Have you ever wanted to profile your CSR/Philanthropy initiatives in a clear and concise way? Sometimes, the public doesn’t want to know your numbers, how long you’ve spent with a foundation and all the sticky details.  Sometimes, all the public wants is quick and easy way to read the facts.  2012 will be the year of CSR, philanthropy and charity utilizing social media tools.  What’s the hottest tool organizations are using?  Infographics.

The There Is No Limit Foundation had a unique opportunity to work with a professional grade graphic design company.  Elefint Design donated their services to the foundation and the results were magnificent:

The There Is No Limit Foundation wanted to profile Guinea, a country sometimes turned a blind eye by donators.  The infographic highlights the most important problems the country is facing (contaminated drinking water, limited access to sanitation, living wages, illiteracy and death).

Secondly, the infographic highlights the There Is No Limit Foundation’s programs and how they address the serious problems Guinea is faced with.

The good news for you and your company, is that if you don’t have a graphic designer on your payroll, you can start small with Google’s Infographic Toolbox. Choose from dozens of templates to find the perfect display for your initiatives.

For more infographic templates, visit www.creattica.com.

Did you get your New Year’s Resolutions set for your company’s 2012 community involvement?  Did you set specific goals?  Did you develop a written action plan with goals, tasks, and responsibilities clearly defined?  If you did not do a plan yet, it is definitely not too late…start one today!

The beginning of a new fiscal/calendar year is a perfect time to revisit your company’s community involvement mission and strategy and to make specific plans for the coming year.  If you don’t have a written plan, it is way too easy to dilute your impact by being all over the map with your contributions, become overextended with your scarce resources, and cause confusion among employees and other stakeholders about the focus and true commitment of your company’s philanthropic actions.  Also, without a written plan as your map, it is hard to know when you have achieved what you set out to do.  While the feel good part of community involvement is great, there is the potential for much more significant impact for all concerned with just a bit of planning and strategy

The following are the two minimum steps we suggest all businesses take at this time of year.

1.  Revisit last year’s contributions – even if only briefly.

• What organizations or causes did our company support over the past year?
• What process did we use to select them?  How did that work?
• How did we support them (dollars, in-kind, people, commerce)?
• What was the total dollar value of all of our contributions (not just the tax deductable amount)?
• What percentage of either our gross revenue or net profit was our total contribution?
• What significant benefit did our support leverage for the community?  For our company?
• Were our community involvement efforts consciously tied to our business goals?
• What lessons did we learn this last year?  What do we want to be sure to do again?  What do we want to change?

2.  Set goals and targets for 2012.

The following series of questions are meant as food for thought as you or a committee of employees and/or other stakeholders make your 2012 plans.

• What resources (cash, in-kind, people) do we anticipate sharing in 2012? How much of each?
• Do we have options for engaging in commerce-based activities with nonprofits?
• What is the target percentage for our overall contribution? (1%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 100%,??)  Of sales? Profit?
• What is the targeted total dollar value?
• Are there financial trends for our company that we need to pay attention to when thinking about our community involvement?
• Given this projected level of resources, what strategy will we use to allocate our resources this year?
• What causes or organizations will we focus on working with or supporting this year?  Why?
• How will we select them?  Is there a process or is it first come, first served?
• Do any of these link with our other business goals for 2012?  If so, how?
• Are there times of year that are not good for heavy involvement due to existing commitments and work flow?
• How will we time our various types of involvement for this year?  One big project?  Something each quarter? Ongoing?  Or…?
• What are our specific goals?
• What action steps do we need to achieve our goals?
• Who (person, department, team or??) will have responsibility for which pieces?
• What are our tracking and reporting expectations?
• How and with whom will we share information about our effort?

Hopefully, you already have instituted in-depth systems for both these processes.  If not, this should help get you started.  If you need help, send us an email at info@core-thought.com.

Ace Hardware Stores in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Washington, and Virginia (and more!) are collecting bad holiday lights for recycling to benefit Lights for Life.   This year, Ace Hardware stores will also accept extension cords for recycling.  Lights for Life, a nonprofit organization aids kids with cancer and their families by recycling the copper and other usable materials in light strands.

From their website, “Last year, Ace Hardware customers across the three states donated more than 30,000 pounds of holiday lights to the campaign, raising $14,000 for families of children diagnosed with cancer and bringing the total amount of lights donated by local Ace customers since 2008 to more than 77,000 pounds. Local stores hope to increase this year’s donation by 50 percent and have set a goal of collecting 45,000 pounds of holiday lights and extension cords during the 2011 holiday season.”

“Each year, more than 200 million strings of incandescent lights are sold in the U.S., and most of them end up in the landfill,” said Linda Worthington, marketing director Lights For Life. “Just the small act of dropping your broken or old lights or extension cords in a collection bin at an Ace Hardware can make a big difference in the lives of the families of kids with cancer.”

Holiday lights and extension cords can be dropped off at participating Ace Hardware stores between November 15 and February 15. The holiday light recycling program adds to the growing list recycling programs offered by area Ace Hardware stores. Many Ace Hardware stores also accept used compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), mercury-containing thermostats, used cell phones and rechargeable batteries for recycling.”

Great idea!  I always feel bad putting my strands of dead icicle lights in the trash…I have a box to go to Ace today!  How about you?

I met Jaki Bent from the U.K. at the Experts Industry Association Meeting.  She is the founder of If Everyone Cares, a new nonprofit based in the U.K.  I was impressed with her vision and enthusiasm for this exciting new endeavor.  Check it out!

Here is what she had to say about If Everyone Cares:

From their website:

“Many people in life are frustrated with all of the things that they think they are unable to do.

If Everyone Cares wants to turn the tide and help people to focus on all of the things that they can do to help others and of all the great things that are going on in the world.

Some of our initial aims and goals are:

• To provide a way to unite those who need help with those who wantto help
• Create a Global Database of every Project and Volunteer Opportunity
• To have every Non-Profit, Charity, Community Project or similar organization pinpointed on Google Earth (or similar) – This way we can:
  • Support those people/communities who need help
  • Know where to go if help is needed
  • See what works and gain inspiration to set up similar projects in our own communities
• Create a simple yet comprehensive resource pack for anyone who wishes to start their own community-based project
• Highlight some of the amazing projects that go on all over the world thereby making them visible to those who are able to help or may need help”
• and more…

To learn more and to find out how you can support this effort, go to If Everyone Cares or “Like” them on Facebook.

City Year Denver will have an Open House on Tuesday, November 1^st from 4pm to 7pm to recruit new Corps Members for the 2012-2013 year. If you know young people ages 17-24 who want to make a difference in their community while gaining valuable leadership skills that will accelerate their career, please encourage them to attend.

Some benefits of being a City Year Corps Member include:

• Living Stipend
• $5,550 AmeriCorps Education Award
• Federal Student Loan Forbearance
• Health Insurance
• and more!

Please encourage them to RSVP to the City Year Denver Open House by sending an email to Harold Sanchez at hsanchez@cityyear.org. Thanks so much!

City Year Denver
789 Sherman Street – Suite 400
Denver, CO 80203
www.cityyear.org

MYTH #4: A company’s community involvement should be motivated solely by altruism.

FACT: Community involvement based on all-win partnerships is more successful, effective, and sustainable than the charity model of giving.

“There is no one out there giving things away just to give them away—that’s the reality. It can be tricky to understand business goals when you are the on cause-marketing side and to understand the cause side if you’re in the finance department.” —Chelsea Simons, National Cause and Event Marketing Manager, Annie’s Homegrown, Napa, California

Some companies are in fact motivated by altruism and a sincere desire to help communities. As a result, they generally make contributions anonymously to support the issues and organizations that matter to them. However, these companies are in the minority. Most companies expect their community contribution will have a business upside for them…if they are truly honest with themselves.

Some business leaders confess they are hesitant to consciously align their company’s give-back actions with business goals. They worry this looks self-serving and will harm their reputation in the community. The practice of what I call “goodwashing” (also called “smokescreening” or “greenwashing”)—giving solely for the sake of positive public relations—is the exact opposite of their intention.

Sincere companies that give back to their communities need not worry. A clear difference exists between self-serving behavior and enlightened self-interest with an “all-win” mentality. You can spot the difference, can’t you? Trust that people in your community can, too.

A strong business community improves the local economy. A strong local economy enhances the quality of life and access to services for all members of the community, including employees of the company. To effectively improve local conditions, government, community organizations, and business must partner to make it happen. Business is an essential and powerful component, without which change is hampered.

In the spirit of true partnership, both the business and the community partner organization should benefit from their collaboration. Ensuring that the relationship is mutually beneficial helps guarantee that it can deepen and endure over time. Both sides need to feel there are benefits from their perspective or the relationship will be short-lived—a missed opportunity for all.

This past weekend was the Cherry Creek Arts Festival – one of my favorite annual events.  This year I was a little surprised among the paintings, pottery, and handcrafted jewelers to see an Almond Accents booth.  So I had to check it out. They had a sign that said cycle 1/10th of a mile and they would donate $1.00 to Meals on Wheels.  How fun!  Then people got to sample their product and also be entered into a drawing to win a prize.  Great way to create a buzz and emphasize healthy eating habits while interacting with current and potential consumers to do something fun and donate to a worthy program.  Consumer engagement as a way to “earn” the money to donate is a great way to build business benefit that creates more business good than if they had just made the same donation “Off line.”

Great creative approach!  I liked it!

Almond Accents had the event on their website‘s events calendar as well:  ”Visit the Almond Accents booth to spin for your salad and help donate money to charity and enter for a chance to win in our summer sweepstakes.”

About the Cherry Creek Arts Festival:

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival (CCAF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to educating and exposing Coloradoans to the arts. The arts festival weekend event is a world-class and award-winning celebration of the visual, culinary and performing arts, and enjoys an attendance of 350,000 visitors over the 3-day event.

Are you into the trade not aid approach to international development and social justice?  Looking to volunteer your time by helping businesses in developing countries?  This could be a great addition to your business giving strategy!  Check out E-Mentor Corps!

“At the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2010, Secretary Clinton provided a Call to Action for established business leaders and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and overseas to serve as E-Mentors and to join the E-Mentors Corps.

E-Mentors provide guidance, advice, support and encouragement to aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs globally and locally. The E-Mentor Corps will help to build ties between entrepreneurs and will help to advance entrepreneurship and economic opportunity around the world.”

For more on the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, visit
http://www.entrepreneurship.gov/summit/
http://www.america.gov/entrepreneurship_summit.html

Sunday, May 15th is the annual Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon.  I am volunteering again this year and looking forward to it!  They expect 8,000 runners and over a thousand of them are running to support their favorite nonprofits.

DaVita Charity Partners Program

“Run for charity with our highly successful DaVita Charity Partners Program for 2011! It’s simple: non-profit organizations from across Colorado agree to register runners/walkers (and/or provide volunteers) for the marathon, half marathon or relay and then build a fund-raising campaign around those highly visible participants. With 73 charities participating, we’re the 4th largest program in the country!

The nonprofit keeps 100% of the pledges raised. In 2010, 41 charity partners raised close to $250,000.

When you register through Active.com, there is an option to select the Charity Partner you wish to join.  That Charity Partner will email you directly with instructions on how to start your fundraising.  Already registered? No problem. Email info@runcolfax.org and we’ll get you all set up.”

Great way to support local nonprofits by giving them the opportunity to offer a fun fundraiser as a way to involve supporters and strengthen their sustainability while giving DaVita great visibility for their strategic business giving.

About DaVita:

DaVita Inc., a FORTUNE 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services and education to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease.