I just got home from attending the Denver Business Journal’s 1st annual Partners in Philanthropy event held in the Pinnacle Club at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.  They had a great crowd in attendance which says a lot about the heightened awareness of business and nonprofit connections given our current economic times. 

The first breakout session I attended was “It Pays to Give” with Andy Boian - Dovetail Solutions (moderator), and panelists Rob Cohen - IMA Financial Group, Scott King - ReadyTalk, and Monique Lovato - Xcel Energy Foundation.  It was interesting to hear the differences in focus between the three based on publically versus privately held companies and the oversight involved with regard to their community involvement activities, as well as the differences that are more related to business size.

ReadyTalk was the smallest company represented.  Scott King mentioned they currently have 92 employees and $20 million in revenues - clearly WAY bigger than my company!!  They still view themselves as a young company and have included community involvement from start-up on - wanting to foster a culture of giving and community connection for the business.  ReadyTalk, based on the vision and values of the King brothers, Scott and Dave, is strongly committed to getting their employees directly involved in the community and in fact consider their philanthropic efforts an employee-based program.  Employees present proposals for nonprofit support to an internal committee of their peers that then selects which nonprofits the company will support with cash and services.  Scott mentioned they do not calculate an ROI as giving back is “just the right thing to do” though he has noticed  a strong connection between employee satisfaction and pride in their company and customer satisfaction.  I went to the ReadyTalk website a few minutes ago to learn more…but there is no section on their website that I could find that shares this information externally.  Anyway…they have captured my attention and I am considering changing my web training service to ReadyTalk as my small way of supporting their philanthropic and community involvement efforts.

IMA Financial Group was the medium size business in the group at 511 employees with $1 billion in sales.  Rob Cohen, Chairman and CEO, explained that to the consternation of some business advisors early on, he included a focus on giving back and community invovlement from day one of the company.  To this end, early employee contracts mandated giving back and he created a foundation “on Day One” as well feeling that it was important to build the discipline to give a percentage from the beginning instead of waiting until later when it could be harder due to the larger numbers involved.  IMA has just hired the first Executive Director for the Foundation to continue focusing its efforts to insure the greatest impact.  IMA also selects projects for employee involvement via a Community Action Committee comprised of employees.  Rob emphasized the need to get involved “for the right reasons” otherwise everyone will see through that; it is important to be passionate and really care about the cause(s) the business supports.  While business value is not a motivator in and of itself for IMA, Rob feels their authenticity in giving and being involved has resulted in business coming their way.  IMA did have a community page on their website which gives a paragraph of their philosophy but no details of who they support.

Xcel Energy Foundation respresented the largest and only publically held company on the panel.  Monique Lovato mentioned Xcel has 12,000 employees and 8,000 retirees in 8 states and their Foundation is the largest corporate giver in Colorado.  Xcel Energy focuses mosty of its philanthropy in four areas: education, the environment, economic self-sufficiency, and equal access to the Arts.  Monique explained that Xcel prefers building relationships “with tentacles” or multiple points of engagement as opposed to just writing a check. Xcel makes use of their extensive intranet system to inform employees of opportunities for volunteering.  Xcel matches employee time with dollars and if 6 or more employees volunteer in a group, the nonprofit gets an additional $500 from Xcel.  Xcel also does matching gifts up to $750/year and their employees participate in the United Way campaign, as well. Xcel has several pages on their website about their community involvement.

Great panel and great work!!  Well done all three companies!

I have now had several interactions with tuggl guys, Matt Buchanen and Josh Clauss, and totally love what they are up to!  I first met Matt when he came to my Meeup Group, Business Philanthropy - Do Good and Do Well and Josh at the Recession Proof Resources workshop for nonprofits last week.  They are smart and their enthusiasm is totally contagious!

What is tuggl?  Tuggl is an innovative online mechanism to do what I have been talking about for 10 years!  No wonder I am a fan…

“tuggl.com is a website consisting of individuals, local businesses, and nonprofit community organizations.  Our goal is to transform how local businesses define and achieve success by rewarding those businesses that are committed to providing great service to their customers as well as continued service in their community.  We hope to create a competitive marketplace for local small business philanthropy and definitively prove to businesses that doing good is good for their bottom line.  

As part of our efforts, we are asking non-profits to create a presence on tuggl and start recognizing those local businesses that support their cause in any way.  In doing so, nonprofits are actually helping those businesses get more visibility and grow their business as well as helping consumers know which companies are doing good in their community and supporting causes that speak to their heart.  For nonprofits, tuggl hopes to transform the relationship with local business supporters by giving nonprofits the power to actually have a profound impact on those businesses’ ability to grow.  In this way, we believe nonprofits will have more leverage when seeking local business supporters throughout the community.”

Cool, eh?  Tuggl is being developed and piloted the system here in Colorado….next stop the USA??  Check it out!

I got my American Airlines mileage statement in the mail last week.  When opening it, I noticed on the back of the envelope the logo ad for “Miles for Kids in Need” with an url.

So I went to their website but a link to the program was not immediately apparent even though I looked several places.  Turns out I needed to go to the “AAdvantage” button, click “Partners and Mileage Programs,” then “Charities” and THEN it was one of six listed.  Guess I did not dig deep enough at first.  While I realize the http://aa.com home page is prime real estate, it would be nice if one of the many little banners posted on that page were about one of their nonprofit partner programs - perhaps a two month rotation since there are six of them.  That would give it a little more visibility. 

However, I do like that they put the logo on the back of the envelope that the statement was mailed out in as it was very obvious there.  And one of the four paragraphs on the statement itself was also about the program. “Last year, AAdvantage members donated more than 30 million miles to the Miles for Kids in Need program, providing transportation for more than 500 kids with special medical needs or wishes.  Please help us replenish these miles if you can.  You can find out more or make a donation at www.aa,com/kids.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Do you send out statements to your customers?  Ever think about putting a few sentences there about YOUR company’s efforts in the community?  After all, especially in these economic times, people and other businesses want to support companies that are “doing good.”  If you don’t share that information, you are missing an opportunity to strengthen your bond with your customers. 

So…nicely done, American Airlines.

When I typed in the http://aa.com/kids url directly I did go immediately to the page which stated the following:

“The Miles for Kids in Need program provides worldwide support for children and their families, as well as for organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with needs for medical, educational, social services issues and/or for those that heighten public awareness of children’s issues.

Since 1989, AAdvantage members have donated miles to help kids in need. Last year alone, members generously donated over 30 million of their unused AAdvantage miles to help provide transportation to over 500 kids through this program. If you can help us replenish some of these miles, we (and the kids) will really appreciate it. Please check your mileage balance and consider making a donation* today.

*Your donation is not tax deductible.”

Just saw this on Facebook –Kelly Ripa is in the Electrolux ad promoting Earth Day and Electrolux’s Virtual Flower Garden.  If you plant a flower, Electrolux donates $1 to Global Green USA.

I clicked to plant a virtual flower in Facebook and got an error message that said it was having trouble and try again.  Hate that…get me all interested and then it flops??  So I went to the Electrolux website…and while I saw green appliances and Kelly…I could find nothing about the virtual garden.  So either it is hidden or it is bad timing on their part.  Before they announce an initiative like this, they should have had their ducks in a row to make it easy for people to participate. Nothing on the Global Green site yet either…

The best information I could find was on the I’m Not Obsessed” blog:  “Kelly and Electrolux have teamed up to release an eco-friendly washer and dryer in a vibrant “Kelly Green.” Kelly inspired this limited edition line because of her commitment to green living.

‘I love green… the color green and the act of living green,’ said Ripa. ‘What better place to make a simple, every day difference than in the laundry room? Kelly Green is a gorgeous shade, and just by using the new Electrolux high-efficiency washer and dryer you can save energy and use less water. How green is that?’ “

In addition to releasing the Kelly Green washer and dryer, Electrolux is kicking off a virtual flower garden campaign to raise awareness and funds for Global Green USA (which is running a healthy green schools initiative across America).

For every person who goes to Electrolux Appliances and plants a virtual flower for a friend, Electrolux will donate $1 to Global Green USA. Every person who logs in and donates $1 will also be entered into a drawing to win a new Kelly Green front-load washer and dryer.”

Tip for other businesses: Make sure your site is all set to go before word starts circulating about the great promotion you are doing!!

I watched Maria Andros’ video on YouTube about YouTube and Twitter a while ago and decided that I needed to “take the plunge.”  After I set up my YouTube Profile and Channel, I went to browse the videos for Nonprofits & Activism and and noticed the green logo below.  Turns out that YouTube has a Nonprofit Program and gives tips for nonprofits on how to do a video campaign as a way to get the word out about their organization.  Very cool…and wow…do I have a lot to learn!

I am planning a Technology Toolbox session for 100 AmeriCorps program staff in DC next month.  We are going to have some great presenters talking about how to use social media and other technology tools not only for resource development and fundraising but awareness building, volunteer and member recruitment and training, communication, program management, etc etc.  It is going to be exciting.  Some nonprofits are already really savvy about tech tools but I would venture to say most are not yet!  And they need to get on the train or they will be left FAR behind!!

So…are you a business person that gets this stuff?  A great pro bono service you could offer your favorite cause or nonprofit would be to help them think through a basic strategy and get them hooked up with the basics - like Facebook, YouTube, etc.

Here is the recorded webinar that I did on Recession Proof Giving.  Please feel free to listen at your convenience.  https://bnconnections.webex.com/bnconnections/ldr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=28607557&rKey=ABD368EE9ACB6E1E.

I hope you can join me TODAY April 9th 2-3 pm MT.

Especially during difficult economic times, business giving is an essential focus for companies of all sizes committed to being active in their communities and demonstrating that social responsibility is one of your core values. However, to be most effective, business giving requires strategic planning and action - just like any other business expenditure. Don’t just pull the plug on your company’s giving because you are overwhelmed with requests and have little cash to give. Join me to learn 5 steps to recession proof your giving and dialogue with other business leaders about effective strategies they are using.

To RSVP for this complimentary webinar and to receive the call in number and log in info, RSVP NOW

Susan Hyatt - GOOD Strategist
Business Nonprofit CONNECTIONS, Inc.
http://www.BusinessGivingStrategies.com

I broke down and bought a new iPhone this week and am having fun learning what it can do - pretty amazing!!  Last night I downloaded an application called Pageonce Personal Internet Assistant.  It stores the info for any travel, financial or other accounts and then connects you simply to check point balances or whatever.  Makes me a little nervous to have all my codes stored “out there” somewhere but it could be very helpful.  I went on their site today to do some more research on the service and after I logged in, a pop-up screen invited me to upload my contacts and for every person I referred, they would plant a tree through Trees for the Future.  Great idea!!

So…instead of paying a fee for referrals, what cause could you support through customer referrals that would show YOUR company values?  Help you “Do Good” and grow your business…a win/win proposition!

I am excited to offer these updated trainings next month on my all time favorite topic - strategic partnerships between nonprofits and business - as it is an especially important topic for our times. 

Attending the Nonprofit Summit in Denver this week, I was reminded again how only thinking “donors and fundraising” is an “old school” mindset and shuts down possibilities for win/win ventures.  This workshop provides great tips and tools for partnerships with mutual benefits and is a MUST attend for nonprofit staff and board members.

• Are you worried about having the resources to keep your organization and programs going?
• Are you seeing your cash donations shrinking?
• Do you feel your requests to businesses are being “lost in the noise” among all the other nonprofits also looking for support?
• Have you experienced difficulty receiving business support more than once or twice and wonder why they aren’t giving to you any more? 

Then Recession Proof Resources: How Smart Nonprofit Design Strategic Partnerships with Businesses is DEFINITELY for you!

I will be offering it two ways so the largest number of organizations possible can take part:

1.  LIVE in Denver on April 28th 1-5 pm.

2.  Via a 4-Part WEBINAR April 8, 15, 22 and 29 12-1pm ET so you can join in from anywhere!.

Click the appropriate link above for more information and to sign up.  Registration is limited so do it TODAY to make sure you get a seat!

I really look forward to sharing tips and tools to help you be more successful in acquiring the resources you need!