This Sunday, May 15th, is Denver’s annual Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon.  It will be the third year that I have volunteered for the marathon.  Should be fun!  Today I got an email from my volunteer team captain with the following information:

” Calling all Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon volunteers! To thank you for your efforts, Bellco Credit Union will randomly select 5 volunteers to receive a $100 gift certificate to Runner’s Roost. Simply take a picture of yourself race weeked at the Expo, along the race routes, or at City Park in your volunteer t-shirt and then share it with Bellco on their Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/BellcoCreditUnion

Celebrating 75 years in Colorado, Bellco Credit Union is proud to support the 2011 Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon and all the volunteers who make race day possible. Life is a marathon, not a sprint – Bellco helps its more than 
193,000 members to face this challenge with the right set of services to meet their financial needs. Stop by one of its 15 branch locations or check out  www.Bellco.org.”

What a great idea!  Fabulous way for Bellco to get great visibility with the over 2,000 volunteers helping make the event happen and stand out from all the other non-title sponsors of the event.  Having volunteers compete for $100 by posting photos on Facebook means many new people will go to their Facebook page and as they are looking at the posted photos, they will also learn a bit about Bellco and what they do.  Also, all the friends of those that post will also be able to see Bellco is involved in their newsfeeds.  Existing Bellco customers and employees will also see that Bellco is supporting local volunteers – I am sure that will build even greater loyalty among those folks, as well.

For a small investment, this will definitely get Bellco a lot of exposure at the same time they are honoring the volunteers that are giving of their time to make the marathon happen.  It is strategic and a great way to demonstrate their commitment to business giving and the community.   I like it!

From the press release:

“About the Colfax Marathon

The sixth annual 2011 Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon takes place May 14-15, 2011 and includes the full marathon, half-marathon and marathon relay, as well as the new Colfax 5K and kid’s race.  Established by the cities of Aurora, Denver and Lakewood to encourage Coloradans to be healthier, the marathon has established itself as an iconic race for the mile-high city. We support local charities and nonprofits by providing one of the country’s biggest fund-raising platforms through the DaVitaCharity Partner Program. We are proud to partner with corporate sponsors who make our race a success, including: Kaiser Permanente, DaVita, 9News, The Denver Post, Comcast, 104.3 The Fan, The DenverAthletic Club, Primrose Schools, Jim ‘n Nick’s BBQ, and more. To learn more, visit www.runcolfax.org or follow us on twitter @runcolfax or facebook.com/runcolfax.

About Kaiser Permanente Colorado

Kaiser Permanente Colorado is the state’s largest nonprofit health plan, proudly working to improve the lives and health of Denver, Boulder, and southern Colorado area residents for 40 years. Kaiser Permanente Colorado provides comprehensive health care services to more than 535,000 members through 21 medical offices and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The health plan was named “Highest in Member Satisfaction” among Commercial Health Plans by J.D. Power and Associates for the third straight year. Kaiser Permanente was also recognized by the National Committee for QualityAssurance (NCQA) as the top-ranked private health plan in Colorado, No. 9 in the nation and one of the top 5 Medicare plans in the U.S. for the second year in a row. In 2009, Kaiser Permanente proudly directed more than $82 million to community benefit programs to improve the health of all Coloradans. For more Kaiser Permanente news, visit kp.org/newscenter or follow us on twitter @kpcolorado orfacebook.com/kpcolorado.”

It is almost time! I am on the Nonprofit Coach with Ted Hart Radio Show (May 10th) 12pm ET TODAY.  Join us!!  http://fb.me/HM6iaurR

The Nonprofit Coach with Ted Hart

• http://www.tedhart.com
• http://www.twitter.com/tedhart
• http://www.facebook.com/tedhart

Ted Hart lectures around the world but through this radio show is available to all nonprofit leaders. From the latest in charitynews, technology, fundraising and social networking, Ted Hart and his guests help you maneuver to greater levels of efficiency and fundraising success.giving strategies.

Susan Hyatt is Founder and CEO of Business Nonprofit Connections Inc a private consulting company  that provides companies with ideas and tools for actively managing their social responsibility, community impacts and giving strategies.Leveraging 20 years of experience in corporate social responsibility, business philanthropy, organizational development, and nonprofit resource development and partnerships, Susan Hyatt helps clients transform their good intentions into real impact in their communities and on their bottom line.  She is the author of Strategy for Good)

As a 1% for the Planet member, Business Nonprofit CONNECTIONS donates at least one percent of annual revenues to environmental causes. This Earth Day, we want to thank you for your support with the gift of free music. Download and enjoy 1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1, a benefit compilation featuring 41 rare and exclusive tracks from artists like Jackson Browne, Josh Ritter, Grace Potter, and Jack Johnson—simply visit http://music.onepercentfortheplanet.org/redeem/ and enter code EARTHDAY11.

Once you’ve had a chance to enjoy the music, join us in giving back. Please consider joining 1% this Earth Day!

The last two weeks I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to be Team Leader for the JBS International team evaluating Ruwwad, the Palestinian Youth Empowerment Project funded by USAID on the West Bank.  Ruwwad was funded as a five year project implemented through the Education Development Center (EDC).  Under Ruwwad, youth development resources centers (YDRCs) have been developed at nonprofit organizations serving three regions of the West Bank (Beit Al Tiffel in Hebron, Al Bireh Youth Foundation near Ramallah, and Jabal An-Nar in Nablus).  Amazing to me how much variation there is between each region in spite of relatively small distances according to US standards!

Established in 2005, Ruwwad’s vision is to provide Palestinian youth between the ages of 14 and 30 (including those in marginalized areas) with opportunities to explore their potential and promote social change across the West Bank.  ”It is Ruwwad’s belief that Palestinian youth are already empowered, carrying within themselves creative capacities for change; therefore, the program’s role is to provide platforms for youth to incubate their ideas and dreams and launch them into reality.”

Since 2008, the project has been implemented through the network of three Youth Development Resource Centers (YDRCs) and their 28 Affiliated Clubs (ACs).  From their website, “As a program designed and run by Palestinians with a philosophy of youth-led projects, Ruwwad embodies the following values:

• Youth create solutions.
• Youth can and should be community leaders.
• Youth have the power not only to work for change themselves, but to help others discover their ability to be agents of change as well.
• Marginalized youth are integral to social and community development.”

COME CELEBRATE WITH ME!!

I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, Strategy for Good: Business Giving Strategies for the 21st Century.  You are invited to a special celebration showcasing Front Range business and nonprofit organizations that are working together to make a difference in our communities.

When:   Thursday, April 28th from 4pm – 7pm

Where:  Icehouse Tavern, 1801 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202  (2 Blocks South of Coors Field)  (NOTE: Icehouse Tavern is owned by the Little Pub Company.  Owner, Mark Berzins, is one of the business leaders featured in the book.)

Parking: Park in the Union Station lot (or take the Light Rail to Union Station)

Details: Happy hour specials, giveaways, book signing, and great networking with some of Denver’s most philanthropic companies.

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Rebecca Morgan gave a great presentation today, “Making Money in Your Jammies,” at the National Speaker’s Association – Colorado Chapter monthly meeting.  Wow – I learned a lot!!

During her intro, it was mentioned that she had started a nonprofit, Books for Treats.  I was curious…so of course I looked it up as soon as I got home. So what is Books for Treats?

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LAST CHANCE to pre-order an autographed copy of Strategy for Good!  This special $14.95 price (includes shipping) ends 3.18.2011.  Books will ship in late March.

ORDER NOW!

Everything is ready — Strategy for Good^TM: Business Giving Strategies for the 21st Century goes to print today!  That means…this is your last chance to get my special PRE-ORDER PRICING!

Once it goes live on Amazon, this deal is over.  So get in the front of the line and order your copy now!  It’s 354 pages of great information, best practice examples, and food for thought on how your business can leave a legacy of significance.  After a long time in the works, I am really proud of this book!  I can’t wait to share it!

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Do you consider yourself to be a social entrepreneur?  I got an email today from John Tozzi at Bloomberg Businessweek asking for my help with a link to their blog post calling for social entrepreneur suggestions for Businessweek.com’s third annual roundup of America’s most promising social entrepreneurs.

Specifically, they are looking for: “Entrepreneurs creating profitable, scalable companies to solve social problems. We want businesses with social missions baked into their operations, not tacked on as extras. We want companies that can demonstrate results, both in the marketplace and in their missions. That means we’ll only consider companies that will disclose their annual revenues. We’re seeking for-profit companies based in the U.S., doing business here or abroad, that meet these criteria.”

They are taking suggestions through Mar. 31.  Who do you know?  Is it you?  Find out more here.