OK…I admit it…oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite…and I don’t trust me to make a batch from scratch as I will eat them all in one sitting.  Recently, I ran across Immaculate Baking Co.’s ready to bake oatmeal raisin cookies in the refrigerated food section at Whole Foods (you can bake one or the whole batch)…so I decided to try them and test my self-discipline because the package said “Cookies with a Cause” on it and I am drawn to products with cause promotions every time!

The back of the package stated, “When we think about all the folks who have helped us become who we are, we know that giving back is important.  Here at Immaculate, we want to inspire creativity in ourselves and others by donating art supplies, offering folk art workshops, and even holding “giant” bake sales for creative-minded nonprofits.”

On their website, I found their Donations Page which stated: “Immaculate Baking is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. So, we offer in-kind donations of cookie dough (and sometimes, pre-baked cookies!) to special events. If you think you have a special event, please fill out the form below. Please be patient…we receive so many donation requests that, unfortunately, we can’t fulfill them all.

Here are some guidelines for our donation program:

• Must be a non-profit organization
• Priority is given to requests from organizations/ events that align with our mission to nurture creativity in children through support of the arts
• Priority is also given to first-time donation requests
• We ask for a minimum of 60 days notice before the event
• Cookie dough donations require adequate refrigeration for storage from receipt until they are baked”

I liked that they stated their criteria for selection clearly and then provided an online form for requests from nonprofits.  They also had another page which listed some of the nonprofits they have supported in the past, which I also appreciated.

Immaculate also had a page for fundraising which stated, “Lots of folks have been asking us if we’d be willing to partner with their organization in fundraising efforts. The answer is a resounding yes! If you’re interested in exploring fundraising with Immaculate, let us know. We’ll try to tailor a great program for you!” And then gave the email address of staff person to contact.

Nicely done, Immaculate Baking Co.!  (NOTE:  Their cookies were VERY tasty…and I ate them all in one sitting…!!)

Want ideas on how to gauge how your company volunteer program is doing?   Yesterday I ran across an article summarizing a great study Bea Boccalandro did which was funded by Bank of America on benchmarks for employee volunteering and giving programs for Fortune 500 companies published by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship: Mapping Success in Employee Volunteering: The Drivers of Effectiveness for Employee Volunteering and Giving Programs and Fortune 500 Performance.  Years ago I frequently worked with Bea on evaluating social program impact for national service programs.   We also did a presentation at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service on evaluating employee volunteer programs.  Bea has continued to do research on volunteering among the Fortune 500 and this study offers much great food for thought.

The study found the 6 drivers of effectiveness for employee volunteering and giving programs:

1. Cause-effective Configuration – program structured to productively support social causes and nonprofit partners;
2. Strategic Business Positioning – program positioned to contribute toward business success;
3. Sufficient Investment – program receives company resources commensurate with other company efforts similar scope;
4. Culture of Engagement – Company encourages and facilitates employee involvement in the community;
5. Strong Participation – program has involvement from a majority of employees; and
6. Actionable Evaluation – programs tracks its efforts, holds itself accountable to outcome goals, and engages in continuous improvement based on findings.

There is a lot of great additional information on indicators and targets in this study that I will do more work with and pull together a Tip Sheet which I will share shortly.

I ran across this article, Ten Tips for Effective Charitable Giving, on the AllBusiness.com website today so thought I would share it as many of the points made totally resonate with what I tell my clients.  AllBusiness.com has great articles on a variety of business topics, so be sure to check them out.

“Sometimes, the best businesses are ones that give it away — to charity that is. If you make charitable giving a priority, you may find it can benefit your reputation, your soul, and, ultimately, your bottom line.

Goodwill giving is good for business. Donating to charity — either your money or your time — on behalf of your home-based business can improve your financial performance, enhance brand image and reputation, increase sales and customer loyalty, and improve your ability to attract and retain employees.

Here are 10 smart ways to make charitable giving a priority in your home-based business.

1. Set a budget. United States citizens contribute an average of 2.5 percent of their personal income to charitable causes. Some businesses with giving programs set aside up to 5 percent of their pre-tax income for contributions. Decide how much money and time you want to devote to charity.
2. Make a plan. Don’t just donate haphazardly; create an organized plan for charitable contributing. However you decide to allocate your donations, you can’t afford to do it randomly. Make a plan, and stick to it.
3. Look for the right charity. Think strategically when you select a charity to contribute to or work with. Many businesses seek to align community involvement with their strategic business goals. Look for charities that you believe in and with which you have some affinity and that will give you meaningful exposure to a large number of influential people.
4. Perform your due diligence. You probably already get contacted by numerous charities looking for donations. But you can’t afford to start giving money to the next charity that contacts you. Make sure that the time, energy, and financial support you are giving truly makes a difference. Check out charities thoroughly before you send a penny. Your local Better Business Bureau can help you ascertain whether or not the charity is legitimate. You can also consult the American Institute of Philanthropy for more information on specific charities.
5. Question everything. It’s widely known today that some charities, although legitimate, use only a small percentage of donations for their stated goals. These charities “eat up” much of their donations with internal expenses. To make sure that your dollars go where you want them to, request written material that describes precisely how donations are spent, with percentages used for internal operations such as employee and management salaries, overhead expenses, mailings, and solicitations.
6. Partner with your chosen charity. If you partner up with a charity, both organizations will benefit. Charities, like businesses, are interested in building their membership bases. The best way to do this is to market to specific niches that are inclined to develop an affinity with your charity of choice.
7. Spread the good news. Don’t be shy about publicizing your community involvement efforts. Sharing your efforts publicly will help educate and remind others about the charity or cause you support as well as inspire people to get involved. Tell your local media, customers, and employees, and use your customer newsletter or Web site to get the word out.
8. Network. Perhaps the biggest advantage, from a business standpoint, to being involved with a local charity is the opportunity to network with other like-minded professionals. This can turn into a great new source of business for your firm.
9. Reap the PR rewards. Clients and customers like to associate themselves with businesses that support worthy causes. Your involvement with the charity can translate into increased sales and goodwill in the community.
10. Reap the tax benefits. One of the benefits of supporting a worthwhile cause is the ability to take a federal income tax deduction in some cases. Consult with your tax and financial experts to ensure that you get the maximum benefit from your donations.”

I got an email this morning from Jonathan Manske, a speaker I heard first at an IBI/CEO Space Meeting some years back, that caught my attention.  ”Tomorrow, March 12th, I will be getting my head shaved at 6:30 am for St Baldricks.  If you want to watch, I should be on channel 2 news at 6:40ish am.  Or you can come to Salon on the Boulevard at 1485 S. Colorado Blvd.  Don’t want to get up that early but still want to be a part of this – you can donate at www.stbaldricks.org/participants/jonathanmanske.  If you would prefer to use a check, make it payable to St Baldricks and put my shavee ID number 381886 in the memo line and then mail that to me, 5609 Cheetah Chase, Littleton, CO 80124.  I’ll also post the video on my facebook page.

St. Baldrick’s raises money for children’s cancer research.  Last year 33,373 people across the country got their heads shaved for this event and they raised $16,634,962.  I personally raised almost $1000.”

Jonathan Manske “assists individuals and organizations to escape from prison – the prison in their own heads.  He helps them to get out of their own way so that they can succeed.

Jonathan is an author, speaker, trainer and consultant.  The cornerstone of all that he does is:   What is going on inside your head really does matter! Your thoughts, your attitudes and especially your non-conscious programming create your results.  When you change what is going on inside your head, your real world results change as well.”

Jonathan is a great example of how a small business/entrepreneur can give back authentically and build business at the same time.  Some of the things he did well in my opinion include sending out this email to folks like me on his list – I certainly took note, went to his website for the first time, and will be more likely to refer others to him or use him myself because I like his values.

In addition to his charitable work, he also has a Pay it Forward Program in which he offers free teleseminars for clients and potential clients to offer value and build business.  ”I love the “Pay It Forward” concept and I have a solution for a problem that impacts every single person ~ head trash that is in their way of success.  Furthermore, my mission is to make people’s lives and businesses better.   When I put these all together, I came up with The Pay It Forward Program!”

What can you do to build visibility for you and your company through your business philanthropy?  How can you let your customers know about what you are doing?  Get your thinking cap on or give me a call and set up a consultation call – I can definitely help you with doing something like this!

Designing Strategic Partnerships with Businesses
This is Your Personal VIP Invitation
Thursday, March 11, 2010
3:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern

If you are like most nonprofit leaders, you probably are very concerned these days about the impact of a tough economy on your ability to get needed resources for your organization or program. You see the need mushrooming in your community every day…and you see the companies around you starting to tighten their philanthropic belt. So what to do?

No matter how good your program or organization may be, if you can’t clearly make the case for why a business should support YOUR nonprofit organization over all the others also seeking their support, you are bound to fail. You need to know the right formula for approaching businesses to create win-win partnerships to secure the resources you so desperately need.

In this call, Susan Hyatt reveals how to move past the old school “beg for donations” and checkbook philanthropy mentality to present your organization, NOT as needy, but as a valuable partner – offering to share your assets (such as networks, publications, special events, etc.) with companies that choose to partner and share their resources with you. If you want to strengthen your “ask” and improve your success rate, you definitely need to attend this FREE teleseminar to:

• Learn about 4 current trends in the business world that affect giving practices;
• Discover the 4 critical needs of businesses that you can help address through a partnership;
• Learn the 10 biggest mistakes nonprofits make when seeking business support – so you don’t make them!
• And much more!

Get ready for an hour of information and insights that will change the tone and success of your business partnerships forever.

More Information about Susan Hyatt:

Susan Hyatt is the author of The Nonprofit Toolkit: Designing Strategic Partnerships with Businesses. She is a nationally-known consultant, trainer, and speaker and the founder of Business Nonprofit CONNECTIONS, Inc., which is dedicated to helping nonprofits and businesses partner more effectively for real impact on pressing social issues. Working with nonprofit organizations domestically and internationally for more than 20 years, Susan continually pushes the envelope to find NEW ways to address issues of nonprofit sustainability through strategic business partnerships.

Susan has conducted training in 49 states for over 10,000 nonprofit leaders and their board members on such topics as strategic business partnerships, performance measurement and evaluation, and using data effectively to gain stakeholder support. Susan has conducted interviews with more than 50 business leaders as part of the research for her forthcoming book, Strategic Business Philanthropy: How Smart Companies Do Good AND Do Well.” She has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, The Akron Times Beacon, and the Denver Business Journal. Her insights and articles regularly appear in her email newsletter, CONNECTIONS, which reaches business and nonprofit leaders worldwide.

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS FREE TELESEMINAR!

You will receive all the call information sent to the email you submitted. Please check your spam box if you do not receive the email within a few minutes.

Check out this video with Bon Jovi – I loved it!!  I heard Bon Jovi speak a couple years ago at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service and he did a great job talking about giving back and honoring those people who do so.  I have worked as a trainer and consultant through JBS International’s Aguirre Division with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the National Service programs it funds – AmeriCorps, VISTA, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America – for 15 years.  Much of my work has involved training programs how to evaluate their services to identify clearly the impact they are making so they are able to tweak their program models as well as demonstrate to their communities the value they offer.  I have been so inspired by the dedication, commitment, and true impact these National Service programs are making and the ways they have helped strengthen nonprofit capacity and service delivery.  I am a BIG fan!

National Service programs go through extensive vetting…so when you support one of them, you know your resources are going to be well used.  They are a great investment in making a difference.  To find out what National Service programs are in your area, go to the CNCS website or Serve.gov.

Argonaut Liquor in Denver publishes Sheila’s eGrapevine with information about current specials and upcoming wine tastings.  A friend of mine forwarded me a copy today and of course I immediately noticed they had a section of the eGrapevine called “Giving” which tells customers about their own giving as well as that of wineries they carry in the store.  Caught my attention!  The March 1st edition included the following:

“Purchase Louis Martini wines during the month of February and the distributor and Argonaut will donate $12 per case to the Women’s Bean Project.” (NOTE: Women’s Bean Project is one of my favorite Denver nonprofits so this definitely caught my attention as a consumer!)

“MacMurray Ranch is donating a portion of their sales to the people of Haiti.”  (NOTE: This also caught my eye as I lived and worked on maternal/child nutrition issues in Haiti in the 1980’s…)

“2007 Chévere!: In the southeast corner of the Colchagua Valley lies one of the few actual hillside plantings in all of Chile; the 2007 Chévere! Begins here on its steep and rocky slopes. While Chévere! Is full with the soft and delicious texture we associate with Chilean cabernet, its higher levels of color, tannin, and fruit concentration underscore its hillside origin. This is a delicious wine to serve with pastas, meats, pizza, robust cheeses, and with any other hearty foods.
Was $9.49 with e-mail $6.99

Chevere is a special bottling with a portion of the proceeds going to the Lambi Fund of Haiti.  The Lambi Fund’s mission is to assist the popular, democratic movement in Haiti. Its goal is to help strengthen civil society as a necessary foundation of democracy and development. The fund channels financial and other resources to community-based organizations that promote the social and economic empowerment of the Haitian people.”

When I went to the Argonaut website, I was pleasantly surprised to see they have a section, called ArGOOD Center.  That page says, “Find out how Argonaut is involved in the community, what charities we support, request a donation and look for great deals in the coupon section.

Also, when you visit our store, please stop by the ArGood Center and see how we are doing our part in the community and how you can help when you purchase certain brands who then donate a percentage of the profits to our selected charities.”

On their charity page, they give a little history, offer a downloadable request form and list some of the nonprofits they have supported – I like this!!  It states:

“As you pass by the new building, you will notice the name on the street-facing is Robinson Building, a tribute to the quietly philanthropic family, and Hank Robinson, the big-hearted community advocate and Argonaut founder. Mr. Robinson has always been respectful of the fact that their business has thrived because of the community and has seen to it that being a good neighbor and giving back to the city is an integral part of the Argonaut brand.

If you have a charity or a non-profit event, please download the Donation Request Form and fax back to us. We will be glad to review your request.”

Do you have a section on your website that talks about your business giving?  Do you streamline the request process by posting the needed form for nonprofits to fill out to get into your selection process so that it takes less of your time and gives you a place to refer people?  This is a great idea with minimal cost and saves a ton of time!  I strongly suggest you think about this for your own company.

BusinessWeek published a Special Report: Philanthropy 2010 last month.  I liked the article by Chris Farrell, titled “Philanthropy: Companies Seek Greater Returns in Tough Times.”  Check the full article out here.

“Amid soft economic times, companies’ gifts are increasingly freighted with self-interest—whether it’s image-polishing or engendering worker loyalty. The Great Recession exacted a harsh toll on the U.S. economy, from record home foreclosures to double-digit unemployment. Among the downturn’s many casualties was corporate philanthropy. The demand for help surged as the economy spiraled lower, but corporate giving decreased by 4.5%, or –8% in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the Giving USA Foundation. (The latest data available are from 2008.)…

Companies are becoming even more focused on strategic giving…Another trend worth noting: An era of scarce resources is encouraging companies to embrace alternatives to cash to support their charitable activities. Corporate product and service donations, as well as employee volunteer efforts, are increasingly popular. So is forming partnerships with nonprofits and governments to pursue social goals. “They all have to collaborate more closely—government, nonprofits, and companies—to allocate resources more successfully.”

Hope Equity, one of the organizations I featured in my Gifts That Make a Difference Report,  sent an email today showcasing ways they will be involved in Haiti moving forward so thought I would share.

“The toll in human life and critical infrastructure caused by the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti grows as relief efforts continue. What is certain at this point is that once the rescue and relief efforts have been completed, there will be many years of rebuilding essential infrastructure and developing agricultural and commercial enterprises to sustain the Haitian people.

Hope Equity provides long-term support to Heifer International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty. Heifer reports that its staff in Haiti is accounted for and safe. The Heifer office was not damaged and the staff is still working, despite losing friends and family in the disaster.

Heifer estimates that it will be three to five years before a there is stable enough environment for its recovery and rehabilitation efforts to get in full swing. There has already been a huge influx of people moving to more rural areas in Haiti and this trend is expected to continue, which means Heifer’s work there will be even more vital and critical as the country rebuilds.

That’s why endowments providing long-term support for projects in Haiti are more important than ever. When you give to an endowment those funds are invested and each year a percentage of the endowment is made available to the area you have specified. The following are links to the Haiti endowments as well as our Disaster Recovery Endowment, which is utilized to support the efforts of Heifer’s country programs after a major crisis.”

Haiti Country Endowment
Haiti: Carolyn W. Reynolds Endowment
Haiti: Carolyn M. & Clarence R. Wenger Endowment
Disaster Recovery Endowment

Check them out!

I am going tonight to a fundraiser in Denver, HOPE for Haiti, at Jazz at Jacks as a way to be more involved immediately myself.