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Thanks!
Sue Hyatt
Business Philanthropy Strategist and Founder
I was wandering through the Cherry Creek Mall in Denver last week and stopped into a new store that I had not seen before called Cali & Mo selling an eclectic mix of antique and new apparel, accessories and home decor. On a sale rack I found a T-shirt that was really unusual and though I need another T-shirt like I need a hole in the head…I had to try it on. While in the dressing room, I read the shirt’s tag and then was totally convinced I needed to buy it. The T-shirt is made by Humanity and it was clear from the tag they are about making a difference. It actually states that on the front and on the back it reads “We call it random acts of kindness. But actually there is nothing random about it. It is purely intentional. The human soul longs to do good but is at a loss for direction. Humanity is each and every individual standing united with one single purpose. That purpose is the dignity, respect, and well-being for all. Become a part of Humanity. A percentage of each purchase goes to fund non-profit organizations. Become a part of Humanity and make a difference.”
From the Humanity website, I learned that “Humanity is a tapestry of art and written text that unfolds the story of individuals, social justice, and the environment. Founded in August 2007 by Helena Cho and Tammy Hotsenpiller , this successful organization aims to raise awareness of various causes around the world through fashion. By designing t-shirts and accessories with positive messages, Humanity is spreading knowledge to people of all ages on issues ranging from humanitarianism to the environment.”
Also, “Humanity is a successful for-profit company, that has joined efforts with non-profit organizations to raise awareness of particular needs and causes. By designing and manufacturing T-shirts, Humanity is able to save the non-profit organization valuable dollars, while branding their name as well.”
In the women’s T-shirt section, they have shirts designed in honor of Rosa Parks, Hurricane Katrina, Mother Earth, Love, Patience…and more. They have shirts for men and kids, as well.
Cool company, check them out!
Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. Millions have participated. In 2008, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day, accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.
What are you going to do?
I landed on the BellaOnline site for the first time today during a web search and saw a banner ad for “free rice” and the World Food Program. (BellaOnline provides an encouraging, supportive publishing community for women. They provide free training, support and promotion so writers may reach their personal and business goals.) I have a M.S. degree in nutrition with a focus on international development and maternal child health. While I no longer actively engage in international hunger-related work, things related to combatting hunger still catch my eye!
FreeRice.com is a relatively new site with a great idea. The site is in essence a “vocabulary game” which lets you build up your vocabulary as you play. Everybody can benefit from having a better vocabulary! Each time you do well, the game donates actual, real rice to a starving family. So by playing, you feed people. I played for about 10 minutes and donated 330 grains of rice. Today September 23, 2009, 57,758,900 grains of rice have been donated. That is a HUGE number!!
How this works is that sponsors pay for the banner ads to show up on the site. You don’t even have to click! Some people do click, though, and that helps to ensure that the rice can keep flowing.
Who pays for the donated rice? The rice is paid for by the sponsors whose names you see on the bottom of the screen when you enter a correct answer. These sponsors support both learning (free education for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry). For information about how you or your company can sponsor FreeRice, please email freerice.rep@wfp.org.
Each time you get a word right, you feed someone 20 grains of rice. The grains add up quickly! Just how many grains does it take to feed a person, though? Lisa Shea, owner of BellaOnline stated on her website that she had been “very curious about this and actually sat down with a container of rice and counted them. It took a while 
. The answer is there were 2,345 grains of Uncle Ben’s rice in the quarter cup of dry rice. That then equals a cup of cooked rice to eat. Looking at various packages of rice, a 1/2 cup of rice is considered a serving. So a serving of rice, in grains, is about 1,100 grains.” Glad Lisa figured all that out, it saved me a lot of time!
This is an interesting example of cause sponsorship. FreeRice itself does not make any money from this. FreeRice is a website committed to the cause of ending hunger around the world. It is run entirely for free and at no profit. All money (100%) raised by the site goes to the UN World Food Program to help feed the hungry. Sponsors make all payments to the UN World Food Program directly.
Check it out! What does your company do that you could tie to a cause, give back, AND build awareness and sales for your brand?
My 9 year old Australian cattle dog, Kiwi, is getting bit bit gimpy so I figured she needed some glucosamine. I bought her Zuke’s HipAction with Glucosamine and Chondroitin – peanut butter formula with fresh blueberries, apples, carrots, flax seed and whole grains. Sounds so good, I want to eat them myself!
Anyway, Zukes is based in Durango, Colorado. The front of the treat bag states that “Zuke’s donates a portion of profits to the Dog & Cat Cancer Fund.” Reading more on the back, it states “I loved my dog, Zuke, so much I named my company for him…Every yeary in memory of Zuke, we donate to the Dog & Cat Cancer Fund. So join us on our journey to Fuel the Love – feed Zuke’s and donate to the DCCF. Signed Patrick Meiering, Founder & Zuke’s Best Friend”"
On the Zuke’s website, the DCCF logo is prominently displayed in the lower left corner. The logo also displays that Zuke’s is a Platinum Donor to the Fund. Clicking on it takes you straight the the DCCF site. On their page about the Zuke’s Difference, they state “We take our commitment to animal nutrition very seriously, but always make time for our animals and give back to them whenever we can. That’s why we donate a portion of our profits each year to the Dog and Cat Cancer Fund. So feed Zuke’s and Fuel the Love™”
Great way this company has put their values on the table to create a bond with its customers through their pets. Check them out!
In November, I will be offering my comprehensive nonprofit training program, “Recession Proof Resources: How Smart Nonprofit Design Strategic Partnerships with Businesses.” The program is being offered via a 4-part webinar (computer and conference call) November 3, 10, 17, and 24 from 10-11 am MT to allow nonprofit participation from anywhere in the country.
Nonprofit organizations are increasingly worried about the sustainability of their organizations and community programs given the current economic situation in the U.S. and its effect on traditional sources of funding. I believe, “only thinking “donors and fundraising” is an “old school” mindset and shuts down possibilities for win/win ventures between nonprofits and businesses of all sizes. Because cash donations are shrinking, this is a great opportunity to think out of the box and deepen relationships between nonprofits and businesses, finding ways for each to bring their respective talents and resources to the table to join forces to address local needs.”
This program provides nonprofits tips and tools for creating partnerships with mutual benefits. Specifically attendees will learn what businesses are looking when partnering with nonprofits as well as recent trends in strategic philanthropy, CSR, and the market…and how to tap into them. Attendees will also learn how to clarify their organizational assets and needs, how to identify potential business partners and “make the ask,” as well as how to structure partnerships to insure success.
For more information and to sign up, CLICK HERE.
NOTE: A limited number of scholarships are available. Email me for details.
I cruised through the Spirit Halloween store that recently opened in Denver’s Cherry Creek in the old Andrison Morton’s women’s clothing store location. I was trying to get a head start on my Halloween costume and found a sword that will be perfect. When I went to buy it, the cashier asked if I would like to donate $2 to the “Spirit of Children” to benefit seriously ill children at Children’s Hospital. I said sure and was given a treat bag with the Spirit logo and the opportunity to fill out a pumpkin flyer with my name indicating that I had made a donation. They even rang a bell to “announce” my donation. On my way out, I noticed there were two large posters behind the cash registers on the wall about the company’s support of kids for Halloween.
When I got home, I checked out their website to see if I could learn more. The mission statement is “At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program, which is devoted to bringing the fun and fantasy of Halloween to children everywhere. The goal is to bring the outside world in to the pediatric patients at hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the nation.” In 2008, Spirit celebrations were hosted in 50 hospitals in communities across the nation. Over $700,000 in cash and merchandise was donated to this worthy cause. The goal for 2009 is $825,000 in donations and merchandise for 54 hospitals.
“100% of the money collected and items purchased for the events were donated to the child life departments within the hospitals participating in the Spirit of Children program. Child life departments seek to improve the experience for patients in pediatric centers. Items ranging from flat screen TV’s, DVD players, DVDs, video games, CDs, computers, entertainment centers, baby seats, games and more were purchased with the money raised by Spirit of Children.” The website also gives links to newspaper articles, TV clips and thank you notes received for this three year old program.
I was impressed with what this seasonal store chain does to support children. This is a great example of a company asking its customers to joint forces with them to support a cause by making a small financial contribution. Great job Spirit Halloween!! You brightened my day hearing about this and undoubtably you brighten the day of many children in your 50+ hospitals around the country.
I was very excited a few minutes ago to read that the Obama Administration has finally announced its choice for CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). CNCS is the nation’s largest grantmaker supporting service and volunteering. Through their Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs, they provide opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to express their patriotism while addressing critical community needs. Since the Corporation’s inception:
I have been an external consultant/trainer to CNCS and its programs for 14 years helping insure that participating organizations are excellent stewards of federal and local resources. My areas of focus have included performance measurement and evaluation, board development, creating strategic partnerships with businesses, leadership, organization development, strategic planning, and using technology as a management tool. Not only has CNCS (and the programs it funds) been one of my long-term clients (thus helping pay the bills), they have also been a source of inspiration for me as I am constantly impressed by the commitment and passion of the folks on the ground in local communities (and in DC) who truly believe in the power of service and volunteerism in addressing the social ills of our times. Especially since I have worked so much with programs looking at their impact, I have had the opportunity to “see behind the curtain” and see the documented successes of how national service has made significant differences throughout the country. I am a big fan of AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, NCCC, and Learn and Serve.
Lately, it has been of concern to me that, in a time of great new focus on service and volunteerism under the Obama Administration and with the passing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, that a new CEO had not yet been announced. I have felt like opportunities to ride the momentum were slipping away. So it was with true pleasure I read first on Echoing Green’s website about the nomination of Patrick Corvington to be the next CEO of CNCS.
I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting or working with Patrick, I really like what I read about his background. ”Patrick was tapped in 2005 to serve as a Senior Associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Patrick has co- authored publications such as Ready to Lead: Next Generation Leaders Speak Out and Next Shift: Beyond the Nonprofit Leadership Crisis. He is a sought after thought leader and speaker on issues of nonprofit sector leadership and capacity and has presented keynote speeches, plenary discussions and workshops at Independent Sector, The Council on Foundations, The Corporation for National and Community Service conference, The Michigan Nonprofit Association, The Ohio Nonprofit Association, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, The Alliance for Nonprofit Management and New Profit’s Gathering of Leaders.
Patrick has worked with grassroots faith-based and community-based organizations, system reformers in fields such as education, child welfare, and justice, and national networks like Independent Sector, The United Way, and The Alliance for Children and Families. Prior to joining the Foundation, Patrick was Executive Director of Innovation Network, a non-profit agency whose mission is to build the evaluation and results capacity of the non-profit sector. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers and The Nonprofit Workforce Coalition in addition to Echoing Green.”
Clearly Patrick is a guy with a lot of great experience and vision and will bring many new ideas and connections to the table. I wish him the very best and stand ready to be of support to the agency and the programs it supports as we enter this next, very exciting chapter. There are many new ideas brewing about how to better engage the business sector, so you will definitely be hearing more about this from me!
Go here for the Echoing Green article and for the CNCS press release.
Every month or so, I get a value pack of advertising postcards in the mail from local businesses. In the last batch, there was the card from Stanley Steemer you see here offering a special on cleaning and committing 5% of the net proceeds as a donation to the Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure using code Pink54149.
The back of the card also indicates that if the special cleaning was not of interest, they would also donate 5% of the proceeds from any other of their cleaning services when providing the coupon code of PinkRSVP.
So, a nice win-win promotion by Stanley Steemer with the tie in to the massive business support during October’s focus on breast cancer. Customers may be moved to action to hire them to do fall cleaning and Susan G. Komen benefits by getting additional dollars, as well. Customers get to feel good that something they would have done anyway is helping make a difference.
Another time though…Stanley Steemer needs to do a better job proofreading – the name of the organization is spelled K-O-M-E-N not K-O-M-A-N. Also, when I went to Stanley Steemer’s website, I could find no mention of this promotion which I think is a missed opportunity for the company. The Denver Susan G. Komen site does mention Stanley Steemer International as one of their Silver Sponsors, however. So good job there!
So make sure your company connects all the dots on your cause marketing promotions, OK?!!
On the Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure site today I noticed the following short announcement:
“Great New, Easy Way To Donate To The Komen Denver Race For The Cure®.
Text the word DENVER to 90999 to give $5 from your mobile! When prompted reply with YES to complete your one-time $5 gift. A one-time $5 donation will appear on your next mobile bill as a separate line item, recognized as a tax deductible donation. Receipts can be viewed and printed online. No extra or hidden fees, but standard text message rates do apply. A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Standard messaging rates and additional fees may apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of Komen Denver by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at mGive.com/a. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 90999.”
Makes it really easy to give…and they are not asking for a lot of money. How can your compnay leverage donations for a cause you care about??
