National Small Business Week and Small Business CSR

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.

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

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.

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Wondering How Your Business Can Navigate the Maze of Giving?

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

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.

1. Make a commitment to behave ethically in all your business practices.
2. Pay attention to your local community needs and find ways to help out with philanthropy and volunteering.
3. Be conscientious of the impact to the environment of your day to day operations.
4. Adopt civic-mindedness. Participate in your local government particularly in the activities that have an impact on the business community and the environment.
5. Contribute to economic development of your community as well as your own business, by joining local business associations and helping other businesses prosper.
6. 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.
7. 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.

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

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".

An Oasis of Philanthropy in November

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How American Express Small Busines Saturday Could Work To Fight Hunger

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

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

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

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

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

Here is how the program works:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And I'd like to add one more:

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

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

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

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

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

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

7 Ways Small Business Can Embrace Social Responsibility

Small businesses may think that social responsibility does not apply to them because of the "C' word , the corporate, that stands in front of the "SR".  If one considers the fact that small businesses account for 70% of the work force, it is easy to see how small businesses have great potential for impact on social responsibility and philanthropy in their communities. Just as one example, consider the magnitude of the environmental impact alone of 70% of the people in the workplace.

By taking out the "C"  word out of Social Responsibility, small and mid-sized businesses can embrace social responsibility with the assurance that their contribution to society will have impact and will add value to their communities and to their business.

Here are seven ways that any sized business can embrace Social Responsibility.

1. Recycle
One just needs to go behind any business or business area to see  dumpsters full of  waste. Businesses generate all kinds of waste: electronic, paper, plastic,cardboard, food waste, printer ink cartridges, batteries, and office equipment that can all be recycled and saved from the landfill. Handing out recyclable bags to customers for their purchases and giving customers incentives for bringing in their bags can help businesses and communities stay green.

2. Reduce Your Energy Consumption
Turn off unnecessary lights in your business overnight. Replace light bulbs with energy efficient ones. Power down your computers when not in use. If you own your own building, install solar energy panels. Your energy reduction will also result in long term savings.

3. Volunteer Locally
While small businesses may not have the large employee volunteer pools of big business, small businesses have closer connections with their employees and are likely to engage a greater percentage of them in volunteering. Small businesses are also closer to their local community needs and are better able to match volunteers to the right causes. Small business can support the community by volunteering for fundraisers, for environmental causes like cleanup days, or pitch in to help build homes or in soup kitchens. 

4.Establish Your Own Grant Program
Although small businesses account for the majority of the workforce, they cannot match big companies in revenues. Large companies are able to endow foundations that can make huge donations to support nonprofits or social enterprises. Small businesses may not have the kind of funding that large businesses have, but they can set up an application process for small local non-profits that helps charities in their fundraising process as well as helps the business control the deluge of requests for donations. 

5.Collaborate With Other Businesses
Small businesses can more easily find inventive ways of collaborating with other small businesses, either through their Chamber of Commerce, local branches of associations, networking groups, or just in their local business community. Helping each other to develop a healthy local economy and sustainable business practices is the kind of community involvement that can help the entire community grow.

6. Help Global Causes
Should global causes be more interesting to small business owners, they can invest modestly in micro-lending enterprises such as Kiva. Some small businesses have started their own social enterprises directly supporting local or global causes, with part or all of their profits, (see postings about In Her Shoes and Mission Street Food) going to both local and/or global causes.
There are also opportunities to support the many 501c3 organizations located in local communities that support global causes such as building schools in Africa, or sending supplies to underprivileged communities.

7. Start Your Own Cause Marketing Campaign
Businesses have great resources to involve their customers with well thought out campaigns that can help raise funds and increase community involvement in their favorite causes. Cause marketing for small businesses can be as simple as posting a flier in your window, collection spare change, giving discounts to customers who support a charity, or mentioning your favorite charity on your website.


Increasingly customers are expecting large corporations to be more philanthropic and socially responsible.  That level of expectation will soon trickle down towards smaller businesses. Maybe it’s time for small businesses to realize that collectively their impact can be as important as that of big business, that there customers will appreciate their commitment ,and their responsibility may be even greater.

Small Business Tips: Seven Ways To Give To Local Schools and Education

Small businesses that would like to help out schools, school children,and education in their communities, might think that they can't match the large scale efforts of big corporations, written about here earlier, such as Staples that has collected thousands of backpacks for needy school children, or Target that has donated large amounts to school libraries.

What realistically can a small business do that could even make a difference to the local schools that have lost revenue with the current budget cuts, and the students that need to acquire a better education in order to be able to get better jobs?

Small businesses may not have as many resources in time and money that large businesses do, but they do have the opportunity to have more immediate and direct impact. By being closer to the local issues and problems a small business can choose where and how best they can give to education, teachers, students, and schools.

1.Sponsorship
Small businesses can take advantage of sponsorships by paying to have their name and logo on everything from athletic shirts,to plaques on doors, and even buildings such as libraries and gyms, as well as by sponsoring a  variety of programs, events and fundraisers. In a story from USA Today, way back in 2006, in Newburyport, MA, a high school offered businesses the sponsorship rights to the Principal's office for $10,000, an auditorium for $100,000, and  even the English classrooms  for $5,000 each.
There are numerous  fundraisers, special programs, and events where even small amounts of funding can be  helpful. While schools may be wary of this kind of relationship, the benefit to both businesses and schools is clear.

"If it's something that's going to allow us to improve the school system or the city, I don't think it's a bad thing," says Bill Greinke, owner of The Sign Shop of Sheboygan.

2.Donate to a scholarship program
Colleges have become unaffordable for underserved populations and scholarship programs that help send these students to college are critical to helping offset the education gap. Many local communities have scholarship programs through organizations like a local  Rotary Club a Chamber of Commerce, or a Community Foundation. Many community colleges have set up their own scholarship programs, raising money from caring local businesses.Such schools as Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA receives donations from dozens of local businesses every year towards the Hartnell College Foundation.

Individual small donations  may not seem like a lot, but collectively they add up to helping make a college degree a reality for someone that might not be able to get one otherwise.

3.Start you own collection drive
In a former post, we wrote about Rick Hart of Hayward, CA,. Rick was working for a paper company at the time and so when his son's fourth grade teacher put out a request for donations of paper, Rick brought in a truckload. The teacher burst into tears when she saw the stacks of paper. Rick had not realized up until then  how desperate the need for supplies was in the local public schools.
By engaging clients and customers a business can help support local schools and school children that cannot afford to buy some necessities such as stationary, pencils and tissue paper. Teachers often have to dip into their own pockets to buy these items for the classroom or send requests to parents to send some in with their kids. After learning what school supplies are needed; a business can set up a collection bin outside the front door or inside the business. By advertising or through a press release in the local paper, the drive can bring in  a significant amount of supplies that can offset the deficit the schools are experiencing 

The organization, Create the Good has developed a great toolkit that has helpful tips for setting up a collection drive. 



5. Volunteer your skills-tutor or mentor
Skills based volunteering in the form of helping schools with math programs, computer classes, and even technical training is a meaningful way for a small business to become involved.  Small business owners can help students on career days with their resumes and interviewing skills. Contractors all across America are using their skills to help refurbish and build schools as well as school playgrounds through organizations like Kaboom.

Tutoring or mentoring is a unique form of volunteering that has special rewards. Local high schools and community colleges cannot afford to give students the extra academic assistance that many of them need to catch up. Often students need mentoring assistance maneuvering through the maze of the financial aid applications, where it  practically takes someone having the skills of a CPA to manage. Businesses can start their own tutoring and mentoring program in their communities. The organizatin Tutor Mentor Connection has a guide for starting  such a program in a local community.

6. Donate used equipment or extra inventory
One small consulting firm, after remodeling, was looking to donate their used, in good condition, office furniture such as desks, chairs and file cabinets. After a little bit of research, they found within a few miles, a public elementary school  that had so little funding the principal did not even have a desk. The school wholeheartedly welcomed every piece of furniture they received and the business received a tax break for their donation.
Then there is the organization, which we featured earlier, NAEIR, which has collected more than $1.6 billion of inventory from companies such as Microsoft and Reebok and donated it to churches, schools and non-profits across the country.
Old computers can be donated through an organizations such as Computers With Causes .They will repair, refurbish, and properly prepare computers and give them to an educational program.



7. Collaborate with other small businesses to help schools
After Rick Hart heeded the urgent need to help local schools, he came up with a collaborative cause marketing program where local businesses give back a portion of sales to the schools. Another example of collaboration is in Louisiana, where businesses have created a coalition, Businesses for Improving Louisiana’s Development, that address the needs for improving standards in higher education in the state.


A small business can collaborate with other small businesses in the community in many ways:  by hosting joint fund raising events; by creating a scholarship program; by forming a giving circle, and by creating coalitions like the one in Louisiana that can affect educational policy
These types of collaborative efforts can often have far more impact than any one individual business can achieve.

The USA Today's story came out fully four years ago when communities were alerted to the huge deficits in funding back then. The situation has become much more serious.  By carefully giving through the proper channels, businesses can help the the funding gap that is occurring all across communities in this country and help support teachers and the students. After all, businesses giving to schools is not only about funding them, but about businesses feeling a sense of ownership in the community.

Businesses Promote Give Back to School Shopping

Businesses are hoping to involve the customer in tried and true methods of collecting everything from dollar donations for school lunch programs, such as Whole Foods' latest initiative, their partnership with the saladbar project , to donating towards backpacks for needy children through Staples’ latest philanthropic effort, StaplesGive-Backpack.

Other businesses have kicked off back to school shopping campaigns with what they describe as “pay back” programs that are designated for support of local schools.Large and small retail businesses and consumer products companies, all across this country, are hoping this back to school shopping season will be a good one, and that makes them all the more interested in attracting customers, mostly the parents of these school kids, by getting them involved in raising money for their local schools through their purchases.

Although some cynics may consider this just a another cause marketing ploy, many of these companies have a very strong corporate commitment to supporting schools in other ways and see the “give back” programs as being in alignment with their overall strategic giving plan that is implemented throughout the entire school year.
Here listed below are some large and small businesses that are seeking ways to support schools with their “buy and give back” programs.

Target

Take Charge of Education® is a school fundraising program: Target credit-card holders can designate up to 1 percent of their card purchases to the K-12 school of their choice. To have advantage of this program, visit. At present, more than 102,000 schools and more than 3.5 million Target customers participate in the program. Celebrating its 10-year milestone this year, Target has donated more than $200 million to participating schools since the program's inception. Launched in 2006, the Target Field Trip Grants Program helps educators bring learning to life through the distribution of field trip grants. In the program's first year, nearly $800,000 was awarded to 800 educators across the country. Parents, in association with their schools, can apply for the program online.

General Mills

We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week –- or more. Now turn those shopping trip into easy cash for your school, and encourage friends to do the same! Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios®, Hamburger Helper® and Kleenex®, in almost every aisle of the store. All you need to do is clip and send them to your school’s Box Tops coordinator —- each one is worth 10¢ for your school.

Safeway Inc.

One of the largest corporate supporters of education, giving more than $20 million to schools and education programs each year.
This week Safeway launched its 6th Annual 10% Goes Back to Schools program, a special in-store initiative that unites over 150 food manufacturers in support of education and students throughout the United States.
Through the 10% Goes Back to Schools program, which runs through September 14, 2010, Safeway is partnering with food manufacturers to donate 10 percent of the sale price of more than 2,300 selected products to local schools designated by customers.

Office Depot

This unique cash-back program for schools can not only benefit your child's school now, but help keep them in free supplies all year long. All you need to do is make a qualifying purchase at Office Depot and present your school's 5% Back to Schools program ID - and we'll take care of the rest.

It’s not just the big stores and large companies that help cusotmers shop and give back to local schools. Just in my backyard, there is an independent bookstore, (yes, one of a rare breed) where they donate 10% of purchase to a shopper’s designated school; a local Chamber of Commerce that created a Shop Local program with a collaborative of twenty businesses that give back a percentage of sales to the local schools for supplies; a candy store that gives all proceeds of sales to the local school; and a clothing boutique that gives five percent back to the local elementary school if the customer lives in that school’s district.

There are dozen's of ways any sized business can come up with ways to involve their customers with support of their local schools, school children, and education. Finding there is a need is easy. One just needs to take a ride on the school bus around the corner.

Charity Choice: Innovative Commitment For Corporate Giving

Who would have thought that a little card could pack such a philanthropic punch? CharityChoice Gift Cards offers an array of opportunities to small and large businesses by providing a corporate customization suite of philanthropic giving options that engages the recipient in the gift giving choices, and delivers a message to clients about the company's commitment to charitable giving.

CharityChoice Gift Cards, is a fundraising enterprise that supports the non-profit, Special Kids Fund. The idea to develop this enterprise was hatched at a board meeting when a member mentioned that he was searching for a way to donate to charity in memory of an associate's deceased father, but was stumped since he did know what the family's favorite charities were. The board of Special Kids Fund came up with the idea of creating an internet based charitable giving program that has since grown to support over a hundred participating charities by employing a variety of mechanisms to enable the gift giving. 

Intrigued by their innovative ideas, I was thrilled to have an interview with Daniel Goldman, the co-founder of CharityChoice, where he chatted on the phone with me all the way from Israel.

Danny outlined the process of the customized gift card and online giving programs for businesses. He was enormously passionate about the benefits, for any sized businesses, of creating an unusual type of cause marketing by using CharityChoice Gift Cards.

How do you see Charity Choice Gift Card as helping businesses, large and small with their corporate giving and social responsibility?

Danny: In terms of Social Responsibility ….. When a business doesn’t want to align itself with a particular cause, but the cause they want to align with is just the giving part-corporations and small businesses can see  how CharityChoice can fulfill that mission. The idea that by fulfilling that component of cause affinity is kind of novel because it is not an affinity with a particular kind of cause but is an affinity with charitable giving in general.
That is a leap for many people, but the advantage here is that it gives the customer or client of the company, the choice. That is the key in terms of both Corporate Social Responsibility and in terms of gift giving, because the choice and the decision in how the charitable gift will be designated is left to the recipient.

How would this work? How does a business of any size, large or small, actually enable their customers or their clients to take advantage of this and partner with you?

Danny: When you mention a small business, what we give is an opportunity for a small business to brand in a way that they normally would not have. Usually with a particular charity if they are a small business, a large charity is not interested in their branding.
If they are a large business, Kelloggs for example, and they are going to have a campaign for a certain charity, then that affinity for the charity creates a partnership. If they are a small business, a large charity is not necessarily going to partner with them.

The way our card works is: you can give it in many forms, it can be a card, an e-mail; you can purchase code and put the code in a medium like on boxes, event tickets, programs for an event; the code itself can be distributed in a any way. So in fact, getting back to the charitable giving, they can create an affinity with a small group of charities, by limiting the choice to the smaller group rather than using the list that we have.

So it’s the business that is buying the cards and offering it to their customers.

Danny: For the customers, the clients- as holiday gift cards- they can put up their logo, or put up season greetings, or they can give thank you cards, and have whatever caption they want on the page. The client can then select the charities the funds can go towards.

There is the psychology of people not wanting other people to make decisions for them. When a company says they want to donate to a charity, a lot of people may not care about that charity. What we are offering is the feeling or reality of participation.


Psychologically it’s just a matter of respect. There was an article, Control Freaks, by David Berkowitz, director of marketing for search engine marketing firm icrossing, where he wrote about the psychological principle of people wanting control in their choices and how CharityChoice taps into that.

I noticed in your website that you have loyalty points that can be designated towards CharityChoice, in the bigger companies such as Wells Fargo and other banks.

Danny: If you are at the link:
www.mycharitypoints.org, it has a list for employee incentive programs, a whole slew of major corporations that are offering our card for incentive programs. They work the same as credit card incentive programs. On the credit card side you will see some links to actual programs, Verizon Business Partners, Wells Fargo, US Bank, many other banks. Verizon Business Link Rewards uses CharityChoice to help support relief efforts in Haiti.

We were covered by Incentive Magazine, they also had a diamond invitational golf tournament for host companies and clients at the event, where they passed out our cards in goody bags, passed as giveaways by Incentive Magazine. The industry itself treats us as a tremendous vehicle for incentives and all types of corporate promotions.

On the side of the charities, how do you benefit charities that partner with you?

We offer to a charity, the opportunity to register as your charity. Your charity has the functionality of being a featured charity. Your supporters can click on that link and make a purchase , then your charity is the featured charity for that purchase and 75% is pre-designated to the charity.


If a group of local businesses and local charities partner, it could become community buzz for charitable gift giving and benefit local charities.

I love the whole view that the gift you are giving is that choice and that are real psychological and economic benefits that come from this.

Definitely there is something in terms of the respect the integrity of the recipient with a charity gift. Therefore the participation is meaningful. We see it all the time when they send a thank you- its amazing in terms of the  types of comments we get back from people.

Danny sent me a link to some of  comments. Here's one from the Los Angeles branch of a major insurance company:

 "Thank You CharityGiftCertificates.org. Our 2007 holiday gift giving initiative was a huge success. We received only positive feedback from our customers thanking us for giving them the opportunity to give back to the charity of their choice. The service was fantastic and the gift certificates customized with our corporate logo was very professional."

Of course, CharityChoice has a registry for birthdays and weddings too, to make personal giving more meaningful. The choices and possibilities are endless-I expect to see CharityChoice expand into many more creative ways for businesses,organizations and individuals to continue to support causes they choose to support, with a little help from their friends.

Business Giving: How the Small Number "One" Can Make a Big Difference

One little number, the number "one"-can pack a powerful punch in corporate philanthropy and small business giving by making a difference to one person, to one organization, to one cause.

There is a story that is often told to illustrate the philanthropic principle of the power of "one". The story goes like this: A man was walking on the beach when he came across a  boy who was sifting through the debris. When the boy found a starfish he would throw it back into the sea. The man asked the boy why he was doing that and he replied that a the starfish will die if they are out of the water for too long. "But you can't possibly save all of them?" "No," the boy said, "but I can save that one."

Businesses are discovering that allocating even a small amount of their resources to a variety of causes, can create meaningful impact. In our upcoming three part series we will have take a look at three business giving models that are designed around the concept of "one", and that have invited other businesses to join them in finding innovative ways to give back to humanity and the world.


Buy One, Give One- Buy1Give1- One For One- all about giving "one" to someone need, for every one bought.

TOMS Shoes has rapidly become the sweetheart of the philanthropic world with their appealing model of giving a pair of shoes to one needy child, for every pair of shoes bought. We wrote about TOMS' One for One model, a little more than a year ago, and the number of businesses since then that engage in this type philanthropic model  has mushroomed.  And other companies like Socks For Happy People have adopted  a Buy One, Give One Model also.
And Buy1Give1 is a transaction based membership organization that helps businesses donate to good causes. 

One Percent
One Percent For the Planet, developed by Yvon Chouinard the founder of Patagonia - is an alliance of  businesses that promise to donate 1 percent of profits to environmental causes.
One Percent For Humanity is an association of businesses committed to giving at least 1% of their annual revenues to approved non-profit humanitarian organizations.

1/1/1  Model

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com  has created  salesforce.com's integrated philanthropy 1/1/1 Model — a commitment to giving one percent of profits, one percent of employee volunteer time, and donating one percent of products to non-profit organizations.
Salesforce.com's visionary 1/1/1 integrated philanthropy model now includes a  fourth "1" - one with the Earth

Here are some ideas any sized business can use to build on the concept of giving "one".
Just do one thing!  sponsor one child, give to one school, one day of fundraising, match one dollar for dollar, customers add on one dollar to a sale, a penny jar collection, a promotion on the first of every month.

Collectively one can become many, and one can make a big difference. The important thing is realize that even a small amount of giving back can make a difference for humanity and the world.

What is "ONE" way your business can use the number one to give back?

Weight Loss With a Mission

With 48,900 businesses in the U.S. in the category of fitness, gym, and health clubs in the U.S, there is enormous potential for using the members to raise funds for charity while getting more fit.
One opportunity is a "weigh off" with the help of an organization, Weigh to Give, that sets up the whole program. This works much like a marathon, where participants are sponsored for the pounds lost. The money raised can be donated to any of the charities that Weigh To Give, gives to, or the business can recommend a charity they would like to donate to.

Up until now charities have been using weigh offs for their fundraising, but this is a great way for small businesses in the health field and fitness industry to give to charity in a way that aligns with their business purpose.

Five Reasons Why Doing Good Helps Your Small Business Grow

Last week I attended a planning meeting at the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce for their “Shop Local” initiative. Not satisfied with the typical model of “Shop Local” efforts around the country, the planning group is adding philanthropy to the program. Using a voucher system, businesses will be able to offer a percentage of the profits from the vouchers back to the community.

The members voiced their concerns that small business owners, have a lot of heart, but have little extra profits to give away. Many felt that small business owners not aware of the benefits of a well planned giving program to the growth of their business.

So-here are five reasons that giving back to your community will help any small business grow.

1. Giving back to the community is an investment in the economic growth of your community which in turn generates more customers and clients.
2. You can use your advertising dollars more effectively. When you advertise your support for a cause you create more public awareness while creating great publicity for your business.
3. By getting involved in a local cause, you build better community relations and image of your business within the community. Customers and clients choose your business, knowing that they too are helping with the cause.
4. You build better rapport amongst your employees when they work together on a philanthropic cause.
5. You network with other businesses that support the same cause which in turn generates more leads for your business.

Putting a Face on Your Business Philanthropy

Have you signed up your business to be part of a fundraiser? Have you and your employees volunteered to walk or run for a charity? Now you can have buttons that are printed up with the face of a specific person that you would like pay tribute to.


A company in Charlotte NC, Buttons of Hope, sells custom buttons for the purpose of charities and fundraisers to make their volunteering more personal and to energize, motivate and inspire people.


Originally, Mike Gibbons made a button for a cancer run that he did a few years ago supprting a friend of his. The idea caught on and Buttons of Hope” started as a nonprofit. But with sales increasing the idea seemed more suitable as a social venture. Their mission is “to spread inspiration, one button at a time”.
Any business can order buttons for their cause. Why not include your customers and clients by giving them one too. Inspiration can be spread throughout the community, many buttons at a time.


http://www.buttonsofhope.com/

A Strand of Pearls for the World

PearlParadise is the world’s leading online pearl company that is donating strands of pearls to charitable and non-profit organizations for their auctions. The causes they like to support are children with disabilities, animal rescue groups and volunteer organizations, environmental organizations, cancer research, and others. Non-profits must apply to Pearl Paradise to receive their donation.
The Pearl Paradise Giving Back Program began with the idea of donating their excess inventory, and has developed into total donations to charity amounting to $1,000,00.00.
Using excess inventory as donations is another way businesses, small and large can contribute to their local community and the world.

Doing Good By Eating Well

For the last fifteen years, a local non-profit in the Bay Area, Community Services Agency, has organized a monthly fundraiser in collaboration with local restaurants. “Chefs Who Care” dine-out has been a popular fundraiser that rotates among the participating local restaurants where they donate 50% of their proceeds for dinner on a particular date each month. Each month over 150 people come out for this event and they have raised $22,000.00 last year.
Although this is an example of an idea generated by a non-profit and involving local businesses, there is no reason that a group of restaurants owners or any small business could not initiate a collaborative fundraiser for a local cause. It just requires some inspiration and leadership.
For more information and inspiration check out this program at: www.csacares.org

Shoe Store Helps Social Justice for Women

There is no way that I could possibly know what it feels like to be in the shoes of a women living and trying to survive in an impoverished country. But I can help women in the world, by buying shoes in a store where guilt free shopping can make a difference.

A store, named "In Her Shoes", in downtown Palo Alto, CA, donates all of their profits to the Global Fund for Women, an organization that gives humanitarian grants to women's projects that promote human rights and social justice in their communities. The store is even staffed by some volunteers who want to support Global Fund for Women in this way.

Check out the store's website and watch their video about the store's mission and for more information about the Global Fund for Women. http://www.inhershoespa.com/

Mission Street Food, a charitable collaboration

So a "hot" new eating locale in San Francisco is called Misson Street Food. It started out selling high quality meals out of a truck and then graduated to renting a space from a Chinese restaurant one night a week, and now two. In the meantime every week a different new guest chef has been invited to cook, and the announcement for the upcoming menus are posted on their blog and their profits go to charity. Their profits fund local community projects as well as global causes such as "Groceries for Seniors", "charity:water"/ a non-profit project which has been providing clean water for people in developing countries, "Foodpantry" Kiva. org, and many others.

They describe the effort between themselves, the chefs, the restaurant they work with, as a charitable collaboration. Collaboration once again seems to be a very powerful way for business to do good.

Why Business That Cares?

There is a movement afoot. More and more people and organizations are concerned with helping the world around them, either locally or globally. While the economy is weakening and businesses are trying to find ways of surviving, contributions for worthy causes are decreasing and social needs are rising. It is increasingly more important for businesses to come up with innovative ways to utilize their resources for philanthropy.

Welcome to "Business That Cares" where I will be featuring stories about businesses of all sizes that care about their community both locally and globally and the ways they are making a difference. My hope will be that this inspires other businesses to develop creative and inventive ways to help the world around them.

I also will be sharing tips, strategies, and methods for identifying the causes that a business would like to support, how to engage others to contribute to the cause, and how to be creative with the ideas and execution.

I welcome businesses to post their stories about the innovative ideas they are using for solving problems in the world and to participate in a dialog with others about this very important subject.