International Corporate Philanthropy Day (ICPD) falls annually on the 4^th Monday of February – this year on February 28th.  The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) leads the international advocacy day intended to inspire businesses around the world to engage further in community partnerships. ICPD was created to bring awareness and advocacy to corporations and to inspire businesses to think about their social impact in new ways.

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I was thrilled and very grateful that Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute, provided me an endorsement for my book, Strategy for Good, this week.  I have long appreciated her commitment and vision for the power of service and volunteerism!  Points of Light Institute has been a critical national force supporting corporate volunteer programs, providing businesses with training, tools and strategies for designing effective corporate volunteer programs.

“Strategy for Good provides a step by step guide for how corporations can align their unique assets to positively affect communities and impact the lives of individuals. This is an important roadmap for anyone who wants to ensure that the tremendous human capital, resources, and know-how of the private sector is harnessed to maximize social good.“

–Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light Institute

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Just before Christmas, I had the opportunity to spend over an hour on the phone with the co-founders of Barefoot Wine, Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, learning about the “worthy cause marketing” approach they used to grow their wine business and build their brand in ways to reflect their values.  I had bought Barefoot Wine a few times and enjoyed it – but did not know anything about the company.  Also, I noticed their wines being distributed at the 10 year anniversary party of the Denver Social Venture Partners but didn’t think much about it.  Now it all makes great sense to me and I am now even more excited about Barefoot Wine!  I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Michael and Bonny’s perspectives and learning more about their commitment to giving back.  They are very inspiring!

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I interviewed Lisa Bowen, CEO, and Jeanie Barnett of Tweezerman for my book, Strategy for Good, which is coming out in February 2011 (Pre-order your copy now at http://www.StrategyforGood.com.)  I was impressed by their commitment to CSR and giving back — and have been a big Tweezerman fan ever since!  Before Christmas, I was wandering through Sephora looking for some last minute stocking stuffers and ran across their Mini Slant Tweezer for “Paws for a Cause.”

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Everyday I wake up excited and have new energy – life is GREAT!  The book on business giving I have been working along on for 4-5 years now is fast becoming a reality and will be released in February 2011!  So hard to believe after all the hours of self-doubt about whether I knew enough to be writing a book in the first place and of guilt and frustration that it was moving so slowly and not “done” yet.  Also, I increasingly was embarrassed because I felt like I had somehow not fulfilled my commitment to the great thought leaders I interviewed from 40+ companies for this book after they had so generously shared their time and company perspectives on community involvement with me.  That spiral goes nowhere but down…and becomes quicksand!

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When I bought my last 4 pack of Light & Fit yogurt by Dannon, I noticed the Hope with Every Cup special labeling.  Dannon® is “teaming up” (I like that language!!) with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to “Give Hope With Every CupTM” in the fight against breast cancer.

From the stand alone Give Hope with Every Cup website, I learned “Dannon and the National Breast Cancer Foundation are united to carry out a mission of giving hope. It is the long standing mission of the National Breast Cancer Foundation to increase awareness through education, provide diagnostic breast care services for those in need, and provide nurturing support services to save lives through early detection.

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Nau is such a cool company – I first learned about them at the 2007 Social Venture Network Fall Conference where they received an SVN Social Innovation Award.  Nau is an eco-friendly clothing company based in Portland, OR started by former senior executives from Nike and Patagonia. Nau blends profitability with philanthropy — what they see as the new measure of success. Their high standards for sustainability inspired Nau to create 28 new fabrics that are “open source” to encourage industry peers to achieve the same level of sustainability. Nau donates 2% of gross revenues to nonprofit “partners for change,” and they involve customers by having them select the nonprofit to receive their 2%.

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Ever wander through a mall and had the sweet odor of cinnamon drive you directly to Cinnabon for a snack?  It is SO hard to resist…  Anyway, I just heard about their support of U.S. Troops overseas…gives you a really good excuse to stop by the next Cinnabon you see!

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Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship developed the corporate social responsibility index (CSRI). The CSRI is the combined average of the general public’s perceptions along the three key dimensions – Citizenship, Governance and Workplace. This combined score yields greater insight into the influence of stakeholder programs, policies and activities on reputation.

The 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Index (CSRI) has been released.  In 2010, the areas of Citizenship, Governance and Workplace continue to account for over 40% of a company’s reputation, or Pulse score, in the United States.

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Have you seen the TownePlace Suites Make a Bed Program on Facebook? I decided to check it out thought I am never very thrilled to click yes to anything that allows someone to access my friends etc…but I figured Marriott is a reputable company.  So click I did!  One click, the bed made itself and $2 was donated.  Check it out!

From the CSRWire press release: “You may not like making your bed at home, but with TownePlace Suites by Marriott, making a bed makes a difference. Any time between now and November 1, 2010, with a simple click on the brand’s new Facebook applicationwww.facebook.com/makeabed, you can make a bed and TownePlace Suites will donate $2 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Our goal is to donate up to $50,000 by November 1, 2010.

In addition to helping others, you help yourself. After making a bed, you can register to win a Flip Video™ Camera. Take it one step further by sharing the Make a Bed app with your Facebook friends to help make an even bigger difference for people in need. When four of your friends on Facebook make a bed and register, you will be entered to win a 7-night stay at any participating TownePlace Suites location.”