Business That Cares

Insurance Giant Allianz Backs Wildlife Works’ REDD Campaign

2011-10-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Insurance giant Allianz backs Wildlife Works’ REDD campaign to save the world’s threatened forests

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca – October 11, 2011 – Wildlife Works Carbon LLC (WWC), the world’s leading REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project development and management company announced today that insurance giant Allianz SE, headquartered in Munich Germany, has made a 10% equity investment in Wildlife Works Carbon.

Allianz has also agreed to a multi-year option to purchase carbon credits from Wildlife Works Carbon pioneering Kasigau Corridor REDD Project in Kenya, the first REDD project in the world to achieve validation and verification under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCB).

This groundbreaking REDD project will result in the avoidance of over 1 million tonnes of CO2-e emissions per year for the next 30 years while protecting endangered wildlife and bringing the benefits of carbon finance to more than 100,000 people in the surrounding communities.

Allianz’ equity investment backs Wildlife Works’ plan to quickly develop a portfolio of additional REDD projects to protect five million hectares of native forest, mitigating at least 25 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, resulting in the creation of thousands of sustainable jobs in forest communities, while strengthening the rights of forest dwelling peoples.

“We believe that REDD should play a major role in combating climate change. We (the private sector) can do something about this as market-based REDD can scale and significantly contribute to reversing the global warming trend. Wildlife Works Carbon's holistic approach and community focused REDD project portfolio has made them a leader in this critical effort, and that is why we are backing them so strongly,” said Dr. Armin Sandhövel, CEO of Allianz Climate Solutions, a 100% subsidiary of Allianz SE which carried out the WWC investment process as Allianz’ dedicated investment company for carbon related investments.

“Widespread private sector engagement is the fastest solution to stop the destruction of the world’s forests. Allianz’ investment in Wildlife Works Carbon demonstrates that private sector financed REDD can and should play a leading role in the global effort to reduce deforestation. We are grateful and extremely pleased that Allianz has joined our campaign to save the threatened forests of the world,” said Mike Korchinsky, founder and CEO of Wildlife Works.

Contact:
Gerald Prolman
Gerald@wildlifeworks.com
(415) 548 0973 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (415) 548 0973 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

About Wildlife Works:
Wildlife Works is the world's leading REDD project development and management company with a unique approach to applying innovative market-based solutions to biodiversity conservation and helping local landowners in the developing world monetize their forest and biodiversity assets whether they are governments, communities, ownership groups, or private individuals. In 2011, Wildlife Works’ flagship Kasigau Corridor REDD Project in Kenya was the first in the world to achieve validation, verification and issuance of REDD carbon credits under the VCS and CCB standards. The Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD Project protects over 500,000 acres of forest and brings the benefits of direct carbon financing to more than 100,000 people in the surrounding communities while also securing the entire wildlife migration corridor between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. Wildlife Works is actively developing a portfolio of REDD projects with an aim to protect five million hectares of native forest, to mitigate 25 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, and create thousands of sustainable jobs in rural communities. www.wildlifeworks.com

About Allianz Climate Solutions GmbH
As a 100% subsidiary of Allianz SE, Allianz Climate Solutions GmbH (ACS) is carrying out, inter alia, carbon related investments on behalf of Allianz Group. Its investment strategy focuses on the growing markets for renewable energy, clean technology and energy efficiency as well as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) projects. Acting as the Group-wide centre of competence on climate change, ACS also serves other Allianz entities as well as external customers with its risk analysis, investment and insurance expertise, bundling the competences and experience of various Allianz business entities.

Classy Awards for Best Philanthropic Small Business

2011-10-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Classy Awards hosted in San Diego on Sept 17, just released a whole bunch of videos on YouTube,each one featuring the actual awards as they were handed out for each of the categories. My favorite, of course, is the award for the best Philanthropic Small Business of the Year.

As the presenter of the award, Assistly's CEO Alex Bard said: "I used to think that philanthropy was something that big businesses did to help support causes like some of the ones you see here tonite..."

...and then as the recipient of the award a representative form Nika Water, said:

"There is a new wave of doing good, there is a new style of charity, and there is a new business of giving back... we hope that social business as a term becomes redundant and it is about business giving back."

USA TODAY Polls Pink Campaign Shoppers

2011-09-30T03:26:00.000-07:00

Just as when the Holidays roll around every year you can be sure to see the red and green everywhere, it is a sure bet that in October you will see pink all over the marketplace. Yes, another October has come rolling around and more and more businesses are getting on the pink ribbon bandwagon helping promote breast cancer awareness and research. But research findings have addressed the many questions that many of us have asked as to whether the pink campaign has gone too far and whether it has proven worthwhile. A recent Gallup Poll in USA Today bears some good news about the pink campaign in that it has raised awareness of the cause and has brought in contributions.

The ensuing article in USA TODAY, however, points out that with all the hoopla and additional funding there has been little advance in finding a cure for the disease and questions remain whether the intense focus on this one cause detracts from other causes just as worthy.

No one has yet studied, as far as I can tell, whether the pink campaign has provided retailers with an additional boost in sales. Presumably the industry thinks so, unless of course, the campaigns are done out of altruism.

Philanthropy: An Effective Tool for a Good Business

2011-09-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Philanthropy, a wonderful thing for any business to be involved with, as it is a universal law that "to give is to receive" and is proved true on so many occasions, in so many ways.
I've also observed that those with the least to give are the ones who give most in terms of time and money to various causes such as homelessness, domestic abuse, children with cancer, and the list goes on.

I suggest that anyone who has not dabbled in philanthropy should try it. For every hundred dollars that you make, give ten dollars to a cause that you would like to support. Save the Whales, Hug a Tree, Stop Pollution, Halt Elder Abuse, House the Homeless. The choices are endless.

Corporations in the Unites States annually give away over $11 billion to non-profits and other charitable organizations - an average of 1.3% of pre-tax income. Yet, many do so without realizing the strategic value it provides. Philanthropic donations provide a useful, though seldom fully-leveraged, channel for improving outcomes for both the corporation and the community.

Large corporations typically have a staff dedicated to philanthropy with structure and parameters built in, giving at small companies tends to be more grassroots. Small and non-publicly traded companies can often utilize unique ways to give, such as putting their companies in a charitable trust or donating company stock. In fact, 80% of Minnesota businesses with fewer than 500 employees contribute annually through some type of giving program, according to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Businesses of any size reap the benefits of social investment with successful communities in turn supporting successful businesses.
It's important to be very observant. Upon donating your time or money, you will see a return on this investment in ways you may not have imagined.

The idea is to give what you can without any strings attached. Once you have started this movement of energy, then "what comes around goes around," and you will be pleasantly surprised at what ensues. I suspect that people like Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Buddha and Jesus were well acquainted with this universal law, and thus spent their lives practicing it.

For More details, Please visit http://www.philanthropist.org/

Eric Melin has been writing since the age of 16. His favorite topics include women's issues, homelessness, homeless veterans, the arts, cinema, biographies, nature and video production. His work has appeared in many publications around the world. You can read her blog, at http://www.ericmelin.com . His business site is http://www.philanthropist.org/

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://ericmelin.articlealley.com/philanthropy--an-effective-tool-for-a-good-business-908955.html

Apple's Sleekest Design Yet-Corporate Philanthropy

2011-09-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

I try not to comment too much about huge companies and their corporate philanthropy strategies- unless they have created a model that can be replicated by small businesses. The latest flurry of commentary and news about Apple's corporate philanthropy( or lack of) have left some valuable lessons for businesses of all sizes.

A few weeks ago after the announcement of Steve Jobs' resignation, the New York Times published a critical article about the lack of his personal philanthropy and the absence of any corporate giving.

Not less than two weeks after these stories, Tim Cook the new CEO laid out Apple's new corporate giving plan as reported by PC Magazine. This program comes as a sleek and straightforward employee matching gift program where Apple will match every employee's charitable donations up to $10,000.00 a year.

The beauty of this approach can be seen from several points of view: first, it's an effective tool engaging the employees in their own giving as it both motivates and rewards them for doing so; secondly, this plan becomes a very efficient tool for supporting local community causes as employees are more likely to identify and care about the local causes that are closest to their hearts; finally, this program streamlines the process of deciding on the recipients as Apple itself does not need to create any kind of application process

But mostly, any small or large business can replicate or adapt this program to create their own giving plan. It's simple and elegant and very effective, just like Apple's products.

Votes,Tweets, Stars and Athletes Score for Puma's Project Pink

2011-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that again, nominating and voting for charitable organizations is becoming a preferred method of businesses engaging their consumers in throwing their support towards worthy causes. Last week we wrote about the Classy Awards and this week, we have this press release forwarded to us about Puma"s Project Pink. As you can read below, nominations end on Sept. 22 and voting is from Sept. 26th thru Oct 7th.

And for every tweet with the hashtag #projectpink, Puma will donate a dollar to the winning charity.

And there is more-an expanded multi faceted cause marketing effort:
Stars supporting Project Pink in public service announcements
Soccer teams donning pink Puma uniforms for games
Athletes donating proceeds from games towards these causes.

PUMA^® Encourages Fans to Make Pink Their Project in 2011
Actress Nina Dobrev joins team as Project Pink supporter

Westford, Mass. (July 6, 2011) – Wear pink, do good. Simple, right? Exactly, says sportlifestyle brand PUMA^®as it kicks off year two of Project Pink, a more-than-just-October initiative that puts the fight against breast cancer in the hands of young soccer fans. Launched in 2010 in response to a group of female soccer athletes looking to support breast cancer awareness and research – and now cheered on by PUMA soccer athletes and Project Pink spokeswomen Amy Rodriguez, Leslie Osborne, Karina LeBlanc, Alex Scott, Tasha Kai, and Marta, plus PUMA Women’s Soccer Ambassador Julie Foudy – the program is entering its second season on the heels of an over $60,000 donation to the Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund at Magee-Womens Foundation in 2010. Also joining PUMA and its fight against breast cancer is actress Nina Dobrev, who, as an athlete in her youth, couldn’t wait to work alongside PUMA and the athletes to support the cause.

“We’re so proud of the remarkable athletes and young fans who supported Project Pink in 2010, rocking their pink gear at WPS games, nominating their favorite charities and rallying behind them to drum up votes, and, of course, tweeting up a storm,” said Tara McRae, PUMA North America’s Vice President of Marketing. “The donation we made at the end of the season is a true testament to their passion. We’re excited to build upon that enthusiasm in year two alongside our roster of athletes, as well as with the incredible support of our two new teammates, Julie Foudy and Nina Dobrev.”

PUMA’s Project Pink expands in its second year, with more supporters, a more robust product offering, and more fundraising activities and events, all while staying true to the foundation of the program: putting the power and the energy of Project Pink in the hands of young soccer fans and enthusiasts who choose to make Project Pink their personal projects, thus choosing to inspire change and do good.

The Stars Align
PUMA is excited to announce that actress Nina Dobrev is lending her support, alongside some of the best women’s soccer athletes in the world, to Project Pink 2011. As one of Project Pink’s supporters, the Vampire Diaries star will appear in the program’s Public Service Announcement, act as a media spokesperson, make appearances in support of the initiative, and engage with fans throughout the season via her Twitter handle, @ninadobrev.

“I’m truly excited for the opportunity to work on this season’s Project Pink initiative,” said Dobrev. “I love that it truly empowers young women to get involved and make a difference. Plus, I’ve always been an athlete, so I jumped on the chance to stand alongside and in support of some of these amazing female soccer players.” Dobrev, a former gymnast, is a natural fit for the PUMA brand, which celebrates the active lifestyle and supports the health and well-being of women worldwide.

Look Good in Pink
PUMA’s Project Pink Collection has been expanded this season, with offerings that include a full Project Pink uniform – down to a fabulously fluorescent pair of pink soccer socks – supercute lifestyle tees, a brand-new PUMA Project Pink watch, and a gym sack perfect for stowing the line’s full-sized and mini soccer balls. In step with the 2010 initiative, PUMA has pledged to donate 100% off the profits from the sale of its Project Pink gear at PUMA Stores, online at Shop.PUMA.com, and at partner retailers across the country, including Eurosport and Soccer.com/PUMAWomen, as well as Niky’s Sports and Soccer West locations.

Make Your Voice Heard
Again this year, PUMA is leaving the decision of Project Pink’s ultimate beneficiary up to young soccer fans, gathering nominations for deserving charitable organizations at www.puma.com/projectpinkbetween July 17 and September 22; voting opens on September 26 and runs through October 7. The group with the most votes will receive 100% of profits from the sale of PUMA Project Pink merchandise, as well as additional funds raised via initiatives throughout the season, at the culmination of the program in October.

Get in the Game
The athletes of Women’s Professional Soccer are swapping out their team colors in support of Project Pink for designated games throughout the 2011 season. Home teams will take to the field in pink PUMA jerseys and shorts, and fans will have the chance to get involved with special activities in-stadium. Game dates are as follows:

- Sky Blue FC: July 17 - Atlanta Beat: August 6
- Boston Breakers: July 24 - magicJack: August 10
- Philadelphia Independence: July 31 - Western New York Flash: August 14

Of course, those who haven’t quite made the pro leagues yet will also have the chance to “Score a Goal Against Breast Cancer,” netting additional donations from PUMA, during tournaments like USA Cup, the Blues Cup, the Big Foot Tournament, and the Top Hat PUMA Cup. Participants at the PUMA Women’s vElite Showcase in July will also have the opportunity to show their support for Project Pink.

Fans will catch flashes of pink on-field in October, too, when PUMA-sponsored male and female soccer athletes will be sporting limited edition Project Pink soccer boots to further heighten awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And PUMA athletes from other disciplines are getting behind the cause, too: Cobra-PUMA Golf athletes Lexi Thompsonand Anna Nordqvist will be sporting head-to-toe Project Pink during the women’s golf major on July 8^th, while PUMA Running is hosting a five-mile race in August beginning and ending at the brand’s North American Headquarters in Westford, Massachusetts, with all proceeds going to benefit Project Pink’s ultimate beneficiary. Visit go.puma.com/puma5milerto register.

Tweet Better, Do-Gooder
And finally, with an eye to spreading the word even further and offering up yet another easy way for fans to contribute – no purchase, cheering section, or soccer skills required – PUMA is bringing back its popular Twitter hash tag, #projectpink. Tweet #projectpink between July 6 and October 31, and, counting one tweet per user per day, PUMA will donate an additional $1, up to $25,000, to the ultimate beneficiary.

Classy Awards To Honor the Best Philanthropic Achievements

2011-08-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

They're back! The Classy Awards will be happening again this year on Sept. 17th in San Diego. Last year, two of our featured businesses were nominated, Give Something Back and The Sweets Truck.

The Classy Awards, the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country honors the best philanthropic achievements, as decided by public voting and judges in several categories, including philanthropic businesses.
The Classy Awards are hosted by Stayclassy.org, a Social Fundraising platform that offers powerful fundraising and communications tools to nonprofits without any upfront charges.

This year we are happy to report that again two of our featured businesses, have also been nominated:
Panera Cares and Comcast's Care Days, which we mentioned in our post about back to school corporate volunteerism. In addition Panera has been named as a finalist!

There are so many nominees and finalists in all the categories including business philanthropy that are worthy of receiving the award - I congratulate all of them and wish them good luck.

I look forward to the hearing who all the chosen winners will be at the ceremony. This year I have been invited as a guest to attend the Classy Awards and will get a chance to personally meet the nominees and the winners. This will a terrific opportunity to meet the founders and the creators of these businesses and philanthropic programs and learn firsthand about their mission to make their communities and the world a better place through their business and their employees.

Check out the stories about their featured nominees and come join me at the Classy Awards. For tickets to this fun and inspiring event check out their site.

One Town Helps Support Children's Hospital With 25,00 Dairy Queen Blizzards

2011-08-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

The small town in Madison, SD, comprised of only 6,000 residents, raised more than $60,000 for their local children’s hospital. The town bought more than 25,000 Blizzards (equating to four-plus per person) from their local Dairy Queen as part of a campaign called Miracle Treat Day, a day dedicated to raising money for 170 children’s hospitals across the nation through the sales of Dairy Queen Blizzards.

The town’s success was led by a hometown hero, DeLon Mork, the owner of the Madison Dairy Queen. DeLon is so passionate about the cause that he set the goal of selling 25,000 blizzards this day, which seems impossible for just one store to do. They not only met their goal, but exceeded it beating out all other locations including those in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago in donations. DeLon will now join the Police Chief in jumping out of an airplane to fulfill his promise to his staff for meeting their goal (this is the now the talk of the town).

Anyone can still donate to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at www.100millionmiracles.com

Where Good Deeds Are Always In Style

2011-08-19T01:52:00.000-07:00

High Low.com, a website that features very cool stories about trendy retail with a focus on e-commerce has provided fashion aficionadas with philanthropic tendencies with ever more reason to buy from their favorite designers.

As they wrote to me: "Trends may come and go, but a good deed’s always in style. The cheese factor of that statement aside, it’s true — which is why we saw fit to compile the best philanthropic initiatives coming from the fashion industry. These are endeavors seeking to improve a variety of issues, from domestic violence to AIDS to the lack of clean drinking water in many countries. "

You can check out their gallery in their story, 7 Philanthropic Leaders in the Fashion Industry to learn more about how some standout retailers are making an effort and how consumers can be become part of these initiatives.

Included in this gallery are (of course the well known to our readers,) TOMS Shoes, as well as: Donna Karan's Urban Zen Project; Edun, founded on the commitment to encourage trade with Africa, Liz Clairborne's Love is Not Abuse Program; Giorgio Armani's Acqua For Life, Marc Jacob's Aid for Aids Charity Tee Shirts, and Diane von Furstenburg who supports an array of causes and non-profits.

Not only are good deeds always in style, but never has looking good and doing good felt better.

Stinky Kids Helps Books, Bears, & Bonnets, Inc. Bring Smiles To Cancer Patients

2011-08-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

After Merrily Ansell lost her sister, Emily, to cancer, she channeled her grief into helping to ease the suffering of those with the same affliction. In fact, she made it her life’s mission. In 2000, Merrily created Books, Bears & Bonnets, Inc., which donates gift boxes to various hospitals for patients of all ages undergoing treatments for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

For five years, Merrily watched her sister undergo multiple treatments to help her beat her cancer. After Emily passed, Merrily decided to encase her passion for helping others into a thoughtful and meaningful box that would be delivered to as many hospitals that would take them. Each box, hand-assembled by Merrily and volunteers in her community, contains a book, a stuffed bear and a “bonnet” or hat of some sort for the patient. The book is for the patients to read and keep them occupied during the long days of treatment. The stuffed bear is meant to bring the patient comfort and something to hold during treatment procedures. Finally, the “bonnet” would help hide the after effects of the different treatments of various diseases.

Since its inception, Books, Bears & Bonnets, Inc. has donated approximately 21,000 gift boxes to many hospitals. And according to Merrily, that doesn’t mean that only 21,000 people were affected by them.

“If you multiply that number by four, that math gives you a more accurate total number of people affected by these comforting boxes,” said Merrily. “Patients usually open their boxes with at least one person with them, whether it is a nurse the patients have bonded with or their entire family. These boxes reach more than just the patients.”

Merrily often receives cards telling her that patients do not always keep the boxes for themselves. Fighting cancer is a group effort. Parents undergoing treatment, for example, often share a part of their gift boxes with their children or possibly a nurse that they have grown attached to. Merrily hopes to have touched the lives of at least 84,000 people.

Books, Bears & Bonnets, Inc. receives their funds through donations from private individuals in their community and those that have been affected or have received one of the gift boxes Merrily so lovingly assembles. Only one franchise donates to this noble cause. StinkyKids, created by Britt Menzies, Merrily’s daughter, donates 10% of its profits every year towards the efforts of Books, Bears & Bonnets, Inc. StinkyKids is a doll and book franchise that teaches children to be “leaders of good” and help the “little stinkers” solve their way out of sticky situations. The StinkyKids will be expanding into a musical as well as animation soon. A line of 12” plush StinkyKids dolls is manufactured by Madame Alexander.

For more information regarding Books, Bears & Bonnets Inc. or StinkyKids please visit:

www.booksbearsbonnets.org or www.stinkykids.com

Cause Marketing for Meals on Wheels is Rolling Along

2011-08-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Meals for Wheels seems to have caught on as a popular cause for businesses to help support. This may not be as splashy as the pink, or the red, or other colored ribboned causes that businesses have taken on. Meals on Wheels focuses on the needs of a somewhat neglected population, the elderly. We have mentioned here before a partnership with Gallo Family Vineyards and Meals On Wheels that helped feed homebound senior women on Mothers Day.

Amongst other companies that are supporting Meals On Wheels with funding and by buiding awareness are:

Walmart Foundation is donating more than $1 million to 20 Meals On Wheels programs through their Building the Future Vision Grant Program.

MetLife Foundation has awarded $200,000 to the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) for the creation of a new program that helps MOWAA develop a self assessment tool to evaluate the operations of their programs. Using the program's self-assessment model, MOWAA will develop training modules in several cities to help the address any program deficiencies implement changes.

And keeping up with the times of social networking cause marketing, MOWAA has announced a competition on Facebook. Twenty one amazing Meals On Wheels volunteers from across the country are now competing to become the Meals On Wheels 2011 American Volunteer. In this third year of the competition some of the nominees include a 94-year-old woman who has volunteered for her Meals On Wheels program in her home state for 25 years and a Vietnam War veteran who never misses a day volunteering for his hometown Meals On Wheels program.

Honest Tea Gives Proof of Honesty As Well of Their Own Giving

2011-08-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

Remember when sceptics of Panera's Cafe's "pay as you go" social giving experiment, suggested that people aren't honest enough for it to work? Well now, Honest Tea has put that question to the test and found that a surprisingly high proportion of people will pay for what could be an opportunity for a freebie drink.

In twelve cities,Honest Tea set up pop up stores with their tea on the stands and a sign suggesting people drop a dollar in the box for every bottle they took. Most cities were in the 90th percentile of honesty, which was a bit of a surprise to Seth Goldman,CEO of Honest Tea.

Now that Honest Tea has tested Americans’ honesty in twelve cities with our Honest Cities campaign, it was time to decide where all those honest dollars would go. They polled their Facebook fans and asked who should receive the money. Out of 4,980 votes, City Year is our winner with 56 percent of the total vote!

Here is the full breakdown:

* City Year – 2,779 (56% of the vote) will receive $5,000
* Share Our Strength – 1,451 (29% of the vote) will receive $3,000
* Rails-to-Trails Conservancy – 750 (15% of the vote) will receive $2,000

No one even mentioned the fact that no one ran off with the money!

Bethesda-Based Honest Tea Company Tests Society's Honesty: MyFoxDC.com

Spy Kids Movie Premier Red Carpet Includes Make A Wish Foundation's Granting A Wish

2011-07-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

The entertainment industry is a unique sector of the for profit world. The intersection of entertainment industry and causes creates its own form of cause marketing.
I look forward to writing about this as, I receive more and more communication releases about this.
On Sunday, July 31st,The Weinstein Company will partner exclusively with NowLive and bring families together across the globe offering full-access to the star-studded world premiere of “SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D” live from Regal Cinemas, L.A. LIVE.

WHO: From the film: Robert Rodriguez (Director), Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Alexa Vega, Danny Trejo, Producer Elizabeth Avellan. Celebrity guests: Salma Hayek, Joel and Harlow Madden, Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance with twins, Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Charlotte Ross (NYPD Blue) and Melora Hardin (The Office), among others.

Another highlight of the day will be when the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants 15-year-old Elijah’s dream of meeting Jessica Alba. Not only will Elijah get to meet Ms. Alba but he will also get the opportunity to interview her live on the red carpet. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Last year, the Foundation granted 13,580 wishes to kids across the United States. A wish come true helps children feel stronger, more energetic and more able to battle their life-threatening medical conditions. For many of them, it marks a turning point in their fight against their illnesses.

Are You a Company That Is Socially Responsible Or a Socially Responsible Company?

2011-07-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Huh! What's the difference? That's what I thought when I heard about research done by social psychologists out of Stanford about the effects that a slight change of wording had on voting behaviors, a personal form of social responsibility.

In a survey, half of the group were asked whether it was "important to vote" versus the other half which were asked whether it was "important to be a voter". The group asked about being a voter, voted in a following election almost 30% more than the other group. The conclusion the researchers made was that a simple change in wording helps increase the voter's self concept, or as they suggested vanity, which led to an increase in that positive behavior.

Might the issue of self concept apply to businesses also? Plenty of companies might answer that, yes, it is important to be socially responsible. But is it more effective for a business to think of themselves as a socially responsible company? Look at how Indira Nooyi: CEO of Pepsi in a video clip from a former post defines PepsiCo: "I want Pepsi to viewed as a socially responsible business."

Sounds like playing with semantics, and yet think about it. This sounds more like pride and commitment than just vanity, and that commitment implies that social responsibility permeates through every strategic decision. Being thought of as a socially responsible company also brings about value to the company: values that permeate the culture; a great emplyee hiring and development tool (especially through volunteering); and a marketing advantage with customers who prefer to buy from socially responsible businesses.

I encourage companies to engage in social responsibility in any way they can, either through their community involvement, philanthropy, or through environmentally sustainable practices. Every little bit matters.

But choosing to be a socially responsible company throughout sets the bar to a greater height and creates value for the companies and their communities. What a slight change in wording can do!

Exploring Expertise: Verizon & Groupon Leverage their Competencies for Good

2011-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

In my conversations with the leaders of businesses large and small, I have been intrigued by a motif I see running through effective philanthropic endeavors, and it's a pretty basic one. I'm starting to realize that any organization is at its best when it relies on its core competencies to drive not just its bottom line, but its good works. In other words, what are the capabilities or routines that propel the success of your business? How can you spin those to promote a nonprofit or help a cause?

Let me offer a couple examples that caught my attention. I recently upgraded my phone with Verizon Wireless, and received a postage-paid envelope in the mail along with my new cell. The envelope encouraged me donate my old phone to HopeLine, a program that collects old mobile devices and repurposes them, keeping batteries and electronic waste out of landfills, but also donating thousands of the devices to victims of domestic abuse for emergency contact purposes. Verizon does this via a unique nationwide partnership with numerous domestic violence prevention organizations around the country.

And the core idea is such a simple one. With cellular technology evolving so fast, many of us upgrade our devices pretty quickly, and of course Verizon has a vested interest in this - they sell more phones that way. This trend must have laid an intriguing question before Verizon: how best to put all those old phones to use?

Consider another example. The hot business lately seems to be Groupon, the deal-of-the-day site that regularly features a pretty staggering area of discount offerings and coupon deals. But they've also got a secondary arm called G-Team that specializes in "Supporting Causes & Causing a Scene." According to Groupon, "G-Team campaigns range from ridiculous flashmobs to fundraisers that benefit local community organizations. Every G-Team campaign connects you with enough people to achieve something awesome that you couldn't have done alone."

After all, isn't that exactly what the business does? They leverage huge discounts from retailers by guaranteeing an assured quantity of customers, plus a generous helping of free promotion in the process.

From there, G-Team organizers must have asked themselves, how can we utilize this quantity discount model to help causes in our communities and abroad? One of the answers came just a few days ago, when G-Team partnered with several global hunger prevention organizations to offer a three-day Groupon campaign, encouraging small-dollar donations to benefit displaced refugees in Darfur. An anonymous donor offered to match the donations, ensuring that participants got that trademark Groupon savings by seeing their donation doubled.

The effort was a success, enabling the World Food USA's SAFE Stove Project to purchase thousands of clean burning stoves to help in cooking and spare women the laborious and often dangerous task of venturing outside their encampments for daily wood-gathering.

So next time you're brainstorming ideas for charitable giving, ask yourself, what does my organization already do better than others? How can we leverage these competencies for the benefit of our causes? Sometimes well-honed routines can give small ideas a big reverb effect.

Dear Small Business, Welcome To Our Community

2011-07-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

We are excited that you have brought a new business to our town and we’re glad to have you. In an interview with our local paper you said that as your company settles in, it will become involved in the community. You also said that your involvement will depend on what your people are passionate about. I congratulate you on your commitment to being socially responsible and helping to make your new community thrive.

Our community has many organizations that need help and so I can pretty well guess that already that you will be swamped with requests for help from every non-profit within striking distance of your new headquarters. Presumably, once you know what your passion is this will help determine which of these charities you will passionate about partnering with.

But how will you determine exactly what your people are passionate about? First, may I suggest that you determine whether your "people" is an all inclusive company group, or whether it is a committee, or just your top people. If you truly want to create your community involvement from passion, as much inclusivity as is possible from a practical point of view will create the most engagement.

Once you have sorted out the issue of who it is you want to involve, may I suggest a few steps to take to find your passion and create the action steps to execute a socially responsible plan that will deliver shared value to your company and the community.

Engage your employees in a dialogue that determines your company's values and creates a mission about which causes hold real meaning for your people. The more collective the vision, the more you engage them, the more engaged they will become. This is a process that can be facilitated in a variety if ways, either within your company or through an outside consultant trained in interactive facilitation methods.

Explore the opportunities within the community that are a best match with your company's values.

Study how some similar companies to yours in size, I am thinking companies like Give Something Back that have developed outstanding models for employee engagement in community involvement.

Define what "community" means to your company. Is it just the city the company is based in? Does it expand to the communities surrounding yours, where many of your employees live in?

Do you feel you a responsibility to the state, your country, or to the global community where many of your products reach?

Create a plan for community involvement that includes monetary donations,in-kind donations, employee volunteerism, with consideration to specific skills that your employees have that can be offered as pro-bono services.

These are a few ideas, but I am sure your talented and creative teams will come up with more, if you just give them the opportunity.

I look forward to seeing all the great things that will come out of this new relationship between you and our community.

Yours truly,
Your New Community

Heifer and Green Mountain Coffee: Partnering to Support Rural Growers

2011-07-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I introduced you to Heifer International, a global non-profit working to end hunger through a community-based approach to livestock donation. One of their most exciting enterprises of the moment is a partnership with Vermont-based gourmet coffee company Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, itself a business with a long track record of sustainable, fair trade, eco-friendly coffee production. The pairing may remind you of another corporate initiative I wrote about a couple months back, in which Pepsi worked with farmers in San Gabriel, Mexico.

The Heifer/Green Mountain partnership focuses on the Chiapas region, where coffee farmers deplete the income from their crop just prior to the rainy season, resulting in what is known as los meses flacos, or "the thin months," a period of extreme food scarcity and hunger.

Here Heifer and Green Mountain are aiding farmers in diversifying their food sources and income via Heifer's dynamic methodology. As the below documentary short illustrates, as demand for gourmet, sourced, high-quality commodities has increased globally, agricultural production has become increasingly specialized. While high coffee prices can be a boon for growers during the flush times of the year, their methods, land use and abilities leave them without a source of income for the thin months.

This is where Heifer and Green Mountain help. Because the buyers at Green Mountain have long fostered partnerships with supply-chain communities, including the cooperative involved here, known as the CESMACH, or the Campesinos Ecológicos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapas, they have the relationships necessary to assist Heifer in making livestock donations tailored to fit each community's unique needs, and also enhance their assets.

The cows, goats, fish or horses donated provide an alternative food source during the thin months, but they also enable community members to consider alternate business options. For instance, one pocket of communities within CESMACH has banded together to sell the honey produced by their Heifer-donated honeybees. During the upcoming season, they are estimated to produce and sell around nine tons of honey, raising thousands of dollars.

It's intriguing to see what kind of success can result from a partnership like this one, in which Green Mountain knows its agricultural partners, their needs and abilities, and Heifer boasts such an effective record of success.

For a little more discussion of their efforts, check out this brief documentary, called "After the Harvest," narrated by Susan Sarandon.

Heifer International: Making Living Loans Around the World

2011-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last summer, in advance of attending an old friend's wedding, I perused the gift registry set up by her and her fiancee. There I found a unique section that, in lieu of traditional gifts, requested donations to Heifer International. I had never heard of the organization, but I appreciated the other-oriented spirit they had shown in setting up the donation alternative on the registry, so I went ahead and donated. First, though, I read up on Heifer, and was fascinated by what I found. I don't think it's too much to say this group is one of the most dynamic global non-profits on the scene right now.
Their concept is pretty simple, but the implementation is quite a bit more nuanced. Heifer's model revolves around livestock donations made to needy communities around the planet, but first the organization begins with an analysis, done in conjunction with the recipients, asking hard questions like, "What resources does this community already have? What do they need? What sort of livestock or agricultural donation could help provide sustainability?"

From there, Heifer makes the appropriate donation, a "living loan" of a cow or goat that can provide milk, eggs, wool or draft power to the community. Heifer then facilitates training in the maintenance of this investment, as well as argroecology, techniques for environmentally sustainable natural resource management.

From there, the community continuously evaluates and refines its animal and land management practices in light of the benefits provided by the gifted animal. This is all done with the goal of "passing on the gift," a core facet of the Heifer approach, in which Heifer families become donors themselves by passing on the offspring of their animal to another family in need.

You can hear one Rwandan woman's "passing on the gift" story here, or read about a "passing on the gift ceremony" at the Tunayac Project in Guatemala over here.

At present, Heifer is sponsoring a dollar-for-dollar matching funds drive to benefit three large umbrella-style projects in Honduras, designed to help thousands of families improve nutrition and community income through donations of cows, hens, goats, fish and bees. Part of the initiative calls for a three-year program to support the country's micro economies and small businesses by facilitating the selling of surplus dairy, pollen, eggs and other food supplies. As you can see, Heifer has a pretty wide reach. Currently they're also supporting a children's orphanage in Latvia, developing sustainable communities in India, and helping to improve the resource access of local farmers in the Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas.

On Friday I'll put the "business" back into the story by talking about a new joint effort between Heifer and Green Mountain Coffee designed to support coffee-growers in Mexico.

Corporate President Uses His Passion To Raise Money For a Good Cause

2011-07-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Century 21 President and CEO, Rick Davidson, will take his love of climbing to new heights – the Alaska Mountain Range– where he and his five-member team will raise money for Easter Seals.

The Climb for Kids team’s goal is to ascend 30,000 feet of elevation over the course of eight days and raise $30,000 for children with autism, development disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. That’s $1 for each foot of elevation!

Their journey will begin in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 2; then the team will head north to Talkeetna and ascend to the summits of Mt. Eldridge and Explorers Peak. A third summit will be determined based on weather conditions and access from the Eldridge Glacier.

You can follow Rick and his team at the CENTURY 21 Facebook page where they’ll be posting live updates.Here is the press release about their adventure.

CENTURY 21 Real Estate Takes Its Commitment to Easter Seals to New Heights

2011 CENTURY 21 Climb for Kids Team will Ascend Alaska Mountain Range with Goals of Raising $1 for Each Foot of Elevation Climbed

CHICAGO, June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The CENTURY 21® System has been supporting Easter Seals for more than three decades, and this July, Rick Davidson, president and chief executive officer of Century 21 Real Estate LLC, will lead a five-member team through the Alaska Mountain Range to raise money for children with autism, development disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110401/MM76153LOGO)

The Climb for Kids team's goal is to ascend 30,000 feet of elevation over the course of eight days and raise $30,000 for Easter Seals. That's $1 for each foot of elevation! Visit the CENTURY 21 Easter Seals Champion Page to support the climb and "Like" the CENTURY 21 page at Facebook.com/century 21 to check out the team's live updates from the mountain.

"It's only fitting that Rick and the Climb for Kids team will be embarking on this awesome expedition over the Independence Day Holiday," says James E. Williams, Jr., president and chief executive officer, Easter Seals. "The CENTURY 21 System's generous support has been helping children and adults with disabilities gain greater independence for more than 30 years. CENTURY 21 brokers and agents are true Easter Seals Champions, having raised and contributed $102 million to Easter Seals since 1979."

Rounding out the team are four CENTURY 21 System members who will join Davidson on this extreme adventure, including:

Scott Becker, CENTURY 21 New Millennium
Greg Cornelius, CENTURY 21 NorthBay Alliance
Dennis Pysz, CENTURY 21 South America
Robert Struk, CENTURY 21 Curran & Christie

The Climb for Kids journey will begin in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 2; then the team will head north to Talkeetna and ascend to the summits of Mt. Eldridge and Explorers Peak. A third summit will be determined based on weather conditions and access from the Eldridge Glacier.

"The CENTURY 21 System's ongoing commitment to the community and our sole philanthropic partner is as strong as ever," said Rick Davidson. "The Climb for Kids is meant to help continue this incredible legacy of giving to such a fine and deserving organization. Let's help kids reach their own personal summits and live their lives with independence."

About Easter Seals
Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, physical and mental disabilities, and other special needs. For more than 90 years, we have been offering help and hope to children and adults living with disabilities, and to the families who love them. Through therapy, training, education and support services, Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work and play in their communities. Support children and adults with disabilities at www.easterseals.com or http://www.makethefirstfivecount.org/.

About Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Century 21 Real Estate LLC (CENTURY21.com) is the franchisor of the world's largest residential real estate sales organization, providing comprehensive training and marketing support for the CENTURY 21 System. The System is comprised of more than 7,900 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 71 countries and territories worldwide. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services.

What Can One Person Do? Activist Reveals How One Act of Community Service Can Spark Thousands More

2011-07-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Don’t tell Lisa Sellman that one person can’t make a difference. She knows better.

Sellman, a community activist and lifelong volunteer, recently learned how one act of kindness can set off a chain reaction that can span the globe.

“It just started out with me asking a regional pet food company for a donation of dog food for Red Lake Rosie’s in Minnesota,” said Sellman, a professional dog trainer and owner of a pet care business. “I called Solid Gold Northland, and one of the marketing managers there advised me that they were trying to increase the number of people who ‘liked’ them on Facebook, and that if I could get 40 new Facebook members to click on their ‘like’ button, they’d give me $200 worth of pet food.”

So Sellman, who currently volunteers for six different community groups, sent a message out to all her Facebook friends inviting them to Solid Gold Northland’s fan page on Facebook. Somehow, the invite made it to the Facebook page of The Patrick Miracle, a page devoted to the story of a two year old pitbull found by a janitor in a dumpster. Their Facebook page has charted over 109,000 “like” clicks from users. When the founders of the page posted Sellman’s invite, Solid Gold Northland received more than 2,000 new fans from all over the world in the course of about 48 hours.

“When I contacted them the next week, they were blown away by how quickly the response took off,” said Sellman, also author of the children’s book The Legend of the Wolves of Gunflint Lake (www.dreamcatcherpress.us), which contains the theme of the value of community service and which she hopes will serve to inspire others. “As a result of the combined outreach, Solid Gold Northland and Chuck and Don’s Pet Food Outlet have committed a donation of $2,000 worth of pet food, and I’ve helped to forge new friends from other countries who all care about the same things I care about. And it all started with a simple posting on Facebook because I wanted to help a local animal shelter. It’s been magical.”

Sellman’s simple act was a drop in the bucket compared to her schedule of volunteer activities. She works as an after school care volunteer at the Minneapolis Indian Center, a special events assistant at the Loft Literary Center, a volunteer marketing director for canine events at the Gunflint Lodge (the real location contained in her children’s book), and a trail staff assistant with Wilderness Inquiry, where she and her husband take disabled children and adults on outdoor adventures throughout the US. They’ve been volunteers with this organization since 1997.

“Although I work hard, I love being able to serve my community.” Sellman said. “The people in all the organizations I’m involved with, all share my values and my world view and they are my friends and my family. The people and the activities fill up my life with fun, joy and a purpose I could never have achieved any other way. It doesn’t mean that I think everyone should take the same path that I have. I know most people don’t have the time. My point is this: it only takes one simple act, one click of a mouse button to start a movement. It happened to me and it can happen to you. All you need to do is give it a shot.”

About Lisa Sellman

Lisa Sellman, owner and professional dog trainer at Aloha Pet Care & Dog Training, volunteers for half a dozen charitable organizations. She believes that community service is its own reward, a message that resonates throughout her new children’s book The Legend of the Wolves of Gunflint Lake.

Storytelling As a Great CSR Asset

2011-07-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Stanford Social Innovation Review is likely my top choice for great reading about social change efforts by the non-profit, for profit, and social venture sectors. A recent article by Dr John Brothers, a professor and non-profit consultant: How the Non-Profit Sector Is Misusing Its Greatest Asset,proposes that non-profits need to engage each other and their communities in the sharing of real stories about the real people that they have affected. They, and the non-profit community that includes foundations, need to convey the more tangible data related to their impact on the causes they serve.

My view is that this idea can extend to businesses and social ventures also, as they may have even better communications vehicles through which to spread the word about the causes that they support. Think of businesses that support charities and causes that do this well like Better World Books which we have written about before, that has live-time updates of how many books have been saved from landfills and how much has been donated towards literacy programs; or, Whole Foods that has fliers and posters with stories of real people who have been impacted by the micro-loans that Whole Foods Foundation has provided them with. Another example of great corporate CSR storytelling is Deloitte's documentary videos. Potential communication vehicles for businesses are: their own websites and social networking sites, newsletters, you tube videos, in-store promotional materials. And these vehicles are available to both large corporations and small businesses alike.

Yes, donations of money, time and services are valuable and necessary, but spreading the word by conveying these stories about needs and then communicating the data about their impact of the CSR programs, create a multiplier effect that can be far reaching. In many ways these may be the greatest assets businesses can use to create social change and promote social benefit.

UPS Keeps America Beautiful

2011-07-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

The UPS Foundation Awards Keep America Beautiful Affiliates with Community Grants

Thirteen Communities Receive Grants Totaling $130,000 for a Wide Array of Local Projects

STAMFORD, Conn. (June 14, 2011) – The UPS Foundation awarded 13 Keep America Beautiful (KAB) affiliates with $10,000 community improvement grants, each supporting programs across the country that address recycling, beautification and community greening, litter prevention and waste reduction. The projects will take place during 2011 and into early 2012.

The grant awards were presented to KAB affiliates in recognition of their volunteer initiatives with local UPS locations throughout the United States. UPS employee volunteers will actively support many of these merit-based award programs in their respective communities.

“The UPS Foundation is a leader in supporting and initiating volunteer engagement throughout the country,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful. “Keep America Beautiful values this partnership because we know our affiliates will make significant and sustainable differences in their respective communities with the help of these grants.”

“The local affiliates of Keep America Beautiful continue to come up with creative approaches to addressing environmental challenges,” said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation. “UPS and our employees are proud to see it happen and stand ready to support projects that improve the communities where we live and work.”

The winning KAB affiliates and a description of their UPS Foundation-supported projects are:

Keep Arizona Beautiful (KAZB), through its Oasis Beautification Project, is seeking to mitigate the cumulative impact of blight in the Lower Grand Avenue neighborhood of Phoenix and convert the Oasis Hotel into an affordable housing project, which will offer 60 one-bedroom and studio live/work residential units, with an emphasis on serving the needs of local artists. KAZB will also reseed community and pedestrian infrastructure in adjoining, public rights-of-way.

Keep Oakland Beautiful is supporting volunteerism through its Community Small Grant Program, which is providing small dollar amount grants to neighborhood groups. These projects are awarded to groups who propose creative and highly visible projects ranging from neighborhood park makeovers to beautification of entire median strips.

After recognizing the overwhelming need in the community to support revitalization efforts in the neglected community of Indiantown, Keep Martin (Fla.) Beautiful (KMB) plans to coordinate a series of improvements to 10 different structures in need of painting and minor structural improvements as part of its Indiantown Makeover.

Santa Rosa (Fla.) Clean Community System will create a Recycling Innovation Station at the site of the old firehouse in the county seat of Milton. This site will not only have recycling centers, but will show off recycled materials and give out recycling information at the park adjacent to the area.

The goal of KAB – Topeka/Shawnee County’s “No Children Left Inside” program is to help local youth realize how important Earth is and to create a legacy in future environmentalists through fun and educational lesson plans that would include outdoor activities for youth of all ages.

Keep Covington (La.) Beautiful plans to create a Covington Nature Trail at the Covington Recreation Complex. The project will include planting supplementary native trees along the trail as well as providing educational information about trailside native plant species.

The goal of the Senior Citizens’ Center Landscaping Project is to install landscaping, an irrigation system, benches, and raised handicap accessible planters a new Center, which was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Keep Slidell Beautiful will involve senior citizens by forming a 15-member Senior Citizen’s Green Team trained by local Master Gardeners to plant and mulch shrubs, perennials, and ornamental trees.

The Roundup Recycling Project will address the needs of Miles City’s local recycling facility at Eastern Montana Industries, a sheltered workshop employing individuals with developmental disabilities. Keep Miles City (Mont.) Beautiful will work with the facility to contain the recyclable materials and improve the area’s appearance by providing covered bins. Volunteers will prepare the area, local youth will participate in a contest to develop a portable mural for the area, new bins will be placed, new paint applied and unsightly signage will be replaced.

“Got Your Bags?” is a promotion for reusable bags at local grocery stores. Keep Lincoln & Lancaster County (Neb.) Beautiful will partner with small franchise grocery stores to increase the number of customers using reusable grocery bags and decrease the use of plastic bags at their stores.

Keep Beatrice (Neb.) Beautiful will restore 18.2 acres of grasses along the Big Blue River Trail to a high-diversity native-ecotype prairie restoration as part of the Big Blue River Trail Riparian Restoration. Staff and volunteers will return this historic area to a state more closely resembling what it looked like when the first settlers planted native grasses along the Big Blue River. This project would have the distinction of being first of many planned improvements in this area.

Keep North Carolina Beautiful aims to address the problem of uncovered truck loads, which accounted for 50 percent of North Carolina’s roadside litter and contributed to $14 million of litter removal costs to the state last year alone. The goal of Tarp Day is to reach, educate and activate convenience center or landfill users to properly secure their cargo with the distribution of free tarps administrated by the 31 local affiliates.

In an effort to raise the quality of life for Oklahoma City’s residents, Oklahoma City Beautiful is launching a “No Butts About It” cigarette litter prevention campaign. The objective of this program is to reduce the amount of cigarette litter in Oklahoma City by half. Cigarette receptacles will be placed in public parks in areas that smokers frequent; volunteers will distribute portable ashtrays; and a public education campaign will be utilized. Success will be measured based on the scans that a volunteer task force will perform before, during and after all aspects of the program are completed.

Keep Yankton (S.D.) Beautiful will use grant funds to landscape and re-purpose an existing storage building for community and public event use at Tripp Park. The plans for the Tripp Park Project include landscaping the park and encourage outdoor use and enjoyment of a well-used bike trail in a section of town with no such public gathering spaces.

About The UPS Foundation

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight, the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation, which celebrates its 60^th anniversary in 2011, is responsible for facilitating community involvement to local, national, and global communities. In 2010, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $95 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For more information, visit www.kab.org.

Project Open Hand: The Peanut Story

2011-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Readers of this blog know that I tend to be a culinary adventurer, and one of my current obsessions is San Francisco ice cream parlor Humphrey Slocombe, the kind of innovative and very offbeat place where you're more likely to find foodies gobbling down flavors like Strawberry Black Olive, Sour Cream and Prosciutto than, say, your typical Chocolate, Vanilla or Rocky Road.

Earlier this week, a tweet from Humphrey Slocombe caught my eye. It seems that the business has become a supporter of Project Open Hand, a non-profit that provides groceries and hot meals to HIV/AIDS sufferers, seniors and others with homebound illnesses throughout San Francisco and Alameda.

Recently, the chefs and volunteers in the kitchens of Project Open Hand noticed that the recent spike in food prices - particularly for a staple of theirs, peanut butter - had taken a big bite out of their resources, so they decided to try grinding their own peanut butter.

The crunchy, and surprisingly healthy, result became such a hit that neighbors, friends and volunteers started asking to purchase containers for their own use. Whole Foods and several local markets soon began stocking it at their stores, and Humphrey Slocombe made it the preferred peanut butter for use in zany ice cream flavors like FlufferNutter and Peanut Butter Curry. Now Project Open Hand Peanut Butter has become a popular staple at stores and businesses throughout the Bay Area. As you might guess, the bulk of the proceeds go back into funding Project Open Hand's services. Not a bad way to turn generate revenue and grow the organization, right?

Check out this fantastic documentary short about the peanut butter innovation:

How Benevity's "Spark" Transforms Workplace Giving

2011-06-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

More from my conversation with Jana Taylor of Benevity.www,benevity.org This time we talked more specifically about their newest product Spark, an online platform for employee giving and volunteering.

Employee engagement is a big buzz world for companies in general. It takes time to build that kind of engagement, to give employees a voice in a many areas of their worklife, but certainly not in workplace giving programs. Companies are asking employees to give and it is from their heart and yet they haven't been given the opportunity to express what it is they care about.

We have been around for three years now. Spark workplace giving has been around only for a short while. We are very interested in the whole concept of engaging employees in corporate philanthropy.

When we were talking to companies about how to engage their employees and consumers in giving Companies told us that they really like the idea of workplace giving and even told us what were the challenges.Some of the challenges that the companies have told us about is that they are struggling to deliver workplace programs that are truly engaging, that have broad adoption and generate interest with their employees.

Likewise on the employee side, there is quite a lot research that links giving with employee engagement. So they don't want to just give their money away to charity they want to engage their company employees in doing this. Employees have increasing expectations from their companies to help them give back and they also have increasing expectations that they live in a web based world . They want a seat at the table and they want to participate more proactively in giving back.

Unfortunately a lot of the programs that are in existence are really for status quo, check the box off kind of thing. But they are very top down, they don't even involve the passion of the employees. A lot of times they outsource programs to charity aggregators for the workplace giving programs, simply a digital touch form, That doesn't really align with the web based world their employees live in.

I think when companies look at their goals then,yes, they want to be good corporate citizens and they want to engage their employees, if they really want to boost their employee participation and engage their employees and move the needle on other employee related issues, When you look at the metrics on attracting, motivating and retaining of great talent, then they have to do workplace giving in a new way.

The tool that we built for employee giving and volunteering, it's called Spark. It allows the company a tool that is already built and it is a very engaging way to get employees involved with company volunteering and giving, and it can be done in a way that aligns with the companies charities that they support. Using Spark they can enable their employees to give to any registered charity and they can create any campaigns around individual charities or campaigns around funds. They can create the company fund, for whatever cause, a real time matching campaign where an employee can donate to any charity or to the company fund and the company can match that.

There is a reporting section within Spark that the administrators can see, where they can create reports on any different aspect of the programs and they can see the result of the campaigns so that they will be able to look at and track the metrics and success. And for employee giving a lot of companies have an internal or external employee engagement survey and where they can ask questions around how well they are we doing with employee engagement.

There are many ways the platform can be used and we continue to spark their imagination in terms of how it can be used. But there are specific opportunities and whenever a company uses the Benevity platform, so that is why we developed Spark on top of the Benevity platform, in a sense we built our own car on top of the engine.

Giving is personal, it is from the heart. People need a way to tap into supporting the causes that resonate with them personally. At the same time it gives companies the software that's their own brand. They can roll out their own program and at the same time have the ability to create the cause funds. They have the ability to create campaigns that align company giving with employee giving. It is an easy way to communicate with employees what causes the company supports.

It really inspires employees. One person told me recently that when she saw Spark it had shifted her thinking. She said the way that they had been doing it it was a chore and a process. Spark makes it more of an experience.

We are building a volunteering model that will give companies' opportunities to communicate internal or external volunteering opportunities and will be able to create campaigns around volunteering, where employees can then select the opportunities that resonate with them, create accounts and then track them. And for employee giving a lot of companies have an internal or external employee engagement survey and where they can ask questions around how well they are we doing with employee engagement.

Development team is working on right now the ability for companies to reward for volunteerism, with donor dollars in an employees account.

We are very passionate about helping companies with their corporate giving programs.

Benevity Helping Create Customer and Employee Giving Programs That Really Engage

2011-06-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of talking with Jana Taylor, marketing manager for Benevity, a certified BCorp, that has developed a software platform that helps businesses better engage their customers, employees and corporate partners in cause marketing and charitable giving. More recently, Benevity has also built another product, Spark which actively engages and tracks employee giving programs. Jana and all of the Benevity employees are passionate about how Benevity can help businesses achieve newer and more effective corporate giving and cause marketing programs.

Part I is a transcript of my interview with Jana which describes Benevity, its beginnings, and the vision for what it can do for the world of corporate giving and philanthropy. We will continue in Part II about the newer product, Spark, aimed at improving employee giving.

INNOVATIVE CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY PROGRAMS
We do a lot of things at Benevity helping businesses with corporate philanthropy, cause marketing initiatives, as well as employee volunteering initiatives where we have built a particular product called Spark. We are very interested in the whole concept of engaging employees in corporate philanthropy. We have been around for three years now. We are very passionate about helping companies with their corporate giving programs and helping them to do things differently.

We represent ourselves as a hybrid company in that we are a software company and a for profit company, but we have a social mission to help philanthropy and to give businesses a new perspective from the technology perspective to be shown how to implement their corporate giving programs in new and innovative ways.

THE BEGINNINGS

This is not just for the purpose of being new but also for the purpose of to be able to generate better returns both for the social impact and enabling greater contributions to the communities so that when they what to give back. But also from a business perspective, whether it is cause marketing or a giving initiative or an employee giving program, to really have a new technology to better help them measure the impact of that as well. Initially it has been an area that is becoming more important but also an area that as has been getting more scrutiny and we see it as having importance, because people are caring about giving back more and if you look at the research that we got from the Cone and the Edelman reports, whether it is on the consumer side or the employee side, people are thinking more than ever about giving back. So that is a change and the change in the companies in how they have to give back.

The founder is Bryan de Lottinville .He was not an original IT person but a lawyer. He basically was involved in a growth company as an executive. What prompted him was that he really wanted not to leave a legacy of just fixing companies , he was motivated to do more and when he was working as an advisor for a company that was looking at turning consumer loyalty programs into donor programs that's when he started thinking about cause marketing and philanthropy. He was looking at the perspective from his experience at IStock Photo, which was a company that had a very strong online community and really revolutionized and democratized that industry.

IMPROVING THE CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY LANDSCAPE

Soon when he was looking at corporate philanthropy he was looking at it from that lens. When he looked at the philanthropic landscape he saw so many problems such as the duplication in not for profit and the high cost of fund raising and the small percentage of donations that come from companies. As for democratizing philanthropy, it's great that there are giving plans and high net-worth individuals , but what about the person who can give only twenty dollars or two dollars and they don't the opportunity to make them feel that they've made a difference and how to build giving into the business.

That was the idea behind the Benevity platform. basically it is an engine that is embedded into individual transactions so that from a company's perspective they can engage consumers or employees in optimal charity of choice giving that under their brand.

CREATING A BRAND HALO EFFECT

Everyone here is very passionate about the idea of helping companies do this better, putting an 'x' through "that is how we have always done this " corporate giving programs and that includes cause marketing and employee giving programs. And giving them a way to do this differently and specially giving them a way to support charities and at the same to engage their employees and consumers in giving. Because one of the things that we also feel is needed is that, is in addition to where people are caring more about giving back , they are living in a world where personalization and empowerment and customization. Everyone has a profile in Facebook and Linked in and everyone knows that they can go online and order a custom made shoes from Nike.com, people are used to this world of personal empowerment. In addition to the fact that they lived in this web based world, they want to give back more and the ways that companies have been traditionally been them ways to give back,they are not really engaging them anymore. From the company's perspective, in addition to wanting to be a good corporate citizen, it is not completely altruistic. They also, with cause marketing, are also doing this because they want to engage their customers. They know they can create a brand halo effect.

What we are seeing is that there are so many ways for companies to do things better. The traditional cause marketing program where you have one company and one it really isn't engaging anymore.

IMPROVING THE CUSTOMER GIVING EXPERIENCE

I noticed in a consumer article that on the consumer side there is almost a skepticism, you see that increase prevalent in cause marketing. Yet you see the Cone and the Edelman reports that people want more cause marketing offers that are not satisfying. For example I went into a drugstore and they asked me if I wanted to donate to AIDS and I asked if the company was matching the donations and the employee didn't know. Which is too bad for her but which is also bad for the company.

We look at programs like that and we say, what if you gave your customers the ability to donate to their cause of choice, so if you want to donate to retailers X charity of one type or another charity they will match your donation.

And what if you could create your own personal foundation where these are the five charity that you or someone else cares about, instead of loyalty points you could redeem them for a donation to your charity. Those are the kinds of things that you could do from a cause marketing front with the Benevity platform.

HELPING COMPANIES DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Those are the kinds of things we are trying to help companies to do things differently.

Our platform is used in a number of different ways. It can be used in cause marketing initiatives, with e-commerce initiatives, with web based initiatives. Then we are starting to build products on top of our platform, specifically for workplace giving.

So when we went to companies to ask them about building the platform when it came to employee giving they told us that they want a pleasant solution. They didn't just want us to build the engine for the car they want us to build the engine.

So from the consumer side, if the company is using our platform they have a way to embed cause marketing into offers in a more flexible way. It enables them to embed a cause element into a product price, you buy this particular product x percentage goes to a particular charity of choice and by the way if you donate to a certain fund we will match that.Because it enables you to add optional charitable giving into your business model, you can then measure the impact of that . You can also track this and do an AB test, you can offer this product with a caused offer over a product without a cause offer you can then do a test. Or what if you do a cause with the company choosing cause versus the consumer choosing the cause.

GETTING EVIDENCE

What companies have told us is that it gets the community investment or their corporate philanthropy closer to their target. In the past the CEO is standing there with the big check and hoping that the word will get out. If you are doing cause marketing and if you are doing community investment, and you can get your customer involved in a matching program, then basically know whether it is effective or not. As a company we support, as an example let's say the environment, you can see whether it is compelling or not . Likewise instead if writing a big check to an environmental charity you can have a web based offer that if the consumer gives to that fund we will match that. You get the evidence whether one campaign is more compelling than the other.

Panera Cares: Paving the Way for "Pay What You Can"

2011-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

A good while back, I wrote a series of pieces on the emerging "pay what you can" business model, giving special attention to Panera Bread's first such restaurant, opened in early 2010 in a suburb of St. Louis. Then called St. Louis Bread Company Cares, now re-dubbed Panera Cares, the prototype cafe offered the popular chain's full menu of soups, coffees and sandwiches but encouraged customers to pay whatever they could afford for the meal. It seemed an ideal fit for these economically distressed times, and the past year has only further borne that out.

Now Panera Cares has proven such a success that the company has opened two more locations, one in Detroit and another in Portland, Oregon. All three cafes, run by a non-profit arm of Panera, turn a modest profit, which is donated to an employment program for at-risk youth. Earlier this week, Lucas Kavner over at the Huffington Post branded Panera Bread founder and chairman Ron Shaich their "Greatest Person of the Day" for spearheading the innovative and timely corporate effort.

As Kavner writes:

Panera plans to open a Panera Cares location every four months in the next year, and the company will serve at least half a million meals through the program. Ron says more locations will be established as long as his model continues to work.

"Imagine a world in which WalMart did all the distribution for food shelters," Ron said. "Or where Gap ran thrift stores or where Home Depot was involved more intimately in rebuilding communities. It all comes back to defining responsibility in corporations. We have to demand this of them."

Ahold USA's Cause Marketing Hits Triple Winner

2011-06-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ahold Hits Another 'Triple'

By Maggie Shea

Ahold USA's Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover chains kicked off their annual "Triple Winner" cause marketing program in April.
The campaign, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research, enlists the participation of numerous brands and is promoted extensively in stores. (See "Ahold Chains Spring ..." in Related Articles.) The program benefits The Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins Sidney Cancer Center, the Children's Cancer Foundation and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
This year's effort again leverages Stop & Shop's sponsorship of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and Giant's similar pact with the Baltimore Orioles, while adding the New York Yankees to the mix for Stop & Shop's Metro New York stores. From April 15 through July 14, shoppers who donate $1 at checkout receive a scratch-off game ticket awarding instant prizes ranging from $10,000 (to two winners) to $2 (to 12,000); store gift cards in denominations of $20, $10 and $5 (9,125 in total); and free product from more than 200 participating brands.
The participating brands are identified at-shelf with special tags bearing the "Triple Winner" logo. The lengthy lineup includes Procter & Gamble's Olay; Kimberly-Clark's Kotex; Clorox Co.'s Glad; Campbell Soup Co.'s Campbell's; Nestlé's Edy's and Purina; ConAgra Foods' Marie Callender's; Boehringer Ingelheim's Zantac; PepsiCo's Gatorade and Lipton; and Johnson & Johnson's Aveeno.
For at least the sixth straight year, Nestlé's Edy's Grand provided a special overlay to the program. The ice cream brand joined with Stop & Shop in the New York area for a day of in-store product sampling, and also pledged five cents from each sale of three select SKUs from April 15 through June 9 to Memorial Sloan-Kettering.
In addition to ceiling banners, stanchion signs and other P-O-P materials, promotion for the campaign includes circular features and home-page leaderboard ads.
Stop & Shop has been staging the "Triple Winner" program since 1991. (See "Stop & Shop Stages Jimmy Fund Drive.") Giant-Landover adopted it in 1995.

Key Travel Teams Up With Action Against Hunger

2011-06-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Key Travel, a leading supplier of travel to the not-for-profit sector, is delighted to announce that humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger has been chosen as its Charity of the Year.

Key Travel staff voted for one of three shortlisted charities to become their Charity of the Year. Action Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organisation with life-saving programmes in over 40 countries, came out top as the employees’ chosen charity.

Key Travel staff across the country will take part in various activities throughout the year to raise vital funds for Action Against Hunger. Money raised by Key Travel staff will help the organisation to save the lives of malnourished children around the world and provide communities with safe drinking water and sustainable solutions to hunger.

Steve Summers, Chief Executive of Key Travel, says: “Key Travel is delighted to be able to support Action Against Hunger in its global fight against malnutrition. Our staff have an excellent track record for raising money for charity and I am sure that they are looking forward to applying themselves in support of this very worthy cause.”

Jean-Michel Grand, Executive Director of Action Against Hunger, says: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Key Travel staff as their Charity of the Year. Our teams are working tirelessly to save the lives of malnourished children around the world and we are helping five million people every year. Our partnership with Key Travel is a great opportunity for us to work together to fight child malnutrition and help to put an end to world hunger.”

Action Against Hunger is currently responding to the humanitarian emergency at the Libya - Tunisia border as well as supporting families in Ivory Coast as they rebuild their lives following the recent crisis. For more information about Action Against Hunger visit www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk

Key Travel is the UK’s leading Travel Management Company (TMC) dedicated to the not-for-profit sector and specialises in getting charity and humanitarian workers to difficult places in a safe and cost-effective way. For more information about Key Travel visit www.keytravel.com

ING and MTM Technologies Partner to Donate Computers to Common Pantry in New York City

2011-06-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

ING Financial Services, Inc. and MTM Technologies presented the Yorkville Common Pantry (YCP) with $150,000 of new computer equipment and services, providing New York City’s largest community-based food pantry with technology upgrades to help strengthen its mission of reducing hunger.

The donated equipment includes 28 computer workstations, three network printers and two computer servers. The comprehensive system overhaul will make the YCP more technologically advanced than many large and medium-sized corporations, enabling staff to more efficiently perform tasks such as business accounting, ordering supplies and inventory control.

Elaine Clark, Managing Director of Corporate Communications for ING, and who also serves on the Board of Directors for YCP, said, “The Yorkville Common Pantry serves a vitally important function for thousands of New Yorkers and ING is extremely pleased to have been able to facilitate MTM’s generous donation of computer equipment and services that will help to enhance the organization’s operational efficiency.”

“MTM’s donation is reflective of our goal to be responsible corporate citizens and supportive of important charitable causes,” said Steven Stringer, President and CEO of MTM Technologies. “The Yorkville Common Pantry is dedicated to improving the lives of New Yorkers and we are proud that our technology and services will help further this important goal. MTM’s suppliers, including Cisco, Citrix, NetApp, Ingram Micro, Wyse, Microsoft, Appsense and Trend Micro, helped make this initiative possible through donations of time and equipment and we greatly appreciate their assistance and support.”

Stephen Grimaldi, Executive Director of the YCP, said, “We are extremely thankful to MTM for providing us with this substantial donation, which will greatly improve our efficiencies and ultimately help us provide more assistance to New Yorkers in need. We serve more than two million meals annually and offer a range of educational programs and homeless services, highlighting the importance of this substantial technology package. The YCP is also grateful to ING for connecting our organization with MTM and helping to make this donation a reality.”

MTM Technologies serves as an Information Technology vendor to ING. Through its relationship with the company MTM learned of the technology needs of the YCP. MTM visited the YCP and has subsequently committed to not only updating the organization’s equipment, but also to performing a revamp of its entire information technology system.

About ING Group
ING is s a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services. As of 31 March 2011, ING served more than 85 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 40 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 105,000 people, ING is dedicated to setting the standard in helping our clients manage their financial future.

About ING Commercial Americas
ING Commercial Americas, a division of global financial services company ING Group, conducts a wide range of international financial services, offering corporate finance, financial markets, debt capital markets, corporate and structured lending, and M&A advisory services. ING Commercial Americas provides in-depth client coverage, local knowledge and product expertise in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the USA.

About MTM Technologies
MTM Technologies is a leading national provider of innovative IT solutions and services to Global 2000 and mid-size companies. Partnered with the top-tier technology providers and with offices from coast to coast, our unique solution-based methodology, combined with our experience and expertise, has enabled thousands of industry-leading organizations to effectively address their business needs, optimize the returns on their IT investments, mitigate risk, and focus on growth and profitability. Additional information is available at http://www.mtm.com.

About the Yorkville Common Pantry

The Yorkville Common Pantry (YCP) is dedicated to reducing hunger while promoting dignity and self-sufficiency. YCP champions the cause of the hungry through food pantry and meal distribution programs, nutrition education, basic hygiene services, homeless support, and related services. YCP’s community based programs focus on East Harlem and other underserved communities throughout New York City. More information is available at http://www.ycp.org.

GiveBackMail Launches First Email Service that Donates to Charity

2011-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

GiveBackMail Donates to the causes users care about every time they use email

Los Angeles, CA May 23, 2011 Over the last decade, we have seen a dramatic change in philanthropy and today, with the launch of GiveBackMail, another significant milestone has been reached.

Lets face it, almost everyone uses email. But that is all they are doing sending, receiving and in turn creating a huge profit for services like AOL, Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. Instead, what if you could use your email to providemeals for the hungry, clothes for the poor, shelter for the homeless or even funding for cancer research?

Philanthropy is no longer just for the super wealthy. While billionaires such as Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett along with Michael Bloomberg, Vinod Khosla and Mark Zuckerberg have brought philanthropy to the limelight recently with movements like The Giving Pledge, where close to 70 billionaires have committed to give away at least half oftheir wealth to charity, GiveBackMail has made it possible for us all, regardless of how much time or money we have, to get involved and give back.

Because billionaires represent less than .00000018% of the world population, GiveBackMail took a technology that the majority of us already use everyday and created a way for ordinary people to make a positive impact on the causes that matter most tothem.

People are looking to make a difference and we have provided email users with a way to give back even if they dont have the resources available. GiveBackMail empowers its users to make the world a better place by doing something they already do using email, Rambod Yadegar, Co-Founder of GiveBackMail said. Email is the most active area of Internet usage and in 2010 alone there were over 2.96 billion active email accounts, so we knew that going in this was an area we could make thebiggest impact. What really separates us from other email service providers is allowing our users to give back to the causes they care about most. Together, we can absolutely make a measurable, positive impact on the world."

GiveBackMail is secure, easy-to-use and donates a quarter of its profits directly to the selected causes its users care about. Additionally, GiveBackMail is compatible with all major POP3/IMAP email providers and offers users advanced features not often found in free email platforms, such as:

Keep your current email address
Large file attachments up to 100MB
Unsend button
Social network and music feeds
Manage multiple accounts works with AOL, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Gmail and all other POP3/IMAP accounts
Preview attachments without downloading

Join the GiveBackMail movement by May 31, 2011 to nominate your favorite cause to be a recipient of GiveBackMail donations. Register at https://www.givebackmail.com/Register

About GiveBackMail
GiveBackMail is a free email service that creates positive change around the world by donating to the causes users care about every time they use their email. You can keep your current email address and still take advantage of impressive features including sharing large files up to 100MB, managing multiple accounts, previewing attachments and viewing all your social media feeds within your email platform. GiveBackMail was developed to empower people who want to help charities, but dont have enough time or money to do so. GiveBackMail launched in May 2011 and is compatible with all existing email platforms. For a superior, simple, secure and socially conscious email system, visit www.givebackmail.com.

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/givebackmail

Vodacom Superstar: Fusing Entertainment With Global Social Good

2011-05-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Can entertainment be a vehicle for social good? I've written often on this blog about the emerging fourth sector of the economy, comprised of companies who allocate their capabilities and profits toward the benefit of their community and the world. Could such a model take root in the world of media as well?

Consider this intriguing philanthropic effort spearheaded by R&B superstar Akon and his partner Nickie Shapira, entrepreneur and CEO of Akonic Entertainment, their full-service entertainment company with a global focus. Together Akon, of Senegalese descent, and Shapira have created Vodacom Superstar, a sort of African answer to American Idol, all designed to support emerging singers and potential recording artists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, traditionally a center for musical talent on the continent.

As Shapira told me, "The genesis of Vodacom Superstar was born out of our desire to develop and highlight the talented youth in DR Congo. We saw the attention that DRC was getting from the USA community. However, all of it was focused on showing the horrible effects of war, and we wanted to show another face of the country."

An energetic, youth-driven talent competition in the popular vein, Vodacom Superstar began its second season in March after a wildly popular first season during which episodes ran on five of the top television channels in the country, re-airing night after night until the next episode's premiere, captivating the nation all the while.

The winner of season one, Innocent, claimed a $25,000 prize, plus the chance to record a single with Akon. The track is expected to drop in Congo on June 11th when a second season champion is crowned. You can check out Innocent's finale performance right over here.

Ultimately, though, the show is about exposure, not just for the winner but for all of the contestants, and even the judges and vocal coaches, several of whom have landed their own recording opportunities.

As you might imagine, the rigors of such a production are many. The show is shot entirely on location in DR Congo, a country with little television production infrastructure, where the American crew must cope with electrical outages, transportation problems and a host of other logistical challenges.

But the presence of the show in that nation has been a boon not just for the artists beamed onto television screens around the country, but also for a whole host of ancillary retailers and local businesses, makeup artists, hair stylists getting a chance to develop their skills and grow their own ventures.

Most striking, the venture is solely focused on its agenda of social good. Says Shapira, "In its entirety, the show is a philanthropic endeavor. Akon doesn't make money on the show. We don't turn a profit from the show as a production company. The idea is to develop the musical talent in Congo. Just as philanthropists in our country's history thought it important to foster the arts, it is important for us to help this country that had its first democratic election in 2006 and is emerging after years of war. We are cultivating a new generation of stars."

Subway Restaurants Take a Bite Out of Hunger

2011-05-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Subway restaurants chain's community project has taken on the cause of two social issues: hunger and obesity, with a unique marketing campaign Fit to Fight Hunger. Nearly 1600 restaurants in California, Hawaii and Utah will be participating in this piggyback type campaign, hoping to raise awareness for the rising needs of local food banks, while also promoting their low fat Subway Fresh Fit sandwiches and encouraging customers to make healthier eating choices.

This marketing campaign will be run in these three states with advertising in broadcast and print media and on their website, You Tube and Facebook. Fit to Fight Hunger provides information with some of the harsh statistics of hunger in the communities along with a listing of the food banks that they are supporting with their donation of over $100,000.00. There is an invitation to customers to join Subway in fighting hunger by supporting any of the 20 local food banks listed with donations of food, money, and time.

Here's what I liked about this campaign-

Subway does not tie-in buying their sandwiches with their donations to the cause. This makes their donation to the food banks philanthropic and not based on any surge of customer spending.

While their intentions are to market their healthy line of sandwiches, they are piggybacking their advertising dollars to spread the word about the cause and to create awareness for the food banks.

There purpose seems truly to be to educate and inspire customers to join them in helping the
cause by providing information about locations of local food banks.

There is no mention of which Subways are participating and which are not, so there is no perceived self interest of tying-in sales to their giving.

On the other hand- I have been to several of the restaurants this last week and have seen no mention of the Fit to Fight Hunger campaign, which means they are not directly reaching the customers. I wonder whether Subway could do more to help to promote this cause within their restaurants. While on the website they invite others to join them in fighting hunger, they do not provide any additional support for the customer to become involved other than their invitation. Finally, there is no way to assess the impact of the campaign on increasing donations to food banks. Ads are great but often forgotten.

Subway seems to be trying to makes this as clean cut a cause marketing program as possible
without mingling motives, an often problematic issue in cause marketing.

Besides, just the fight against obesity by providing low fat, yet delicious fast food is to be applauded.

t

National Small Business Week and Small Business CSR

2011-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well -I didn't get my wish. Last year I wrote about my hope, (I hope you read this one, as it's one of my favorites,) that this year's National Small Business Week conference would include something about Social Responsibility and/or philanthropy in their agenda as important contributions to small business growth. This year there will be two presenters who come from the social venture and non-profit sectors: Seth Goldman of Honest Tea and Steve Case from the Case Foundation. Otherwise no mention in the schedule of the burgeoning trends of social ventures, cause marketing, and strategic philanthropy.

Small businesses have been hit hard by the recession and many of them are looking for more ways to survive and to be profitable. The conference is providing small businesses with wonderful learning opportunities and the support to help build their small businesses. Businesses may feel they have little to give when they are struggling to survive, so it makes sense for the conference to focus on topics about how to build small businesses.

In spite of the downturn, many small businesses have continued their support of their communities and have adopted more sustainable green practices and have engaged in small business cause marketing. see Why Giving is Good For Business and Patriotic . In addition, an ever increasing number of the hybrid social ventures, many of which we have written about, are popping up and have started up in this last year or two.

These businesses need business advice too, some of which could be general to all start ups and some of which need to be addressed the the specific hybrid form they take if they are supporting charities. As for marketing, while many large companies are dedicating their marketing dollars to go directly to cause marketing ,as they know that customers are seeking to support companies that give back.

This kind of knowledge and advice would be useful for small businesses to have so they too can take advantage of the cost savings as a result of their green practices, can reap the many benefits of giving back to the community, and can experience the rewards from partnering with a cause as part of their marketing strategy. Maybe all of this will make it on the agenda in 2012.

Happiness,Wellbeing,and Flourishing in the CSR Workplace

2011-05-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Studies have shown that personal happiness increases with personal philanthropy and volunteerism. If so, then that logic can be extended to corporate giving, meaning that employees could experience an increase in well-being from their company's giving and volunteer programs as part of their involvement in CSR.

The latest trend in studies and books on happiness has come from the new field of positive psychology founded by Martin Seligman, of The University of Pennsylvania. Martin Seligman first came out with his landmark book "Learned Optimism" followed by several others including "Authentic Happiness". As president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, he initiated a whole movement in looking at and studying human behavior by focusing on positives with the goal of increasing them, rather than focusing on correcting the negatives.

Martin Seligman has more recently rejected the word “happiness” for the broader term, well-being or “flourish" with his new book: Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being and How to Achieve Them.

Various organizations most notably the Gallup organization, have been measuring wellbeing in different levels of societies for countries, state and cities. Positive Organizational Studies have cropped up in graduate schools to address the impact of a variety of organization behaviors on well-being in the workplace. No one, as yet, to my knowledge, has measured the effect of CSR and employee volunteerism on employee well-being, with the exception of one area. We have noted several reports and studies on the positive effects of CSR on employee in regards to hiring and retention.

Could that mean that employees that are involved with their company’s CSR in the form of workplace giving programs or volunteering also experience well-being and flourish within their jobs?

The answer to that is worth exploring further and is to be continued….

The Hybrid of Business and Philanthropy

2011-05-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Now there are more and more businesses in their own right that have sprung up out of the need for funding a specific non-profit which Inc.Com recently defined as a "hybrid social venture business model." I used to walk by thrift shops like Goodwill and others like it that support their non-profit, without my giving much thought to the business model and how well it works. These types of businesses, like the Goodwill Stores which are part of the autonomous non-profit entity,Goodwill Industries, are as hybrid sounding an entity as possible, in my mind.

Inc.Com also used another classic example, Mozilla Firefox, which was created to help fund the Mozilla Foundation, as well as some more examples of recent hybrid startups of this type, Story Pirates and Parent Earth. These hybrids are truly that in that they take a variety of organizational structures, some legally more linked to the non-profit than others.

We have featured several of these "hybrids" here too, such as: the SF clothing store, A Miner Miracle, that supports the non-profit of the same name -and the gift card company, Charity Choice Gift Card, that supports the Special Kids Fund.

Inc.com rightly describes the many challenges that these hybrids face mainly separating the financial and tax structures.

What we have seen in these hybrid social ventures is that there are many other challenges, the biggest one being that the business must be in the business of making profits first. This means that they must meet the payroll, pay the vendors, meet their rent, manage their employees, market their service or product and many other aspects of starting and running good business. Hopefully what is left over from their revenues then goes to the charity.

There are rewards too, as the article pointed out: "You can have cake and save whales."The most important one being that the business has been started with a purpose and those working at the company have meaning built into the job description.

But that comes with a caveat, I think, You have to make the cake and sell it first.

Tēvolution Partners Up

2011-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I introduced you to Tēvolution, a beverage company that donates one quarter of each iced tea sale, letting the consumer "track the impact" of the contribution via a personalized dashboard on their website. As you'll also notice on their site, the Tēvolution team keeps their nonprofit partners front and center.

I recently asked Tēvolution co-founder Ian Simpson about the selection process he and partner Gerard Artavia used in choosing recipient organizations. He was quick to credit Tēvolution's strategic adviser for nonprofit relations, Lisa O'Brien, who helped design the nonprofit strategy and establish key early relationships with nonprofits.

They built their donation structure around a three-tiered model of "Food & Shelter," "Education" and "Health & Wellness." Says Simpson, "We arrived at those categories because they were the ones that meant the most to us. We wanted to go with strong, growing nonprofits with a national footprint but local impact. We were looking for partners with causes we got excited about, and that were looking to grow as we grew."

Having just launched earlier this year, Tēvolution is currently working with four organizations. First, they have partnered with Jumpstart, a national organization dedicated to early-childhood education, which trains volunteers and students to tutor and mentor children in low-income communities. Also, there's Project Night Night, which provides emotional support to homeless families by delivering "childhood essentials" like books, toys and blankets to homeless children, as well as Bear Necessities, a pediatric cancer foundation that offers an array of support services and financial grants to families of seriously ill children. Finally, there is the National Brain Tumor Society, one of the nation's leading research and patient services organizations, supporting victims of brain cancer and their families.

As Ian Simpson recently told me, Tēvolution this week made its very first round of donations to each of these four organizations, these contributions being for Q1 2011. Now he and his partners are looking forward to seeing those numbers grow in the coming months. Think on that as you twist the cap.

Tēvolution: Tracking the Impact

2011-05-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

As attitudes toward giving continue to evolve, plenty of businesses claim to support charities or non-profits with a chunk of their proceeds, but do you ever find yourself wondering how those dollars and cents get spent? How often are you able to follow up, to really learn the details? A new beverage company, Tēvolution, has addressed just that problem by allowing customers to trace the path of their contribution straight to the cause it's helping to fund.

As Ian Simpson, who co-founded Tēvolution with Gerard Artavia, described it to me, "Customers want to know where their dollars are going. For so long we've heard things like, 'a portion of the proceeds go to charity,' and we thought, 'What portion? How much? What if people knew exactly what their purchase led to?'"

And so they conceived of a concept to do exactly that, dubbing it "Track Your Impact." For every bottle of their four flavors of iced tea sold, Tēvolution donates a quarter to one of its non-profit partners, encouraging the customer to take part in the process by peeling the label off the bottle to reveal a unique four-digit numerical code, which allows them to follow their donation at TrackYourImpact.com.

As we've seen with many socially conscious businesses, Tēvolution uses social networking to augment the process in some really fun and innovative ways. Customers can create an account to track the charitable proceeds of their purchases. Says Simpson, "Now we give customers a dashboard on our website, and they can link their Facebook and Twitter accounts to share their giving with their friends. So it's not just personal - it's social, and that's great for our nonprofit partners as well. The upside for customers is an added layer of authenticity: by drinking and posting, they tell their friends that they believe in what we do, are proud to be a part of it, and want others to see and know about it. We're cultivating a community of supporters and advocates, which grows as we expand to new stores and locations."

Encouraging that level on involvement on the part of the customer is a smart move. The Tēvolution network informs them where and how their donations are being spent, building awareness for the nonprofits, but also leveraging social media to spread the message of the core brand, which is beneficial to their causes, and heck, a clever way to sell more iced tea. It's another reminder that what is good for the community can still, at the end of the day, be good for the bottom line as well.

Hop over to their site and have a look around. The concept is novel and the tea is delicious. On Wednesday I'll be back to take a closer look at a few of Tēvolution's nonprofit partners.

CSR Takes on the War for Talent

2011-04-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

I love following Elaine Cohen's blog because of her insightful posts and book, CSR For HR, (reviewed here earlier) about the increasingly important relationship between CSR and HR domain issues. Recently she wrote about the importance of CSR as a recruiting tool, Recruiting for Purpose.

There has been a lot of news lately about poaching for top talent going on in Silicon Valley, where I live. There has also been great news about the improved job market for this year's 2011 college graduates. As the economy improves and more and more employees are expecting their companies to be socially responsible, one of the weapons in the "War for Talent" that may become more significant will be the company's commitment to social responsibility, community engagement, and philanthropy.

I engaged in a bit of poaching myself here from Elaine's post, the terrific YouTube video of Charlie Rose speaking with Indira Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi Co and William Green, Chairman of Accenture. Here are their answers to Charlie Rose's question: '"In the 'war for talent', do you think an explanation of your commitment to the societal question is an important and decisive factor whether someone chooses to come to work for you?"

Indira Nooyi:

"It the most important deciding factor. They agree to come for one reason that they want be part of the Performance for Purpose."

William Green:

"76% of new recruits by their third question ask about corporate responsibility."

Right now none of the poaching news stories indicated that employees went over to other companies for CSR reasons. But if HR departments can be more conscious about the potential of baking CSR into their recruitment message and their job offers, they may win over top talent by reinforcing the cycle of companies caring about becoming more socially responsible, for a variety of good reasons.

“Meals for Moms” Campaign Helps Feed Seniors and Lift Spirits

2011-04-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

Meals On Wheels and Gallo® Family Vineyards team up to help end hunger among senior women in honor of Mother’s Day

ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 18, 2011) - The Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is launching its second annual Meals for Moms campaign to raise awareness of homebound senior moms facing the threat of hunger this Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 8th). Individuals can visit www.MealsForMoms.org to send a message of hope to a lonely and homebound senior mom or send an e-card to a special woman in their life. With the help of the official sponsor, Gallo® Family Vineyards, the campaign’s goal this year is to send 50,000 messages. All funds raised will go into the Meals for Moms Fund to help Meals On Wheels programs feed homebound senior moms around Mother’s Day next year.

“Most of us are very lucky to know the love of a mother. They are the ones who raised us and often prepared our meals. Now, too many of them are alone and hungry,” said MOWAA President and CEO, Enid Borden. “They deserve better, and that is why this campaign is so very important. Our moms need us.”

MOWAA-sponsored research reveals that a staggering six million seniors are facing the threat of hunger in America, and the numbers are growing. The majority of those seniors are women. Gallo Family Vineyards is a family-owned winery and understands the importance of family, sharing the firm belief that the world is a better place when we don't just take care of our own families, but take care of each other.

“We are proud to join MOWAA in its mission to feed more senior women,” said Stephanie Gallo, Vice President of Marketing at E&J Gallo Winery. “It’s important to find ways to give back. Working with Meals On Wheels is just one of the ways we’re trying to make our community better.”

At www.MealsforMoms.org, visitors can choose from a variety of flowers – including roses, tulips, and lilies – for the virtual bouquet they select to send with a message. Here are just a few examples of the thousands of messages sent to homebound moms across the country last year:

“Happy Mother's Day. Although we cannot meet, I am here caring for you in spirit.”

“I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day! We all know its not easy raising a child and all mothers should get some credit for doing such an important job! So, happy Mother’s Day!”

“Mothers are special! I wouldn't be today the person I am if it wasn't for my great Mother (and Grandma too)! Happy Mother's Day. Hugs & kisses to all.”
About Meals On Wheels Association of America
The Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest national organization in the United States representing those programs that provide meals to people in need. MOWAA’s mission is to end senior hunger by 2020. To obtain more information about MOWAA or to locate a local Meals On Wheels program, visit the MOWAA website at www.mowaa.org.

About Gallo Family Vineyards
Gallo Family Vineyards has been family owned and operated for over 75 years, and the Gallo Family stands behind the quality of every bottle with our Best Taste Promise. Our family of wines (suggested retail price of $4.99 for 750-ml bottles, $8.99 for 1.5-liter bottles, $5.99 for 187-mL four-pack) includes fourteen fruit forward, approachable styles at an affordable price: Chardonnay, Moscato, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel, White Merlot, Blush Noir, Sweet Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hearty Burgundy, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Café Chardonnay and Café Zinfandel. For more information visit www.gallofamily.com or call 1-877-425-5696

We are Meals On Wheels
...so no senior goes hungry®

Is Starbucks Free Coffee on Earth Day Really Cause Marketing?

2011-04-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

It’s Earth Day today and how could anyone on the internet miss it? Just check out Google’s cute green logo for the day, or on Twitter and Facebook the uncountable number of #earthday hashtags. One of the largest group of tweets,( my current count for just the last hour was 200), were about Starbucks giving free cups of coffee or tea to anyone who brings their own reusable mug.

As I dashed off to meet a friend, I grabbed two coffee mugs, one for her and one for me to take to the nearest Starbucks and I stopped to think about the consequences and the benefits and the balance between the two, that his type of promotional/ cause marketing may bring about and whether this actually is cause marketing. Several cause marketing pro's, like Joe Waters that writes about a partnership and like wikipedia which defines it as :

Cause marketing or cause-related marketing refers to a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a "for profit" business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit.

Basic definition of cause marketing is defined by Business Dictionary.com

"Joint funding and promotional strategy in which a firm's sales are linked (and a percentage of the sales revenue is donated) to a charity or other public cause. However, unlike philanthropy, money spent in cause related marketing is considered an expense and is expected to show a return."

HMM! No joint funding, no cooperative efforts between Starbucks and a non-profit, no partnership. So can it be called cause marketing? Well certainly there is marketing and there is a related cause. So now let's look at the benefits to both.

Benefits to the cause:Raising Awareness of Earth Day and about the environment.
Eliminates waste by diminishing the use of paper cups
Inspires other businesses to follow its example by celebrating Earth Day, thus creating a viral effect impact.
Customers feel good about feeling they are part of the cause.
Starbucks lends credibility to the cause because they are a big corporate name.

Benefits to the business: (or return, as stated above)
Creates goodwill for Starbucks for the future
Brings in more sales that day for other products.
Brings in new customers for the future.
Creates awareness about other Starbucks environmental causes

This definitely isn't philanthropy either yet there is a huge expense to Starbucks and with that comes the following downsides:
It costs a lot to give away the extra drinks.

It brings freeloaders that don’t care about the cause
The environmental impact of the extra water and energy used to make the free drinks might offset the environmental benefits.

Most likely Starbucks has assessed the cost benefit of this cause marketing campaign both for their business and for their cause. But in the end they have brought themselves a lot of great publicity by essentially throwing a big celebration in honor of a cause that they really do care about.

Grameen Danone and the Rise of the Social Business Enterprise

2011-04-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last week you'll recall I linked to Stephanie Strom's New York Times article profiling a new PepsiCo venture that sponsors the local cultivation of corn in a small Mexican community, decreasing the environmental impact of crop transportation, and creating an economic boon for the impoverished nearby community. Strom's piece included a fleeting reference to an earlier enterprise spearheaded by French food conglomerate Groupe Danone. That aside caught my interest, and I decided to dig up some further details on the Danone program, an innovative prototype that, as it turns out, warranted the further attention.

As you probably know, Groupe Danone is a heavyweight multinational food-products corporation, specializing in dairy, baby food, bottled water, and a variety of other products, comprising a multitude of brands you'll recognize - Volvic, Evian, Activia and others. Here in the United States, many of the Groupe's products retail under a more familiar name: Dannon.

In late-2005, the corporate heads of Danone sat down with Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, a Bangladeshi community development organization specializing in microfinance. Yunus, who shortly went on to win the 2006 Nobel Prize in Economics, had pioneered a group-based credit model designed to give small, collateral-free loans to the poor, stimulating the growth of new businesses in the Third World. As a result of that meeting, Danone joined Yunus and his "Bank of the Poor" in launching Grameen Danone, an innovative "social business enterprise" which functions as a non-loss, non-dividend community-based business designed to invest in a cause-related product, then reinvest all profits back into further growth of the core organization.

In this case, Grameen Danone's cause was child nutrition in Bangladesh, and the product was a vitamin-fortified full cream yogurt, dubbed Shakti Doi, tailored to provide kids with much-needed nutrients. The tale of the yogurt's development is a fascinating one, as too is the story of Grameen Danone's trial-and-error financial evolution.

The novel facet, though, is this: investors collect no dividends from their profits; rather those funds are reinvested to promote the growth of the core business. In addition to addressing child nutrition, the Grameen Danone brand relies on locally-developed ingredients, resulting in increased job opportunities, business development for its various subsidiaries, and environmental protection.

The Grameen Danone model is one that's been copied since its inception, deservedly so. It provides a vivid example of the potential reach and innovation possible for corporations willing to partner with a local cause and champion a profit-neutral business with the potential to open, as well as elevate, new markets.

Pepsi Hits the Farm

2011-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Could it be that global philanthropy is poised to become the new vogue? You may have seen this recent article from the New York Times which examines a pioneering venture between PepsiCo and several agricultural cooperatives in the Jalisco Mountains of San Gabriel, Mexico. There Pepsi has sponsored several hundred farmers in growing corn for use in soda production at nearby facilities.

The new partnership cuts out all middlemen, giving the farmers a purchase guarantee, enabling them to raise the size and price of their crop. There's also a multi-pronged structure of social, environmental and business benefits.

Reports Stephanie Strom:

PepsiCo’s work with the corn farmers reflects a relatively new approach by corporations trying to maintain a business edge while helping out small communities and farmers. Begun as a pilot project by the foundation affiliated with the company’s Sabritas snack foods division, it is expanding to about 850 farmers to develop a local source of sunflower oil, which the company needs to improve the nutritional quality of its products.

The corn project saved PepsiCo transportation costs because the farms were close to two of its factories, and the use of local farms assured it access to types of corn best suited to its products and processes. “That gives us great leverage because corn prices don’t fluctuate so much, but transportation costs do,” said Pedro Padierna, president of PepsiCo’s operations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The social benefits of the corn program are obvious in higher incomes that have improved nutritional and educational standards among the participating farmers, not to mention its impact on illegal immigration and possibly even the reduction of marijuana production.

For the first time, many of the participating farmers have taken in enough revenue to open bank accounts and pay taxes on their income, elevating the rural community's financial aptitude, as well as stimulating the local economy.

At its core, though, the project is about boosting revenue for Pepsi. In that respect, it's a departure from most corporate philanthropy, in which the parent company heaps a healthy donation on some organization, rakes in the good PR, but then moves on.

“We are seeing an increased focus by companies looking to see how they can use their core capabilities for public good rather than simply writing a big check,” said Gaurav Gupta, regional director for Asia at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, a consulting firm focused on international development. “They’re starting to realize that the marginal cost of doing a little extra good produces such a great impact — and not only in terms of good will, but also because it’s good for business.”

Based on the cost-cutting success of the venture, Pepsi has announced it will widen its margins, investing $52 million over the next seven years to sponsor local production of sunflowers for use in generating sunflower oil to replace palm oil in some of its drinks, a change that will carry nutritional benefits.

The Jalisco partnership illustrates how corporations can tweak practices to boost social benefit, as well as their bottom line. We've seen this before, but not from a giant like Pepsi. If this pilot program and the ones to follow continue to blossom, PepsiCo might soon be ready to add scale and scope to the equation.

How Does Your Company State It's Philanthropic Goals and Mission?

2011-04-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

We talk a lot about mission in many of our posts. For example, companies like the House of Marley that describes theirs simply as "putting Bob's beliefs into action", or the Feed Project that has a whole page dedicated to their stated mission.

A lot of companies miss this essential step of not having a carefully formalized and stated mission statement about their charitable giving. Too bad for them and for the causes they serve, as having a clear sense of what your business wants to achieve in its charitable giving is a tremendous advantage.

I have been recently helping a local non-profit to build partnerships with local businesses. So I have been carefully scrutinizing a variety of business's website for their info on community giving. My impressions of these are that they go from being fairly simply stated goals on up through a well stated mission.

Anything written down is a good start, but the clearer the mission and the more employees that are engaged in the drafting, the more impact your philanthropy can have.

Here are some of the stated goals and missions I have come across:

Fenwick and West:"We choose to partner with and contribute to organizations with which we can assist in achieving their goals. We believe this integrated approach offers the greatest value to the recipient organizations."

Foxhunt:"has formed collaborative relationships with targeted nonprofits to support youth educational, athletic,and performing arts programs.

Tech CU:"is proud to be a strong supporter of community initiatives that impact the neighborhoods where our members live and work."

CPP: "Consistent with its corporate vision, CPP’s philanthropic activities today focus on contributing to programs that support people, promote educational opportunities, and help under served communities."

Many of these do specify more clearly on their sites what kinds of projects they fund, how they involve their employees and how non-profits can apply for funding.

There is a great advantage for every business that gives back to the community to sit down with employees and develop a mission for their philanthropy because of the following advantages:

Gives charities a clear cut procedure to follow when submitting their requests
Creates a review system to process the charitable applications
Makes charitable decisions more thoughtful and carefully chosen
Engages the employees in the charitable giving process
Aligns the philanthropy with the mission of your business
Helps assess whether you have achieved your goals and purpose

How does you company state its philanthropic goals and mission? Let me know.

How Go Daddy's Founder May Have Killed the Goodwill Towards His Charity

2011-04-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

We regret in many ways to posting last weeks story about GoDaddy's philanthropy and the acclaim that it has received recently for it. Since then Bob has posted a video on his personal website, BobParsons.me of his shooting an elephant in Africa. ( I am linking to his site, not the video itself). It is a graphic portrayal of this shooting in a village in Africa where an elephant has destroyed the villagers' livelihood and food supply, their crops of sorghum and other plants. To add to the upsetting scene of the killing is the sickening scene of the villagers ravaging the animal for meat.

The video and the act itself has brought GoDaddy an enormous amount of criticism and bad publicity. Bob Parsons justifies his act as helping the starving African villagers. Judging from the video there seems to be no doubt they are impoverished and hungry.

I can't begin to understand the complexity of the problem and what the solution might be. But certainly Bob Parsons has the resources to do have done some intense research, bring in a variety of environmental and economic experts, and at least try some innovative solutions here. Even had this been the correct solution, justifying the life of one elephant over the lives of many people, the braggadocio of displaying it on his website is - well- disgusting.

Solving problems by throwing money at them are rarely good enough. Saving societal problems by hunting and killing has some deep consequences. GoDaddy and its founder has done some inspirational philanthropy, but one of the consequences of this elephant killing is that good will towards GoDaddy for its worthwhile charitable efforts may have been killed too.

April Fooling Around With CSR

2011-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods has always been on the cutting edge of creative ways to give back to the community and help promote sustainability and social responsibility. Today's posts on their website feature some great new ideas such as Insects Raised With Compassion.

I searched back through other companies that we have featured here to see whether they too have advanced their philanthropy and CSR on this day. My links are to my former posts about them.

Here are some the best:
Campbell's Soup now has: Help Grow Your Own Soup Can program. Campbell's has come up with a truly environment solution to waste from aluminum cans. For one dollar Campbell's will send you a packet of ground up aluminum that you can plant and grow your cans to use for your home grown vegetables.

Go Daddy changes name to Go Mommy as a marketing strategy to attract more women customers and in order to change their corporate giving program to Go Mommy Cares, knowing that women give more to charity than men.

Panera's pay as you go restaurants,The St Louis Bread Company, has come up with the ultimate charity program: Pay the Customer What They Want, for the privilege of eating at their restaurants.

New York based Bake Me A Wish, has expanded their offerings include women jumping out of their cakes. For every cake bought they will still donate a portions of the sale plus the woman's tips to designated causes.

Socks for Happy People has created a charitable foundation called, Socking It To Happy People, for all those people who just wish they could wipe off that smile off of all those disgustingly happy people. Socks for Happy People will send every person who posts a story to their website of how they managed to make someone miserable, a pair of their socks made in Mongolia from camel's hair .

Give Something Back is truly living up to their name and has a created a charitable return policy for their office products. For every product returned they will refund the full amount plus a give a donation to your favorite charity.

I am glad that April 1st only comes once a year, so these businesses can go back to doing their best in philanthropy and CSR the rest of the year. :)

Go Daddy Delivers a Knock Out Punch In Giving

2011-03-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

While Go Daddy may the premier domain registry business, it also delivers a knock out punch in philanthropic giving. No wonder that CEO Bob Parsons received the Muhammad Ali Entrepreneur Award for donating over $2.8 million to date, to causes such as Make a Wish Foundation, Starlight Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and many other local groups based in communities where GoDaddy has offices.

At the Celebrity Fight Night charity event in Scottsdale AZ, the company also donated $2.5 million to help fight Parkinson's disease. Along with Muhammad Ali, other celebrities recognized Bob Parsons as an inspiring philanthropist.

Inspiring others seems to be a mission of Bob Parsons in many ways. On his personal video blog site he posts wild, wacky and fun videos that serve as motivational messages and tips for other entrepreneurs. This episode below, #42 is in response to the many questions that Bob Parsons receives from entrepreneurs about how to stay motivated and keep going in bad times.

His motivational videos don't say anything about giving back to the community as a part of a business strategy. But one gets the sense that giving back, inspiration and helping others is part of the mission of Go Daddy and its founder.

To find out more about Go Daddy's charity work, visit GoDaddyCares.

For related stories about other philanthropic companies that also strive to inspire others.
Charitable Designs
Socks For Happy People
GiveSomethingBack

The Attractor Factor in Business Giving

2011-03-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has written a piece How Giving Has Helped One Business Grow about Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes and his opening presentation at the annual meeting of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. While the story of the beginnings of his inspiration is moving, he also added three key points about why embedding philanthropy into the fabric of a business can help it grow with the attraction of these three essential elements.

We have written lots about why giving is strategic and advantageous for business growth, but here is a different way of thinking about it.

1. Attracting Loyal Customers
Blake cited a story about a woman he spoke to in an airport who, without knowing who he was, told him that it was the philanthropic aspects of the company that appealed to her. We also know with current research by from Edelman's Good Purpose Study 2010 , that indeed customers not only are enthusiastically supporting businesses with a social purpose but are increasingly expecting it.
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2.Attracting Quality Employees
TOMS shoes was able to lure employees from other well known shoe manufacturers because of the attraction of being part of a cause and having more meaning in their work. Studies have shown that even volunteering can contribute to an increase in employee satisfaction and retention rates.

3.Attracting Participating Partners
Companies like Ralph Lauren and ATT have joined with TOMS shoes to support their cause. Paul Newman set a trend in this area with Newman's Own, by enlisting other companies to help support his Hole In the Wall Camp for children with life threatening illnesses. CECP which he founded, is based on the principle of businesses helping to support, inspire and partner with each other in their philanthropic efforts.

See related stories about other companies where giving has helped them grow.
Give Something Back which we wrote about last year was recently profiled in the SF Chronicle.

Guidestar Will Acquire Philanthropedia and Social Actions

2011-03-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GUIDESTAR ANNOUNCES PLANS TO ACQUIRE INNOVATIVE STARTUPS PHILANTHROPEDIA AND SOCIAL ACTIONS

Acquisitions Add Critical Impact Data to GuideStar’s Outstanding Knowledge Base and Further the Organization’s Long-Term Strategy of Helping Donors, Institutional Funders and Those Working With the Nonprofit Sector Identify and Engage with High Impact Nonprofits

Washington, DC—March 17, 2011—GuideStar, the nonprofit industry’s leading resource for nonprofit data, today announced plans to acquire two innovative social impact organizations, Philanthropedia and Social Actions. GuideStar’s addition of both organizations will strengthen its leading role in the nonprofit industry by adding to its growing knowledge base of tools, data and information designed to advance transparency within the nonprofit sector.
Philanthropedia and Social Actions are aligned with GuideStar’s new strategic plan which puts expanded emphasis on increased transparency in legitimacy, reputation and performance information about the nonprofit community.

“The acquisition of Philanthropedia and Social Actions will further our ability to better serve both donors and nonprofits with tools, knowledge and data to inform best practices within the nonprofit sector and to encourage and inspire well-informed giving from donors,” says GuideStar President and CEO Bob Ottenhoff. “GuideStar has built a strong record of growth by expanding our expertise in collecting, displaying and creating tools and services with nonprofit data we gather from a growing list of sources.”

GuideStar to Integrate Philanthropedia’s Expert Review System into Offerings

Using an open source technology platform and a team of skilled professionals, Philanthropedia’s network of over 1,400 experts has evaluated 1,700 nonprofits in 15 different cause areas. The organization’s proprietary research methodology was created to help direct funding to groups of high-impact organizations in specific mission areas. GuideStar’s acquisition will keep the Philanthropedia team intact to scale their expert review system and integrate it into GuideStar’s existing data platforms.

“We are very excited to become a part of GuideStar and help further the missions of nonprofits all over the country,” said Deyan Vitanov, CEO and Co-Founder of Philanthropedia. “Integrating our expert review system into the GuideStar solution set will help realize Philanthropedia’s vision of empowering donors to pick a cause with their hearts and then an organization with their minds.” Howard Bornstein, Philanthropedia Chair of the Board and Co-Founder, adds, “At the end of the day, giving to charity is about people coming together to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Philanthropedia is excited by the possibilities of this merger to make it easier for people to come together in their charitable pursuits.”

Under the integration plan, Vitanov will become Manager of GuideStar Data Assets, and will supervise TakeAction, GuideStar’s cause-oriented website launched last year, as well as overseeing the integration of GuideStar’s acquisition of Social Actions. Until the integration is complete, Philanthropedia will operate as a separate organization, working primarily out of its Silicon Valley headquarters, which will also serve as GuideStar’s new west coast office.

Social Actions Acquisition Enables People to Make More Informed, Targeted Funding Choices

Social Actions is the leading aggregator of peer-to-peer giving opportunities and other actionable resources from dozens of high-quality online philanthropic platforms. Social Actions has pioneered and continues to oversee the development of an open database that supports a thriving ecosystem of innovative web applications and widgets, connecting donors and volunteers with unique opportunities to make a difference. GuideStar launched the micro-site TakeAction, created with similar open-source technology, in March 2010 with the goal of continuing to aggregate all kinds of nonprofit data that both the general public and professionals can use to make more informed and targeted funding choices. Adding Social Actions allows for seamless data aggregation and broad distribution that helps people to make and take action on philanthropic decisions.

“Since 2007, Social Actions has striven to redefine what it means to be an informed and proactive philanthropist in a world transformed by social technology,” said Peter Deitz, Founder and Co-Director of Social Actions. “We view this acquisition as an incredible opportunity to embed Social Actions’ mission into the sector’s leading repository of philanthropic data. At a more practical level, we’re excited to see the GuideStar and Philanthropedia teams take Social Actions to the next level by supporting our partners, engaging the developer community, and activating all kinds of donors in new and creative ways.”

Over the next several months, Deitz and his fellow Co-Director, Christine Egger, will support the integration of Social Actions and related programs.

The Social Actions acquisition will be complete later this month, and the Philanthropedia acquisition is slated to be complete by mid-April.

##

Nicole Bestard
Gabriel Marketing Group
Cell: 310-863-0308 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              310-863-0308      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/GabrielMarketing

Businesses Turning Lights Off To Support Earth Hour

2011-03-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Businesses all around the world are turning off their lights and urging others to do so for Earth Hour 2011, Sat March 26th.
As a consumer, I think it's great to do simple everyday tasks and encounter businesses that are contributing to important causes and creating public awareness. While getting money at my local Wells Fargo ATM, I saw their message about the actions they will take in support of Earth Hour 2011.

For the last two years in March we have been posting a message about Earth Hour urging individuals organizations and businesses to participate.

This is such a simple and easy way to have a company show social responsibility without a huge outlay of expense or even effort, yet it sends a message to employees and customers that every little bit of effort can help the planet.

Here are some ideas for your company can adopt for Earth Hour 2011.

Power off all your computers for the weekend so that they are not running during Earth Hour.
Set your timers for your lights to turn off in your place of business at that hour.
Turn off any outdoor electrical signage for that hour.
If your business is normally open during those times, host a special candlelight event for customers and clients during that hour.
Raise awareness through your website and other social media.
Post a virtual lantern on your facebook page and on your website. (See how to get your lantern below)
Collaborate with other businesses to sponsor a candlelight vigil in your community.

For more ideas on how your business can support Earth Hour check out Earthhour.org. and make your own lantern below.

Earthquake Aid

2011-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you're watching the devastating images coming out of eastern Japan in the wake of Friday's earthquake and looking for ways to help, Lili Ladaga over at Yahoo News has a simple catalogue of links to just that effect, which I have inserted below:

AMERICAN RED CROSS: Emergency Operation Centers are opened in the affected areas and staffed by the chapters. This disaster is on a scale larger than the Japanese Red Cross can typically manage. Donations to the American Red Cross can be allocated for the International Disaster Relief Fund, which then deploys to the region to help. Donate here.

GLOBALGIVING: Established a fund to disburse donations to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Donate here.

SAVE THE CHILDREN: Mobilizing to provide immediate humanitarian relief in the shape of emergency health care and provision of non-food items and shelter. Donate here.

SALVATION ARMY: The Salvation Army has been in Japan since 1895 and is currently providing emergency assistance to those in need. Donate here.

AMERICARES: Emergency team is on full alert, mobilizing resources and dispatching an emergency response manager to the region. Donate here.

CONVOY OF HOPE: Disaster Response team established connection with in-country partners who have been impacted by the damage and are identifying the needs and areas where Convoy of Hope may be of the greatest assistance. Donate here.

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities. Donate here.

SHELTER BOX: The first team is mobilizing to head to Japan and begin the response effort. Donate here.

Cause Marketing for Your Cause First , You Second

2011-03-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

Cause Marketing has been booming and along with it has come some criticism and objections to using it as selfish self promotion rather than as an opportunity to give back to a favorite cause, to the point of even suggesting that it is "dead". But there are many examples of companies that have been exemplary in representing a true giving partnership. Joe Waters of Selfish Giving, defined cause marketing as: "a partnership between a non-profit and a for-profit for mutual profit", to which he has added several categories amongst which includes: message promotion.

But whose message? One would think the partnership would be one of somewhat balanced messages about the cause and the business that is giving back the cause. Here are examples of cause marketing via message promotion that puts the charity squarely in the forefront and outweighs the time allotted to the for-profit's message.

I spend a lot of time in my car, as many Californians do, where I first heard what was presumably another ad on the news station. It sounded more like a public service piece, the kind when stations offer free air time to charities. This ad provided information about the plight of foster children in our local communities. A foster child spoke about the challenges they face on a daily basis, and the kind of the support that they need for their well being. For the longest time there was no mention of any business associated with this ad, this was for most part a campaign to build awareness for this cause. I knew which company was sponsoring this as I had featured Sleep Train on this blog last year.
Towards the end Sleep Train did make known their sponsorship, by requesting that customers help support their program for foster children with their donation of shoes, clothing, backpacks and other necessary items at their participating stores. They also directed listeners to find out more about foster children on their link on the Sleep Train website.
No mention of mattresses, or of their stores, no sales pitch or special offers. Only at the end you heard their recognizable little jingle and the toot-toot.

Another ad I heard not too long ago began in a similar way, putting the cause first. The president of the Peninsula Humane Society talked about the work they do to help save stray and forgotten animals. Towards the end, the sponsoring company Pet Food Express mentioned their ongoing support of this organization with funding, volunteering and in-kind donations of pet food and supplies.You can check out on their giving back page other causes they support.

It's expensive to pay for media advertising, ( I know, I used to sell advertising space). As a result it is rare to hear and learn about local charities and causes on radio. They cannot afford to pay for this kind of marketing. By sponsoring media ads for the charities, businesses have give back to the cause the great gift of increasing awareness and presumably generating more donations to the cause.

Yes, the business gets a bit of the air time for the brief mention of their name. But the most positive thing they that have received out this partnership is a great big "Toot-toot" and hurrah, for giving the cause the opportunity for promoting their important message.

An International Women's Day Salute To Women Entrepreneurs Who Give

2011-03-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

While the percentage of women to men that own their own small business in the United States has grown to 36% social venture businesses may even have a higher percentage. Social venture experts like Christina Jordan, an Ashoka Fellow, consider social entrepreneurship to be an exceptionally suitable fit for women as they tend to be more caring about issues and more philanthropic, and see their work as an extension of how they think and feel.

Today is International Women's Day celebrating the advancement of women around the world in all facets of their life. This year's specific theme is: Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women. There are many events scheduled all over the world and throughout all of March that focus not only the designated topic for this year but on celebrating many topics about women.

For my topic, I choose to honor my favorite women entrepreneurs who have started businesses with the intent of giving back to either local or global causes.

Tonia Irion co-founder of e-Cycle which buys cell-phones from companies, recycles and restores them for re-sale. In addition they offer companies the opportunity to give back their proceeds to a designated charity.

How e-Cycle Created a Winning Company With A Passion For The Environment and For Giving

Molly Taylor founder of The Sweet Trucks, an LA bakery on wheels which donates a portion of profits to local charities such as Meals on Wheels and others. A Sweet Victory For SweetTrucks

Two women, Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson who founded FEED, have created fun, canvas bags as well as an expanded line of accessories. that help provide children with healthy meals in collaboration with the UN WFP and Unicef. FEED Keeps Its Promise.

Michelle Abrams of Inspire Notes, an online retailer of stationary items with inspiring messages. with Proceeds of sales are donated to cancer research a cause of personal importance to Michelle.

Inspire Notes Lends a Daily Boost

Karen Trilevsky uses the profits from her baking company, FullBloom Bakery, to help students who primarily come from immigrant parents and are the first ones to go to college. Baking Company Helps Kids Bloom

Kathy Miner, started a philanthropic business, A Miner Miracle Shop to support and house its namesake non-profit. A Miner Miracle. helps dress low-income men and women and helps support them in job search. A Miner Miracle on Union Square.

Janae Jaynes creator of Brokers for Charity , a referral service that pairs commercial and residential with with the goal of donating 10% of the agent’s commission to a charity of the client’s choice. Brokers For Charity Helping to Change the World One Property at a Time

WebsitesGiveB@ck a mother and daughter company, Elena Patrice and Linda Saker that offers creative and affordable web design for small businesses, donate 20% of the proceeds of each project to a designated charity of the client's choosing . Charitable Designs

Help support these women in their endeavors to change the world and give back on this International Women's Day, this month, or any day of the year.

How To Start a Local Business Volunteer Council

2011-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here in the SF area, across the bay, lies a group of communities called the East Bay where businesses care about by giving back through volunteering and donations. As an example, last year we referred to an article, that emerged from the East Bay, Why Giving is Good for Business. Now we get to see a role model of a group of businesses that have joined forces in the mission of volunteering for local charities in their community.

East Bay Business Volunteer Council (BVC) was founded by individuals from companies such as AAA, Charles Schwab, Safeway and others, as a coalition of businesses with the common purpose of community engagement and business volunteering. At their regularly scheduled meetings, they provide the opportunity for members to exchange information and recognize best practices as well as identify and learn about the volunteering needs in the community. With membership there is free consulting provided by the staff to members on how to develop a volunteer program. Their programs include listings of volunteer needs, student volunteering, volunteer opportunity calender, holiday volunteering events, and organized disaster response. They are affiliated with HandsonNetwork. This organization is a terrific model for any community of businesses to follow.

How to start a similar business Volunteer Council in your community or area.

Brainstorm together with a few like minded business leaders on how to start such a group.
Tie in with a local community foundation, or Chamber of Commerce to set up an organization. This helps offset any start up costs of creating a non-profit on your own.
Develop a mission and vision statement that reflects the needs of your community and of what your organization wants to accomplish.
Create an affiliation with a volunteer opportunities provider such as Hands On Network, or with a local organization such as a community foundation.
Develop a database of all the non-profits in the area and their volunteer needs
Develop relationships with local non-profits, with links to their websites.
Structure monthly meeting times at opportune, breakfast, lunch, or after hours, that is convenient for most and serve food!
Publicize your organization in local media or through direct marketing though the business community, to encourage more businesses to join.
Invite local non-profits to come to the meetings or better yet, create a membership category just for them.
Let businesses know what the benefits are to their business for joining the organization.
Offer members free consultation to help with developing an employee volunteer program.

What are the benefit's? BVC describes this well on their website. But the benefits are much the same as described in the article cited above. Basically, giving back whether in time, money, services is good for your business because it helps build your community and in the end the community helps your business grow.

The ABC's of TED's Mission

2011-02-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

TED is a non-profit and social venture that has captured a lot of excitement and interest around the world. Thousands of individuals, businesses, philanthropy, education and causes have benefited from TED's mission of spreading knowledge, information and ideas. Many social entrepreneurs have spoken at TED and companies like Socks For Happy People, which we have profiled here, promote the TED talks, as a source of inspiration. The TED Fellows program helps support innovators from all around the world in pursuing their projects with the goal of helping them achieve more impact in changing the world.

I was having lunch the other day with a friend who is a licensee for TEDxYouth. She was about to go to the pre-conference for licensees before the big TED conference 2011 in Long Beach, which starts Feb. 28th and runs through March 4th. We were brainstorming ideas about how to describe the value of TED, more specifically the value of "Spreading Ideas", and even more specifically the value to young people, who are being exposed to ideas everyday in schools already. We were throwing around a bunch of different words, like "inspire others", "change the world"- although very true, but somewhat stereotypical and overused.

So I decided to ponder this question some more and started to brainstorm a list of reasons why I think the ideas at TED conferences are truly worth spreading.

Their mission, that of "Ideas Worth Spreading" does so much more than spread just ideas, it spreads everything from-well-from A to Z.

Action. More and more people are crediting TED for their taking action and helping them to start a career, a business, a non-profit, or a movement. Check out the TED conversation: Has TED Talk ever influenced you?
Brains. There is scientific evidence that learning something new develops new neural pathways in brains.
Creativity. Many of the talks at TED are about the creative process and truly inspire others in their creative endeavors. Elizabeth Gilbert's talk is one of the most popular TED talks of all time, certainly one of mine, and has personally changed my relationship with my creative process.

Discovery. The world has so many wonders that not even all the TED conferences can bring them to light, but it is a great place to go find them.
Energy. A really good idea generates energy that builds momentum around it and spreads like wildfire.
Fun. Yes, let's have more fun, and see others have it too! Gosh I couldn't stop smiling when I watched the young Bollywood dancers at the TEDxYouth conference I attended.
Genius or Greatness. ( it's a tie) There is something special about being in the presence of greatness. It really does rub off a little.
Health. Bill Gates keeps coming back to speak at the TED conference about his idea of eradicating malaria- Ideas truly can help save lives of millions of people.
Influence. A good idea can influence important people or masses of people to create change.
Joy. Pure joy of feeling alive and part of the wondrous world.
Knowledge. By definition, knowledge is the acquisition of facts and ideas. So by spreading ideas, TED also gives the opportunity to gain knowledge.
Love.What's love got to do with it? Well philanthropy is the love of mankind and you can just feel the love for humanity and for what it can be at TED.
Motivation. Motivation, the drive that keeps people going in spite of obstacles, after they get inspired.
Newness. Bringing together ideas that are new and fresh that spark innovation.
Opportunities. Opening up all the possibilities that any one person can do.
Power. Ideas give people the power to take action. Look at the power of democracy.
Questions. The more you learn the more you ask questions, and the more you learn.
Results. Ideas are provocative in that they motivate people to achieve results.
Society. Great societies have been built on great ideas. Just think about the United States and how it was founded based on some fundamental ideas and principles.
Truth. Embedded in ideas are truths that are fundamental to life.
Understanding . How the world works and what humanity is about.
Well-being. Studies have shown that well-being around the world is based on such factors as freedom, learning, health, work, security. TED helps spread ideas about well being around the world and how to achieve it.
Values. Many of topics at TED touch upon important values like peace, kindness, and helps spread them.
X-explore. Ideas give the opportunity to explore the world and to learn about ourselves and others.
Yes! Positive attitudes like enthusiasm and excitement for new ideas. As the world seems to become increasingly more cynical, its wonderful to see enthusiasm for such a broad range of ideas.
ZZZ's You can sleep better at night knowing that there are people out there doing amazing and wondrous things to make the world a better place to live.

Thank you TED for making the world a better place to live by spreading ideas that are worth spreading-and so much more, even if you have heard it a thousand times.

A Miner Miracle on Union Square-Where Giving is Fashionable

2011-02-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

While many businesses are popping up with philanthropic purpose, more and more philanthropies are starting businesses to fund their operations.

No, the word miner is not a misspelling, but the last name of a social entrepreneur, Karen Miner, who has founded a non-profit and a philanthropic business that supports its namesake charity A Miner Miracle.

Tony, touristy Union Square in San Francisco is often a contrast in images of homeless people blending in with tourists and high end shoppers. Amidst the Saks Fifth Ave and Nieman Marcus quadrant stands A Miner Miracle SHOP, that features designer clothing such as Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Ann Taylor and others offered at enticingly discounted prices and which is also a home base for the non-profit bearing the same name.

I stumbled upon this shop when I was staying at hotel in the area for a business meeting. This gave me the great opportunity to meet the founder of the non-profit and supporting business, Kathy Miner. Kathy gave me an on the spot interview that gave me an insider's view of her mission to help low-income men and women re-enter the workforce by dressing them for success.

The non-profit came first. In a former life, Kathy had been in the fashion retail industry and walked away from it swearing " never again" as she looked to do something more meaningful in her life. Using her expertise in clothing and image consulting for professionals, Kathy launched the non-profit, A Miner Miracle in 1995 that would give that same kind of service to a more disadvantaged population. She first began the operation in a rent free storefront with roll down security gates on the edge of the Tenderloin district, where many of these clients lived. In order to fund her mission she operated a modest clothing store on the site, manned by volunteers and recipients of the program. Overhead was low, all profits could go towards supporting the charity.

With the dot.com boom, that area was developed into the trendy SOMA, with stores like Bloomingdale's, upscale hotels and restaurants, museums and hip condominiums. Jokingly to me Karen said, "never say never", she went back to her beginnings in the fashion industry with the challenge of scaling up and opening a clothing boutique in the most popular shopping area of San Francisco.

While visibility in the new location is greater, so are the operating costs. Kathy did not hide the fact that this model of social venture has challenges. Although she negotiates directly with the design houses, which helps Kathy keep the prices low, the rent is low and she now has to employ her sales people. The further challenge comes when the profits need to be plowed back into maintaining the quality inventory.

The store site still continues to serve the dual purpose being a thriving business that has a philanthropic mission and as a home base for the nonprofit, where the services have expanded beyond men and women to include young adults and in transition youth. It also serves as the headquarters for fund raising for the charity through special events and as a channel of creating public awareness.

Kathy's picture of herself as she received the“Oprah Angel Network” award proudly hangs on the wall in the store above the cash register. While seeing the photo with her and Oprah is inspiring, seeing on the website, the heartwarming photos of the clients before and after their image makeovers, can only prove how a "miner/minor" miracle is a major one for everyone involved.

How Small Businesses Can Light Up on International Philanthropy Day

2011-02-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

This Mon, Feb 28th is International Corporate Philanthropy Day (ICPD) organized by the CECP, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. The purpose of CECP is to help recognize the important role of business in society, and while its membership is offered to large corporations engaging in both local and global philanthropy, small businesses can take example and ideas from this organization for their own philanthropic initiatives.

LIGHT IT UP- TOLL THE BELL
The Empire State building and other tall buildings and landmarks across the country will be lit in the blue and green colors of CECP on ICPD, and representatives of CECP will ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Why not have any company or business organization in any community toll a bell, put up blue and green lights, and honor International Corporate Philanthropy Day!

INNOVATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL IDEAS FOR CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

While the membership of CECP consists of large corporations and their corporate giving programs such as: General Mills, Intel, Western Union and many others, the goals of CECP is to have these companies set an example for others. The tradition of inspiring others to give began when Paul Newman founded the fledgling enterprise Newman's Own. As his company grew so did the charitable giving, involving a number of other companies that participated in Newman's Own's projects.

Eventually in 1988, Paul Newman started CECP with the goal and mission, as stated on their site: " to inspire and challenge today’s business leaders to find innovative ways to fulfill unmet social needs, to lead the way towards better alignment of business and social strategies, and to serve as business ambassadors of inspiring business leaders".

There is just as many examples of the philanthropy and giving of small companies in local communities and examples of innovation that are solving local social needs, as there are of large corporations. It has been our mission here at Business That Cares, to highlight the best of them.

OPPORTUNITIES

There are many opportunities and suggestions for companies to take advantage of on International Corporate Philanthropy Day on CECP's site. These suggestion's are equally suitable for both large and small companies.

Join peers in your community for collaborative philanthropic activities.
Tell your company's story about your philanthropic initiatives, by publicising and communicating with the public.
Post your company's support of causes on your website or through social media.
Display banners or posters of the charities that you give to at your business.
Recognize your employees that have volunteered for a cause.
Engage your entire company in a planning session for your philanthropic programs.
Set up a grant program for non profits to apply to.
Plan a charity fair in your community.

In addition, ICPD can be a great day to have your business employees volunteer for a worthy cause, whether it is local or a more global one.

For more ideas for innovative ideas for business philanthropy check out some of these posts:

Can Your Business Give Back and Do Social Good?
Giving Bears, Kids and Heroes
Charitable Designs

Text Messaging and Marketing for a Cause

2011-02-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Marti Barletta

Like most marketers, I am scrabbling up a steep learning curve regarding the possibilities of text messaging marketing. So I'm always happy when I find an article that schools me on a good way to use this new communication channel in a way that enhances a brand's appeal to women. To build on the TextBoard author's thinking, I thought I'd add a few comments clarifying how a company can be most effective engaging women via a program using this innovative new channel.
First, keep in mind that cause marketing is especially likely to resonate with women, who are more responsive than men to a company's efforts in this area. In fact, Cone Marketing, the leading researcher and agency expert on Cause Marketing, says:
"By all measures, moms lead the way as the demographic most amenable to cause marketing. In fact, moms virtually demand the opportunity to shop with a cause in mind. A staggering 95 percent find cause marketing acceptable (vs. 88% average), and 92 percent want to buy a product supporting a cause (vs. 81% average). They are also more likely to switch brands (93% vs. 80% average), so it is hardly surprising that moms purchased more cause-related products in the past year than any other demographic (61% vs. 41% average)."

By the way, 80% of women are moms, so you can pretty much read "moms" as "women.'" And comparing them to "average," which includes both men and women, substantially understates the variance from men. The point difference would be roughly twice as high if they did it properly. See more specific study data on trends, industries, shopping attitudes and cause marketing program structure here.
The TextBoard article, which is gracious enough to mention my gendertrends principle "corporate halo," outlines three approaches companies can take to implement a text-for-charity program:

The company chooses a charity that all customers can contribute to.
The company rotates among a different charity every month, which might be more likely to maximize participation, since different customers can spark to different causes.
The company offers a choice of charities, which the customer can pick among.

Text-for-charity contributions are a great way to polish up a corporate halo, although because it's new, text messaging is just starting to get traction with consumers, relative to other channels. And from a marketing point of view, their three alternatives make a lot of sense; at first glance, it might seem hard to choose among them.

Interestingly, though, recent research shows that consumers have a strong preference for supporting companies that commit to a charity on their own, rather than doing "charity of the month" or "multiple charities." Cone Marketing reports:
"At a time when consumer voting campaigns have emerged as the cause marketing tactic du jour, a majority (61%) of consumers say they would prefer to see a company make a long-term commitment to a focused issue rather than determining themselves which issue the company supports in the short-term."

In my opinion, the company that picks a cause conveys that this is something they actually care about, which is what serves to humanize and personalize the company. Allowing consumers to pick the charity, or even having a revolving list of charities, comes across as a marketing incentive. It says, "The company doesn't care what you pick - you can give money to whomever you want."

In choosing a charity to support, I do think it's ideal for the company to find one that has some clear linkage either to what the company does (the article gives an example of a realtor that supports Habitat for Humanity) or some personal connection to the company's leader. If the company seeking to shine its corporate halo finds itself with no obvious choice, my advice would be to do a little research. Cone provides information on what percentages of people support various types of charities (health research, environmental, educational, etc.). And there's no reason a company couldn't ask a sample of their customers to vote on a select few options as input to the company's decision on which to support.

Two elements about a texting campaign that people should keep in mind are that 1) to activate it, the program needs to be communicated through more conventional channels; and 2) to have credibility, the company itself needs to make a commitment to the charity, not just facilitate a way for consumers to make donations. Print, TV and website communications need to introduce the effort, explain why the company has chosen that charity, explain what the company itself is committing in support of that charity and assure consumers that the company has vetted the charity to confirm the money will have major impact in helping people.
I'd also like to add one additional way for a company to get a lot of appreciation for which I think text contributions are extraordinarily well-suited - better than any other medium. This is the contribution to help victims of a natural disaster, like the Haiti earthquake or the floods in Pakistan. Because many people are already looking for a way to help (i.e., built-in "speaks to everyone"), the fact that a company can facilitate their contributions through a channel with immediacy, like texting, is important and appreciated. The way a company can add to that is to get out the message that they, too, will be contributing in some way. During the winter of 2009, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ran an online program in which they donated a box of "The Cheesiest" to hunger relief organization Feeding America for every click on the webpage or tweet with a hashtag – a program that could easily have been implemented via text messaging. – and today, probably would be.

I'm appreciative for TextBoard's article, which started me thinking on the subject of text messaging and cause marketing. It's certainly a niche with great potential and avoids the distasteful feel of advertising through text messages.
You've read several suggestions in TextBoard's and my articles, but cause marketing is really centered on what your company is passionate about. So get creative! And put some heart into it!

Marti Barletta
The World's Foremost Speaker on Marketing to Women
CEO, The TrendSight Group, www.trendsight.com
Trends and InSights on Your Best Customers: Women
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-tips-articles/text-messaging-and-marketing-for-a-cause-4198130.html
About the Author

Marti Barletta is the world's foremost speaker on marketing to women. She is the author of the groundbreaking book, Marketing to Women, now available in 17 languages, and co-author with Tom Peters of Trends. Her newest book, PrimeTime Women, shows how marketers can tap the unprecedented buying power of women in their prime to drive sales and share. A Wharton MBA, Barletta founded The TrendSight Group to help companies get smart about women. Her consulting clients have included Allstate, Deloitte Consulting, Ford, Frito-Lay, GE Appliances, Logitech, Volvo and Wachovia. As the recognized international authority on women, Barletta has been quoted on CBS, ABC and NPR, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company among others worldwide. Her dynamic style, command of her subject and lively sense of humor have made her a popular speaker at hundreds of corporations and conferences.

Ways Your Business Can Act Kindly

2011-02-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Last year on Valentine's Day I posted one of MY favorite posts: What's Love Got To Do With Business Giving. This year I have learned that Valentines's Day is also the first day of Random Acts of KindnessWeek.

While the debate of whether business should incorporate CSR, was a big news item this past year, imagine how superfluous and very un-businesslike the idea of incorporating "love" and now "kindness" may seem in the domain of business practices, while cynics surely think business acting kindly is an oxymoron. Yet I hear about restaurants that give leftover baked goods to local food banks, or shoe repair shops that collect old shoes to repair and give to the needy. Businesses like Panera Bread, pay as you want cafe, have sprung up this year whose business models are basically based on kindness.

One doesn't need to change or create a whole new business model to be kind and give back. The point of the Random Acts Of Kindness Week is more about stopping to think about being kind to others in small, perhaps unplanned and spontaneous ways. While I encourage small businesses to create plans for their giving so that they can have a more strategic and long term impact on their communities, the idea of a short period of time where spontaneous acts of caring towards others in the community, towards employees and customers; where giving back in simple yet direct ways, connects everyone with the real meaning of philanthropy, "love of humankind" more readily.

This is one area where small businesses have an advantage over big corporations, in that they see in their day to day operations the needs of their community and their customers and can act on them more readily and spontaneously.

Throughout this blog there are hundreds of tips and suggestions for giving and for acts of kindness that any business can use this week, or any time. The organization, Random Acts of Kindness offers their list of ideas for businesses to try. Better yet, if your business is considering developing a giving plan, try to include a week of spontaneous giving like this one into the future. Can you measure the impact of this? Maybe not.
But, your employees will be happier in the workplace, your customers will appreciate you all the more and your community will be a better place to live and to do business, at least for one week.

WORKPLACE IDEAS
Collect goodies for children to donate to city service workers (e.g., police, firefighters, animal shelter).
Send floral arrangements to senior centers, nursing homes, police station, hospitals, etc. near your office.
Collect goods throughout RAK Week (or during the whole year) for a food bank or shelter.
Give coupons for discounted or free goods to schools to use as incentives for their kindness programs.
If your office has a RAK Week committee, put out a memo to your staff asking for volunteers to help plan and implement the next campaign.
Donate a percentage of your revenue for one day to a group in need.
Donate flowers to a meal delivery program.
Take up a collection to purchase items needed by a nonprofit organization.
Plant a Kindness Tree or Garden on the office grounds. Ask the mayor to give a brief presentation at the dedication.
Organize a blood drive dedicated to Random Acts of Kindness.
Sponsor a Random Acts of Kindness mascot to circulate, distributing gifts and suggestions for acts of kindness.
Hand out suggestions for random acts of kindness to each customer or client, and offer a nominal discount in exchange for their pledge to do an act of kindness.
Give away the first $10 of purchases on a given day or pick a couple of days during RAK Week to do this.
Set up free coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for your employees.

Have some ideas for acts of kindness and giving in your workplace, random or planned, please share them here!

Good Causes Matter to Consumers

2011-02-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Does a customer prefer to buy from a company with social purpose or from a similar one without any obvious support of a good cause? How would they know which businesses support a good cause?

Recent studies from Edelman's Good Purpose Study 2010 , have confirmed that businesses with social purpose have a marketing advantage with consumers. Over 66% of customers prefer to buy products from those businesses that support a good cause over similar products in quality and price even when such things as brand loyalty and design are taken into account. More interestingly though, in the 2010 Cone Cause Evolution Study, consumers, 278 million of them want to know how a company is supporting a good cause.

While consumers are becoming more aware of businesses partnering with causes through cause marketing, like Pepsi Refresh, and KFC, Pink Buckets For the Cure (see our thoughts about that one) most aren't aware of which companies exist that have integrated a good cause or have any form of social purpose embedded in their business practices, whether it be a portion of profits donated to charities or products made of sustainable materials, or any other form of support of a good cause such as we have profiled here. Some of these social purpose companies have achieved the brand awareness of Newman's Own or Whole Foods and have thrived as a result.

Along has come an organization, that certifies this new type of business called B Corporations. Through the non-profit B Lab, businesses that are founded with the intention and the social purpose of solving social and environmental problems are certified as B Corporations, better known as B Corps, much the same way as Fair trade coffee and other products are certified.

The parent B Corps/B Lab organization has recognized the problem with consumer recognition of these kinds of companies. They are addressing this desire and interest of values-driven consumers to buy from companies with a social purpose with a "better way to do business campaign", targeting ads in magazines published by Ogden Publications, such as Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, Natural Home and Herb Companion and in online communities like Care2.com. The B Corp ads promote the idea that "when you buy from a certified B Corp you are supporting a better way of doing business." They believe that it is time to build awareness of this movement and to highlight these companies so that consumers can make an informed decision.

So in this ad for Better World Books vs. a regular online bookstore the reasons for buying from them are featured, including the giving back millions of dollars to support the good causes of literacy programs and libraries. I might add myself, that as much as I like the "other" online company, shopping with Better World Books is an amazing experience.

The real question is how mainstream can and will this trend go? Can all kinds of consumers, become more conscious of their choice to support businesses that give back and do business in a more sustainable way? Certainly cause marketing has been banking on this. But will we be seeing advertising for companies that have embedded social purpose in their business advertising in mainstream media and as Google ads? More than likely if these companies succeed as businesses and can afford it, they will -witness the TOMS shoes advertising that is all over the place.

See B Corps designated businesses that we have featured at Business That Cares, including great interviews with their founders: Better World Books, Pura Vida Coffee, GiveSomething Back and GoodCapital

How Corporate Philanthropy Can Influence Your Business

2011-02-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

How Corporate Philanthropy Can Influence Your Business

Author: Thaddeus Bodemann

The term corporate philanthropy refers to the act of giving things away to non-profit organizations, grants, resources or simply monetary donations. Of course, the individuals giving away these things are a part of a big company or corporation. Philanthropy is a word that is used to describe an act of kindness. Basically, businesses that engage in these types of actions are considered to be kindhearted places. One great example is Cadeau Express, a private company in Las Vegas. Mr. Ramon Desage formed the company not ony to earn but also to help the people in Lebanon and Las Vegas.

Businesses that choose to employ this corporate giving attitude can benefit in many different ways from their actions. These businesses will increase their reputation amongst the general public, and also begin to attract new consumers to their business as well. Remember, the more consumers that you can attract the more money you can expect your business to make.

Businesses that choose to help out their communities will increase their employee retention rates significantly as well. Bear in mind that happy employees will increase their productivity levels and go above and beyond to ensure that your store is always operating in tip top shape.

When companies opt to engage in this giving activity their shareholders will begin to build a level of confidence in the business. Be aware that the shareholders that invest in your business hold a lot of power in their hands. They want to ensure that their money is being spent in the right places, therefore companies that engage in giving back to the community can expect their shareholders to give back to them in the process.

A lot of people and business owners, including Ramon Desage, believe that the only way to give anything back to the community is to spend money on the people that reside within it. Even though everyone loves being given money, businesses do not have to give away money in order to show their community that they care. Businesses can choose to give away other things such as the utilization of their facility for community events, their services, or form employee volunteer groups for the people that work for them.

Businesses large and small are implored to engage in some type of corporate philanthropy activity at least once per month. Most large businesses tend to wait until the holidays come around before they start giving back to their community. However, if you want to increase your overall annual sales rates you will elect to engage in giving activities throughout the entire year. All this you will learn by following Ramon Desage.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/public-relations-articles/how-corporate-philanthropy-can-influence-your-business-3812126.html
About the Author

Thaddeus Bodemann is an entrepreneur who has a great passion for helping people and his community. He is a follower of Ramon Desage - philanthropist/entreprenuer.

Can Your Business Give Back and Do Social Good? Richard Branson Challenges Entrepreneurs

2011-02-04T23:42:00.000-08:00

It's almost been two years here at Business That Cares that we've been featuring businesses and entrepreneurs that have taken on the challenge of blending philanthropy, giving back to community, and social responsibility with their business models.The purpose has been to use these stories as inspiration to others who are planning to do the same.

Richard Branson, is not the head of a small business, by any means, but he is personally engaged in philanthropy and has embedded corporate giving throughout the culture of his conglomerate of companies, and especially through Virgin Unite, the foundation that works towards revolutionizing the way businesses and the social sector work together for social good.

At a charity event for Center for Living Peace in Irvine, CA, Branson challenged entreprenuers to think differently: "to change their way of thinking as to running their businesses, make them a force for good, not just a force to make money."

Branson, joined by another successful entrepreneur/philanthropist Rob Dyrdek who said of Branson that " his principle and school of thought and his entrepreneurial spirit has inspired me."

And so, for more inspiration, check out this original video of the event by aol.smallbusiness.

(My apologies for the annoying commercials at the beginning of the video. But the video is worth watching not only to hear Richard Branson's message, but also for seeing his " pirate for peace " outfit.)

Name Your Love On a Box of Chocolates and Help Change the World

2011-02-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

Check them out here

Tie in a holiday about love with a really great idea for philanthropy and you will win more than just one heart.

Usually Valentines Day comes upon us suddenly and we run out to grab a a box of chocolate or some flowers last minute-at least at my house. It's less than two weeks away til Valentine's Day, but this year, it is not too soon to think about giving one's valentine the message that one cares about them as well as about helping a worthy cause. All orders for hand crafted, organic and fair trade chocolate, from a socially conscious business, Full Circle Exchange, are customized with a personal label on the box of the name of the recipient must be in by Feb.4th. (now extended to Feb 7th) for Valentine Day deliveries.

But these chocolates show that not only that you care about them but about a worthy cause as all profits go to CARE, to help women and girls around the world to lift themselves out of poverty.

Full Circle Exchange is a socially conscious company that sells fairly traded, organic coffee, tea, and chocolate with a mission - to "Promote Justice and Cultivate Good"™. They have a full line of Care tea, coffee, and chocolate that supports the non-profit CARE in their programs for women as well as other products where percentage of profits are donated to worthy social justice causes

House Of Marley's Triple Bottom Line Is Jammin' With You

2011-01-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

"One love, one heart. Let's get together and feel alright."
Those lyrics, written by Bob Marley and Curtis Mayfield, could be a serious contender for the most famous ever written, right? Now Marley's family is continuing his vision of peace and love via a bold, vibrant business venture called The House of Marley, a line of branded music products inspired by the iconic singer-songwriter.

The product line, founded on Marley's trademark "love of people, love of the earth," is guided by four principles. First, their products are designed for superior quality. The House of Marley's flagship products include several lines - dubbed Jammin', Freedom and Destiny - of top-quality headphones, earbuds and docks, all exhibiting a flair for Marley funk, and built for long-term durability.

Second, everything is sustainably sourced. All House of Marley products utilize recyclable aluminum and plastics, and the wood is certified by the FSC, or Forest Stewardship Council, guaranteeing the trees were harvested via the highest standards of sustainability.

Third, the House of Marley is cause-minded. To that end, the Marley family formed a sister organization, 1Love, an organization that "puts Bob's beliefs into action" by partnering with charitable groups around the world, including the United Nations Environment Programme, the environmental wing of the UN, Charity: Water, a non-profit geared toward bringing potable water to developing countries, and The African Leadership Academy, designed to train the next generation of leaders from each of the fifty-four African nations.

Finally, the products are waste conscious, designed to keep their recyclable packaging and parts out of the waste stream. The House of Marley also encourages customers to donate their old headphones to be repurposed, thereby keeping them out of landfills.

Jump on over and check some of the fun features of both their site and the business, including the YouTube Drum Circle, the first of many interactive music experiments the House of Marley will be coordinating. This one features a soundboard of sorts that allows you to mix and match together your own drum circle beat to upload to the Internet.

With style, a strong sense of mission, and of course a love of music, The House of Marley is bringing back Bob's vision.

Deloitte's Documentaries Show How Volunteerism Makes a Difference

2011-01-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

While this is not the first time that we have profiled inspiring films and documentaries about giving back, philanthropy, and volunteerism, Deloitte has taken this concept to a higher level of achieving impact and influence both for the non-profits and organizations that they serve as well as for their own company, by not only telling but showing how they are “Making a Difference….Differently” .

Chris Jarvis, of Realizedworth, recently posted his perspective on asking the right questions of a company's volunteer program: Not-"how much did you do?"- but rather, "what does what you do matter?"
One would suspect that Deloitte understands the point Chris has been making, as their four documentaries titled: Skills, Fellowship, Empower, Ready, answer that very important question of: “what does what they do matter?" as well as there own well posed questions.

These documentaries are not only self promotion for Deloitte's community involvement as they share the spotlight with the charities and organizations in these videos, so that a viewer learns a lot about each of them and their the impact to their communities. Each of these documentaries starts with the non-profits talking, followed by the stories of Deloitte's employees and their pro-bono work for each of these organizations, and a message reiterating Deloitte’s key mantra, that of adding value to the charities beyond just handing them a check.

By showing the added value of skills based volunteerism, the films provide several benefits to the charities and the company: they provide the charities more publicity and acknowledgment, good PR for the company’s community involvement programs, and they also serve as a great employee recruitment and development tool.

These are the things that matter, but beyond that Deloitte has chosen to provide inspiration to others through the use of the medium of video, showcasing them not only on their company site but on YouTube as well.

I chose to post the "Skills" documentary here because of the message that using skills-based volunteering creates the most value and has the most impact. You can watch it below and link through to see the others. Or you can see the entire documentary series at Deloitte.com and on YouTube.

Skills: “Why is skills based volunteerism so effective in eradicating effects of poverty?”
Robinhood Foundation gives grants that help New Yorkers’ build better lives for themselves and their families. They use investment principles and apply them to measure the impact of fighting poverty. Deloitte plugged into their by dedicating one of their "fellows" with six months of full time skilled volunteering to help Robinhood with impact measurement and their philanthropic investment returns.

Fellowship: “How can one pro-bono fellow help provide a new sense of purpose to returning war vets?”
Paralympics is an athletic competition run in conjunction with the Olympics, for veterans with injuries such as head traumas and of the spinal cord. Deloitte‘s philosophy is to match employees with the cause that gets them engaged personally. In this case, Deloitte brought in a wounded war veteran, an employee, to volunteer with the Paralympics program as well as to help to increase the number of rehabilitation institutes that offer Paralympic sports programs as part of their rehabilitation programs.

Empower: “How can data help create a college-going culture...and change the life of a 16 year old?”
College Summit helps kids from low income communities go to college with programs that involve peer leaders, mentorships and academic training as well as provides help with college applications and raising money for their college tuitions. As part of Deloitte’s signature commitment to supporting education, Deloitte has developed for College Summit a multimillion dollar database that has helped the organization to improve their programs and better deliver relevant information to high school and colleges. An outcome of this has been an increase in college applications and acceptances for their students and an overall 20 percent increase in college enrollment.

Ready: “Can project management really help save lives?”
California, a state with constant potential for major disasters needed a comprehensive volunteer organization. Disaster Corps, a cadre of a thousand highly trained government trained volunteers was created to address this problem. Deloitte brought in a team of advisers to analyze the needs of the program, to design the technology tools for improved project management that would help define the capacity of the volunteers, leverage their skills,and coordinate the volunteer organizations to deliver the emergency volunteer services. In essence to help California better able to respond to the eminent emergencies.

For related posts with videos:

Corporate Volunteers Get Into Gear For Back To School

Charitable Designs

2011-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

Increasingly in our wired world, businesses large and small are learning the absolute necessity of a strong web-presence. But if you've ever tried to commission a website design, license a domain or contract with a host, you probably realize that the process can be a fair bit trickier than the sum of its parts. That's one of the reasons WebsitesGiveB@ck caught my eye. The Front Royal, Virginia-based family business offers creative but affordable web design services, specializing in small businesses and the service business community. For one flat rate, they bundle together the entire project: designing a five-page site, registering your domain, offering a year of web hosting, submitting your site to search engines, even throwing in a few hours of technical assistance.

But as their name implies, WebsitesGiveB@ck has a secondary mission. As envisioned by co-founders Elena Patrice and Linda Saker, the company donates about 20% of the proceeds of each web design project to a charity of the client's choosing. As Elena Patrice told me, "We feel we have a huge opportunity to help in two significant ways. First, small businesses are struggling, and we present them with an amazing service that covers virtually every base in their website design for one flat rate. We go many 'extra miles' because we want to do all we can to sincerely and honestly serve small business owners. Second, we help charitable organizations, who are experiencing their greatest decline in donor assistance ever. We summarize our efforts as the 3 C's: Company-Customer-Cause. It all works together, and that's our tag line: 'Good business and goodwill coming together.'"

According to a listing on their site, WebsitesGiveB@ck and their customers have donated to The American Red Cross, Toys For Tots, The Nature Conservancy and Special Olympics, among many others. For 2011, they have sent the ambitious goal of raising $60,000 in charitable donations.

Like many small businesses profiled on this blog, WebsitesGiveB@ck sees the relationship between business, the community and philanthropic groups as an evolving, interdependent one. As Patrice describes it, "As an entrepreneur in this time in history, 'giving back' and thinking of more than the bottom line is almost hardwired into you. For us, it was the cornerstone. Something that Sir Richard Branson stated has always stuck with me: 'With success and owning a business comes an awesome responsibility to others.' He is correct and we all need to keep this in mind."

PLEASE DON'T GIVE- Public Radio's Humorous Fundraising "unPitch" With Alec Baldwin

2011-01-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

Time to get serious, it's my local public radio's pledge drive again. And during last year's drive I wrote about the impact of business sponsorship in matching dollar for dollar pledges. Studies have shown that indeed a business that matches pledges dollar for dollar, increases donations during the time period of that offer. It is an excellent strategy for a business to get publicity for themselves, especially in a market where there are no other opportunities to advertise, while at the same time giving back to a worthy cause.

Usually I change the channel, not wanting to listen to the dull, same old, same old appeal. But this year, while driving, I heard the voice of one of my favorite comedic actors, Alec Baldwin, with a pledge message that went something like this:

Hello, this is Alec Baldwin from television, you know television, the dominant broadcast medium of our age.
.
I have come here to public radio, during your sad little pledge drive with a simple message: don’t give.
Public Radio,with its' lack of hot buxom starlets, its’ deluded sense of seriousness, its’ pathetic faith that ideas still matter, it has no place in today’s current landscape of media.

Let's return all radio to its proper mission, selling advertising and making money.

So please –this pledge drive-DON’T GIVE…
Let Public Radio sputter and die a slow death….

Do nothing, do not call, do not give online.
Help me destroy public radio.
Here is someone to give you instructions on how to pledge-which you should ignore.

If you want to hear the entirety of this hilarious pitch, you can listen to it courtesy of public radio station KPIU

So did this work? Using myself as a test case, I didn't stop the car and pull out my cell phone to dial their number and make a pledge. But I also, for once, did not change the channel. I stayed on for awhile longer when they jumped right in with their more serious pledge drive format.

Following this hilarious pitch came the serious pitches: an oriental rug store that was matching dollar for dollar every pledge within the next 25 minutes, and the proverbial raffle where for an "x" amount of donation you might get a chance to win a technological gadget.

We know that matching dollars works as a fundraising strategy and probably the raffles also attract donations to some extent. But I haven't been able to find any research on whether using humor works for fundraising.

My response to the humorous approach of this appeal was that it kept me listening long enough to hear about the matching grant and more importantly ( from the business's perspective) the name and location of the business that was offering it.

If I were a business considering supporting public radio with a matching grant, I would think it a good giving strategy to have my public support follow right after Alec Baldwin's hilarious "unpitch".
At least I would know people are still listening.

P.S. Kudos to Public Radio for their idea to use Alec Baldwin as a result of this Saturday Night Live skit.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/nprs-delicious-dish-schweddy-balls/2846/

Wondering How Your Business Can Navigate the Maze of Giving?

2011-01-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

Understanding philanthropy can be a maze that can confuse and discourage any business that would like to start a giving program. There are a whole lot of worthy causes out there that small businesses may have the desire to give to but don't understand the landscape of philanthropy enough to know where to begin. While some businesses prefer to support local causes and non-profits, others would to like support organizations that address broader problems such as health, hunger, water, poverty, the environment, or world peace. And when disasters strike, like last year's earthquake in Haiti, knowing which types of donations and which charities are the most effective at delivering aid becomes critical.

Sometimes businesses may have a cause in mind but are unsure of which charities deserve their philanthropy. Take for example the cause of promoting breast cancer awareness and supporting breast cancer research. With all the "pink" around in Oct. how would one necessarily know which breast cancer non-profit to give to -Susan B.Komen for the Cure or The Breast Cancer Research Foundation? What is helpful is to have a guide that anyone can use to check out the different charities and their effectiveness.

The folks at Masters of Public Administration.com have published online such a resource: Give Smart: 25 Websites To Learn A Charity's Effectiveness and Efficiency. Their site offers the links to 25 websites of organizations and government agencies that rate charities, compile approval ratings, and unmask illegal behaviors. Small businesses can now have the opportunity to research which charities are well managed and which ones best serve their cause effectively which can help them make decisions on where to give wisely.

Joseph Morris the founder of Masters Of Business Administration.com offers a basic definition of what qualifies as a charity:

According to the IRS, an organization qualifies as a charity if 35% or less of its income goes to administrative expenses such as salary and operating costs.

And he adds that:

With literally thousands of groups qualifying, it can be confusing to decide which organization to give to. Every day, the images of those who need help reach us, along with mailings, charity walks, food drives, and even guys dressed as Santa ringing a bell.
With literally billions of dollars at stake, how does the average person navigate this maze of giving?

Here are a few of the organizations that assess and rate charities using different criteria that Joseph Morris has mentioned:

American Institute of Philanthropy- Stop here for a nationally prominent charity watchdog service whose purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions. They rate, grade, focus on top salaries, and other hot issues in the charity sector. You can also read tips for giving wisely and hear what others have to say.a charity watchdog service help donors make informed giving decisions by rating and grading non-profit organizations.
Charity Navigator- This site works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America’s largest charities. You can browse by every category from animals to religion. There are also loads of top ten lists to keep you busy such as “Top 10 Most Requested Charities” and “10 Super-Sized Charities.” There are also tips, methodology information, and more. Be sure not to miss the blog with more in charity evaluation.lists charities by categories and evaluates the based them on their
Guide Star-The tagline of this site is “trusted data, customizable analysis, targeted results.” Recently reviewed organizations often make the list and are done by volunteers, clients, and donors. They even offer an Exchange Seal to outstanding charities.

In addition, the guide lists associations and government agencies such as the BBB ( Better Business Bureau), the IRS, the FBI, the FTC, other blogs and online reports that research and document fraud and illegal behaviors in the non-profit sector and other useful sources such as online news sites, and websites, most notably The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

This is a terrific resource where any business can find almost anything that one needs to know in order to be able make an informed decision about how best to administer their philanthropy.

Related posts you may be interested in:
Looking For a Cause
100 Books That Will Inspire Your Giving
How Not To Business Philanthropy Like Skecher's BOBS
Black and White and Pink All Over

Seven Ways Small Business Can Adopt a Socially Responsibile Attitude

2011-01-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

As Winston Churchill once said:
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

Last week we posted an article about bringing a green attitude to the workplace. Thinking about ways to make your workplace more green is not only of benefit to your business it is also a great way to kick start your thinking about what responsibilities your company has to society in general and what aspects of social responsibility your business can implement.

Okay, so having a green attitude -that seems doable. But, as a small businesses you may be scared off from the idea of engaging in the larger concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. That would involve taking on changes that could overwhelm you at this time. Yet, it is easy and doable for your small business to show that you care about local community needs without having to create big formal programs. Just like having a green attitude, all that you need to start is a Socially Responsible Attitude.

Here are seven areas where a small business can easily adopt a socially attitude that does not require a big commitment. And you can start with any one area and build up to adopting the others -gradually.

Make a commitment to behave ethically in all your business practices.
Pay attention to your local community needs and find ways to help out with philanthropy and volunteering.
Be conscientious of the impact to the environment of your day to day operations.
Adopt civic-mindedness. Participate in your local government particularly in the activities that have an impact on the business community and the environment.
Contribute to economic development of your community as well as your own business, by joining local business associations and helping other businesses prosper.
Focus on the well-being of your employees by providing a healthy, non-discriminatory workplace that treats employees fairly and that provides opportunities for growth and development.
Treat your customers with respect, engage them in helping the environment and with supporting local causes.

Once a business adopts a mindset, an attitude, a way of looking and thinking about how it does business in a socially responsible way, small changes will come. Those changes will add up to making a big difference to the profitability of your business, to the benefit of your community and to the environment.

Changing Lives Through Jobs

2011-01-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

The esteemed Los Angeles-based Chrysalis Enterprises has a fascinating "chicken or the egg" origin story. In this case, the philanthropy, not the business, came first. On this blog I have profiled a variety of small businesses that have embraced giving in various forms, but here we have a vital, successful philanthropic organization that only later spawned a business wing.

The infamous downtown Skid Row here in LA, my own proud hometown, represents one of the most challenging hotbeds of homelessness and crime in America, but that's where Chrysalis was born in 1984, founded by John Dillon, then only twenty-two years old. The organization began as a modest food and clothing distribution center serving the denizens of Skid Row, but soon blossomed into an agency designed to help homeless men and women secure jobs, tackle substance abuse and re-enter society. Offering a wide range of job readiness training - resume writing, job search strategy, computer training, counseling and case management - Chrysalis has helped thousands of clients escape poverty. Today the organization runs its original downtown offices, plus satellite operations in Santa Monica and the San Fernando Valley.

In recent years, however, it has spawned a business division, Chrysalis Enterprises, consisting of three sub-divisions. Chrysalis Staffing is a full-service agency assisting with temp and work-for-hire job placements. Chrysalis Works is a cleaning and street maintenance organization that contracts with the city and regularly maintains many of the city's most-trafficked streets. Finally, Chrysalis Recycling collects recyclables from businesses, offices and schools.

Predictably, demand increased with the onset of the recession, but Chrysalis rose to the occasion. 400 clients a day received assistance at their three centers. In 2009 alone, 1,500 men and women were placed in new jobs, making, on average, significantly higher than the state's minimum wage.

Best, Chrysalis Enterprises, as you might guess, organically feeds off and yet nourishes the larger umbrella organization. The three businesses provide job opportunities for those whom the parent organization assists, and then their profits, in turn, cover 60% of the annual multimillion-dollar operating budget for Chrysalis. This award-winning model is a durable and innovative one, underscoring the effective way in which a philanthropy and its business can support one another in a symbiosis.

Business Doing Better at Doing Good- 2011 Trends in Business Philanthropy

2011-01-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

The month of January is named after the god Janus, the god with two heads, one looking behind and one looking forward. Apparently the god Saturn, gave Janus the introspective ability to see into the past and the gift of seeing into the future. I can make no claims of having god-like abilities, but in reviewing the past year's stories and tweets, it seems that there is trend is to find newer and better ways for business to do good.

And these are the trends I see that will be significant in the year of 2011 for creating positive new directions in business philanthropy.

Using the Social Sciences to Understand the Dynamics of Giving Behavior

More and more studies in social psychology and behavioral economics have been addressing the question of what motivates people to give. Businesses hoping to use cause marketing and to engage their customers in giving, and non-profits seeking to find ways to get more value from their corporate sponsorships should tap into these research studies more. Take for example, the recent study about amusement park goers who paid more for their photos on a ride when they could choose their own price and the profits went to charity. Sceptics of the Panera Cares Business Model, (we profiled their first cafe opening, St Louis Bread Company Cares) which is an example of this kind of approach, should check out the video on CBS News.
For more research studies on consumer giving behavior check out: Ways Your Company Can Give More Bang For the Buck.

CSR's Umbrella

Last year I predicted that Cause Marketing and Corporate Giving would become more differentiated. Well I was wrong. The lines have gotten even blurrier between CSR, Employee Volunteerism, EVP, Cause Marketing and Corporate Giving. Is it more that they are distinctions or that they justifiably fall under the CSR umbrella? More and people cite all of these in the context of each other and often interchangeably. Beth Kanter suggests in her blog post.Corporate Altruism: The Blurring of the Lines Between CSR and Cause Marketing that perhaps the lines do not distinguish one fore another but that it is more of a continuum. CSR this past year has been struggling with finding a definition of itself, but more than being a continuum, I like the image of an overencompassing arc, like that of an umbrella..

Employee Drive Philanthropy

Yahoo employees do it, Blackbaud's employees do it and GiveSomethingBack's employees do it: various forms of employees recommending charities; designing the giving programs often in forms such as competitions,scholarships; sitting on the grants committee; and other forms of direct emplyee involvement.
Employers are seeing that when giving back to the community is a company grassroots effort, not only is there more by-in from the employees, more total giving in time and money, but also more loyalty given back to the company.

Skills Based Volunteering

While providing extra hands for bagging food or assembling backpacks will never go away as an important function of Employee Volunteer Programs, more meaningful ways for employees to help communities are
emerging. Bea Boccalandri of the BCCCC, has been advocating that businesses create more of these kinds of asset based opportunities for employees volunteering as a way for companies to provide their employees with more engaging and rewarding experiences that help build the capacity of the non-profit organization in more sustainable ways. Skills based volunteering also serves as great employee training opportunities for the companies involved. 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. And she cites examples of companies like Aetna and Hasbro and Levis that have been doing so.

Directed Giving Through Voting and Liking

Using social media to involve the public in making the decision for a company's giving is going to get bigger and bigger. It's an approach that appeals to many as it can engage thousands in feeling that they can contribute in some small way by voting for their favorite charity or "liking" a facebook page, that results in an award or donation given by a business to the winner. Witness the Pepsi Refresh Project, (which I mentioned in last year's trends picks, The Classy Awards, (where two of our featured businesses, Sweets Trucks and GiveSomethingBack were finalists, and the American Express Small Business Day, where just a vote on a website or a Facebook "like", brought about large corporate funding towards specific projects and causes.

More Public Scrutiny

As businesses will continue to involve the public in their giving programs, so will the public be more involved in the judgment of corporate giving. Witness the outcry over the Punk Buckets for a Cure, BOBS Shoes and Target's funding of political campaign. While some of the public will want to be more included in corporate giving, others like Michael Hiltzik of the LA Times (who gave us a cool shout out) may want to be left alone to their own philanthropy.
Whatever a company does, you can be sure the public will be watching to make sure that a company's giving is neither insincere, nor causing harm in any way other way, nor just plain dumb.

New Forms of Philanthropic Business Models

While many were dubious of Panera's business model, more and businesses are coming up with innovative philanthropic business models. Even staid Nordstrom is planning to open a philanthropic department store in Manhattan with all profits going to charity. We have seen the B corp becoming recognized as a legal entity in several more states. Several forms of "buy one give one" business models, and more businesses like Panera with "set your own pricing schemes" have sprung up.
It is possible, of course, that some of these innovative philanthropic businesses will fail, but perhaps at no higher rate no than other start ups. And if so, so be it, innovation requires taking taking on the risks of failure, but also the rewards of success and of leading the way in developing a whole new sector.

In spite of what I consider my one missed prediction for 2010, I think that last year's predictions, which you can read here, have proven to hold up and will grow to have even more importance in 2011. Business giving in partnership with consumers, non-profits and communities, will be evolving and will create better solutions to local and global problems.

I look forward to bringing more of these stories here in 2011.

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Bring The Green Attitude To Your Workplace

2011-01-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Markum

Going green has become trendy in homes and in work environments. If you haven't caught on to this trend, it's time! This article will give you some great ideas of how to make your work environment go green. More and more work places are doing it as it helps build a better vibe in the work place and is helping the earth.

It's not an easy process to make the changes and it doesn't happen over night. With that said there's nothing wrong with going slow and make small changes to start the process.

In order to start this process, come up with a plan on where you want to begin. Start to build awareness in the work environment so people know there are going to be some changes made. Everyone's in on it together and you will all feel great about yourselves.

A good place to start is paper! We all know where paper comes from and how it's been harming the earth for many years. Most of us probably don't think about this on a daily basis, but it's the truth! Change the paper you're using!

There are many paper companies out there, so if your paper company in the office isn't ethical then find another. The first thing you should find out is if they're part of the forest certification program. Paper companies that are a part of this group make an effort to practice with higher ethical standards. You can find this on their website or by calling and asking for documentation.

Are you using recycled paper? Most packages of paper will indicate if it's recycled or not. Many paper companies use post consumer products and make paper from it. The higher the percentage of the recycled goods, the better!

If you're printing fliers, mailers or any other form of materials, look for vegetable based ink. This type of ink uses liquid from soy beans. Soy beans are very easy to grow and have been proven to release minimal greenhouse gases during their development.

Making the office a greener environment is a great idea! Employees will all love it and you will all feel great about helping the earth. Good luck!

This author loves the earth and is often found spreading her concern. In addition to writing about the environment, she also writes about home renovations and lighting. She recently wrote about bath lights and bath light fixtures.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Markum

Break Open the Bubbly! Best of 2010 Awards for Philanthropic, Benevolent, Purpose Driven Businesses

2010-12-30T16:58:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Franklin's adage: "Do Well by Doing Good " has never proven to be so true as this past year. While this has been a tough economic year for many companies, businesses that have been founded on the principle of blending philanthropy and a purpose with good business have been thriving. And receiving recognition for doing so has become an exciting trend in 2010.

This past fall nearly every major city or region has held business philanthropy awards with categories for both large corporations and small businesses and we noted some of these award ceremonies in November. Yet more and more philanthropic businesses and their founders have been receiving awards or accolades from their industry peers not only for their outstanding commitments and contributions to their communities through volunteering and philanthropy but also, and more remarkably, for their success in building and growing businesses with quality products. These achievements are especially notable as they prove that businesses that do good can indeed do well in spite of the difficult economic times.

The following businesses have been profiled here, and we are proud to have discovered them early on!

Lauren Bush of FEED, was honored to accept the Humanitarian of the Year award at The Accessories Council Excellence (ACE) Awards

Next week I am excited to go hear the founder of the FEED, Lauren Bush speak at my daughter's alma mater, a local girl's private high school in the area. What excites me is that last July we profiled the FEED project, a company that sells FEED bags, handbags and now also other fashion accessories that help support programs that are eradicating hunger. Since then, this philanthropic venture has not only expanded their product line, captured general acclaim for their humanitarianism, but has also garnered awards and recognitions from the fashion accessories industry as well.

Ecojot: has won the Bronze at the 2010 Canadian Design Exchange Award. The category was Visual Communications Brand & Identity.

Last June, we profiled Ecojot, makers of 100% post-consumer recycled paper products which donates school supplies to kids in need around the world through their corporate giving model "Buy one, we give one". What was special about this award to Ecojot was the acclaim they received for the design quality of their products from the industry, while having their philanthropic purpose acknowledged at the ceremony.

Mission Street Chinese: 2010 winner of the Eater Awards for " Empire Builder of the Year, San Francisco" from Eater.com

Well I don't know exactly what "Empire Builder" means, but it sounds great and perhaps refers to the amazing transformation that this business has gone through. Mission Street Chinese/Restaurant along with its sister restaurant Commonwealth, began as a food truck and then became Mission Street Food -where they rented the space of a Chinese restaurant two nights a week and donated a portion of their proceeds to local causes. Their story launched and inspired our blog , as they have been a "benevolent business" (as they call themselves) from their very beginnings and continue to do so. I like the idea of benevolent business empires!

Give Something Back: San Francisco Business Times’ Community Change & Impact Award; U.S. Small Business Administration Business of the Year; Newman's Own/George Award; E-Achievement Award; San Francisco Business Times Top Corporate Philanthropists Awards; Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 100 and Inc. 500” (8 out of 9 years); Classy Awards finalist for Philanthropic Business of the Year

We profiled the company Give Something Back, an office products company in a three part interview with founder Mike Hannigan. Since then, Give Something Back has been receiving awards and acclaim for both their philanthropic business model and their achievement in business growth from so many organizations and institutions.

Sweets Truck: Classy Awards finalist for Small Philanthropic Business of the Year;named 2010 Los Angeles Small Philanthropic Business of the Year

When we first wrote about Sweets Truck and their commitment to support their community, we found the idea very sweet and charming, not to mention yummy. Then later we were very excited about their nomination for Classy Awards an awards competition recognizing the top philanthropic achievements by charities, businesses, and individuals in eight major cities nationwide.

e-Cycle: Inc. magazine has named e-Cycle number 763 in its 2010 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately-held, for-profit companies in the U.S.

Perhaps the most telling of all the awards and acclaim are the ones that come from industry leaders acknowledging the success of a business. e-Cycle has proven to be a leader amongst philanthropic and green companies achieving business success not in spite of their purpose, but most likely as a result. We were thrilled to interview their co-founder, Tonia Irion about the philanthropic side of their business.

Congratulations to all of these business for their achievements and for their inspiration to others.I look forward to seeing this trend of recognizing philanthropic businesses to build even more in 2011. It is going to be a great year with more and more businesses becoming philanthropic and more and more public acclaim for their mission to "do well by doing good".

Are You Or Your Business Deluged With End Of Year Requests From Charities?

2010-12-28T09:58:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed how more and more of your friends are starting charities? How more and more friends are on boards and committees of non-profits and so more and more of them are helping raise money for a good cause? Just this week, I have received four newsletters, one phone call, two e-mail requests, one letter and one phone call -all from friends. They all say the same thing: charities have been hard hit, this is a really worthy cause, won't you give, give again, or give more?

Personally, what I find frustrating are the ambivalent feelings rising up in me. Yes, they are all worthy causes and yes, I want to help my friends as I have been there too helping raise money for a cause. I am finding it tougher and tougher to fend these requests off while at the same time feeling guilty that I have to do so.The trap that I am in, and I am sure this applies to many people, is that as these requests increase so has my total giving while at the same time individual donations to my favorite charities have decreased from previous years. It is hard to say to them: "I am giving to you less this year, because I am now also giving to, (for example) an orphanage in Africa.

Is this experience any different if you are small business, or large one for that matter? You may have already have a favorite community cause or causes that you employees care about that you have been sponsoring all along, If you have a giving plan, you may already budgeted your charitable contributions for the year, Yet, you too are probably deluged with solicitations from local charities and you would like to help-you really would.. Add to all of this the fact businesses this past year have had even less to give than before.

Here is an example from a local business owner in Lane County, Eugene Oregon, where businesses have seen pleas for help from local charities climb as the economy has declined in the past three years.

“There’s so many probably deserving groups that it’s really hard — you can’t even take all the calls,” said Rob Bennett, owner of Bennett Management Company and the Downtown Athletic Club. Plus, he added, “We have relatively less (to give) than what we did three years ago. We’re holding our own, but the decisions are harder and the amount we can contribute is down from earlier years.” Regist er.com

Last year, we posted: "How To Say No (and Yes) To Charity Requests, which gave suggestions on how to cope with this increase in requests for donations.

What I think this holiday scramble really points to is that private giving (not at the Bill Gates' billionaires level) is being tapped out and charities need to turn to seek support from businesses both during the holidays and all year in order to survive. Even if a business cannot give much in cash donations there are so many ways that a business can do to help that private individuals cannot.

Here are some ideas:

Create an employee giving program where employees choose which organizations they would like support.
Matching grants for private donations( which have proven to be enormously successful) .
Engaging customers for a cause-even a jar on the counter asking for spare change to help a worthy cause, can add up to a lot. Check out how Whole Foods and Safeway do this.
Donate products, services, expertise.
Volunteer, have employees volunteer in teams.
Cause marketing promotion, attracting customers to purchase with a portion of the sales going to a cause.
Set out collection bins for food, toys, clothing, even cell phones.

So now- because as a single supporter I have fewer of these options, I have to go off and write some checks before the end of the year hoping that these will help my favorite causes.

Macy's Newest Cause Marketing Miracle on 34th St.

2010-12-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Not since the movie " A Miracle On 34th St" a 1947 movie where the existence of a Macy's Santa was proven by the submission in court of 50,000 letters to Santa, and "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa" 1897 editorial , has there been better proof that there is someone out there that will grant children's wishes.

For every letter to Santa delivered Macy's has given $1.00 to Make A Wish Foundation an organization that grants wishes to children who are face life threatening illnesses.

Macy's has set up a Believe post office like stations at all their stores nationwide, as well as a website where letters can be written and decorated to be printed up and brought to stations.

Now practical parents,Scrooges, Grinches and cause marketing cynics as well, must be cringing at this strategy of taking advantage and even furthering childrens' beliefs in Santa as a ploy to bring in customers.

But I am sucker for such causes like Make A Wish Foundation; and for myths like tooth fairies and Santas, and I always cry when I watch movies "The Miracle on 34th Street". As a mom I know the pain and heartbreak of having a child injured or sick, as well as the joys and delight of children at Christmas time.

To date Macy's has received 1,001,002 letters. This campaign has translated to Macy's delivering a $1,000,000.00 check to Make A Wish Foundation, with an additional $500,000.00 from their facebook promotion- proving once again that kids' letters to Santa must mean that somewhere out there he does exist -and so does charitable giving tied in with some brilliant cause marketing.

If Macy's can help me "believe" that that there is "someone out there" that can give some joy and hope to children with life threatening illnesses, then I truly hope that Macy's wish for profitable season has been granted too.

RibbonBook Founder Finds His Mission

2010-12-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

What motivates business innovators? Is it their strengths and goals, or also their turmoil? This was the question I asked in my post on Tuesday, citing business strategist Rosabeth Moss Kanter and her theory that personal obstacles, losses and challenges can often be a powerful driver in the creation of businesses and social ventures. It's been a recurring topic on this blog, going back to businesses such as InspireNotes, and one seemingly answered by Scott Kurland and his venture, RibbonBook.

Scott conceived his service based on a simple principle: how to streamline the process of stamping, mailing greeting cards to all your family and friends? Most importantly, how to keep from forgetting important dates and occasions? With these questions in mind, he set about creating RibbonBook, a site that will allow users to prearrange the delivery of cards for a variety of events like holidays and birthdays. Currently, the Beta version of the site allows visitors to send free greeting cards via Facebook.

Once the site fully launches in early 2011, the $3.79 card price will include a $1 contribution to one of the "RibbonBook funds," philanthropic causes selected by Scott and his users.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the service, though, is its genesis. Recently, facing a variety of personal challenges, Scott struggled to find renewed meaning in his life. As he told me, "The loss of my father in 2005 was a real wake-up call. I was married the same year to my beautiful wife and have had two children since. In early 2009, I began to experience a series of failures that led to some difficult financial times and bankruptcy. After spending over a year struggling unsuccessfully with both job interviews and get-rich-quick start-up ideas, I burned out and found myself depressed and directionless."

After reflecting on his goals and passions, Scott found a renewed sense of purpose and mission in helping others, then combined it with his unique and inventive business concept. Now this self-described "serial entrepreneur" hopes to recruit customers to the cause with RibbonBook. We'll check in with Scott again in 2011; for now, he and his business provide a reminder of how helping others can often provide a guiding light in challenging times.