, and if the program is well designed the benefits far outweigh the costs.


An easy way for your company to build its brand, reputation and public profile


Being socially responsible creates goodwill and a positive image for your brand. Trust and a good reputation are some of your company’s most valuable assets. In fact, without these, you wouldn’t even have a business. You can nurture these important assets by being socially responsible.


It is however, crucial that you devise the right socially responsible program for your business. When used properly, it will open up a myriad of new relationships and opportunities. Not only will your success grow, but so will your company’s culture. It will become a culture which you, your staff and the wider community genuinely believe in.


Corporate Social Responsibility attracts and retains staff

Did you know that socially responsible companies report increased employee commitment, performance and job satisfaction?

Yes, it is in us all to want to do ‘good’ (and perhaps be recognised for it). Our lives become meaningful when we realise our work has made a positive difference in some way. It makes all our striving worth it. In fact, a 2003 Stanford University study found MBA graduates would sacrifice an average $US13700 cut in their salary to work for a socially responsible company.

By attracting, retaining and engaging staff, ‘doing good’ for others reduces your recruitment costs and improves work productivity. It’s just plain good all round!

Customers are attracted to socially responsible companies


Branding your business as ‘socially responsible’ differentiates you from your competitors. The Body Shop and Westpac are companies who have used this to their advantage. Developing innovative products that are environmentally or socially responsible adds value and gives people a good reason to buy from you.


Corporate Social Responsibility attracts investors

Investors and financiers are attracted to companies who are socially responsible. These decision-makers know this reflects good management and a positive reputation. Don’t underestimate this influence; it can be just as important as your company’s financial performance. In fact, it may be the deciding factor in choosing to support your company.

Corporate Social Responsibility encourages professional (and personal) growth


Your staff can develop their leadership and project management skills through a well-designed corporate social responsibility program. This may be as simple as team building exercises, encouraging your employees to form relationships with people they would not normally meet (like disadvantaged groups).

Corporate Social Responsibility helps to cut your business costs

Environmental initiatives such as recycling and conserving energy increase in-house efficiency and cut costs. Introducing a corporate social responsibility program gives you a good reason to examine and improve on your spending!

Two important tips for you


Before you rush into your own corporate social responsibility program remember:

• You must implement your program strategically. Just giving a donation is not enough. The best corporate social responsibility programs are based on a two-way relationship with you and each of the organisations you are involved with. This allows both parties to be challenged and grow together.

• Your corporate social responsibility commitments should be in line with the values of your company, customers and staff. Most importantly, they must be based on a genuine concern for people and the community. You do not want the program to back-fire; making you seem hypocritical. A poor strategy will cause people to become cynical and distrustful of your company.

But all in all, corporate social responsibility makes financial sense, adds meaning to your work and makes everyone feel good!


So what should you do next?


It is a highly competitive world out there. If you want people to buy from you, work for you and invest in you – look seriously at corporate social responsibility.


To find out how your company can grow from a corporate social responsibility program, contact Dianne Taylor at Sirius Business on dtaylor@siriusbusiness.com.au.


FREE Corporate Social Responsibility advice for Anderson Gray readers


Dianne is currently offering free advice on how to implement an effective corporate social responsibility program. This advice includes a list of 10 Simple Corporate Social Responsibility Actions for your business.
About the Author
With over 25 years as the co-owner of a successful engineering business employing 30 staff, combined with a background in leadership development and education, Dianne has a wealth of experience to draw upon. Dianne’s practical experience is supported by qualifications in coaching, training, human resource management and business.



As a business management and leadership coach, consultant, speaker and trainer, Dianne is passionate about helping people and organisations discover and realise their potential. She believes that life is too short not to enjoy what you do and she helps her clients to discover their unique purpose, strengths and passion and build a successful and satisfying life around them.

a. Have a look at Anderson Gray Worldwide - http://www.anderson-gray.com

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Ways Your Company Can Give More Bang For the Buck With a Matching Grant

There they go again, another pledge drive for local public broadcasting television and radio stations where programs are interrupted for on-air fund raising. Some viewers find this annoying, yet these stations rely on these drives to be able to continue to bring their quality programming to the public. And businesses can get  great a PR boost with their on air presence where employees are manning the phone lines and with reminders to the public of their generous matching donations.

Matching donations and challenge grants are a great strategy for any business to use in their philanthropy, as they leverage the benefits of their giving to non-profits which can be used to engage customers in consumer philanthropy. Whole Foods sets an example of how they do this with their some of their in-store fund raising. See other examples of Whole Foods and their creative consumer philanthropy in former posts.

This brings me to two studies, one on the  effects on charitable giving with different levels of matching donations and the other on the differences between challenge grants and matching donations. Essentially, the first study out of Yale University, found that 1:1 matching grants greatly increased revenue per solicitation overall levels of giving. The second study designed for the fund raising campaign for the British Columbia Chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada showed that challenge grants had more impact on overall giving than even matching grants.

I recently had a personal experience where I experienced the power of the extra challenge in making a difference in my giving. My college Alma Mater called asking me to renew my pledge this year. At first I was planning to not increase my annual donation. I was pleased to hear that the trustees had established a scholarship challenge to match every gift to the Fund meaning that my renewed gift would be doubled. But here was an additional challenge- that all increased gifts would be tripled. That meant by increasing my donation by $1.00 (well it ended up to be $10.00)   the entire amount of my giving was tripled.
How could anyone say no to that?

These studies and my experience as a donor, suggest that there are a host of creative options that a business should consider when offering matching grants and challenges to a non-profit. Whatever a business chooses to do has important implications on the amount a charity receives.

Businesses that can come up with inventive ways of leveraging, gives everyone involved more bang for the buck- potentially by more than double or even triple.