I got a call out of the blue this week from “NK”, a now 24 year old man, who was my “Junior Partner” through Denver Partners, a local mentoring nonprofit, for 3 years starting when he was seven.  I had not heard from him in 12 years and was thrilled he made the effort to reconnect with me.  I can’t even begin to tell you the dysfunction of his life and family at that time but we spent 3-10 hours a week doing a whole range of things that I knew at the time we both benefitted from – just hanging out and cooking dinner together to taking him for his first meal in a restaurant where you tip the waitress, to fishing for carp in my apartment complex pond.  It was just after my divorce and we had a lot of fun together – filled a hole for both of us.  I have so many happy memories and tough moments interwoven from my time with him.

During our call, I was moved to tears hearing him talk with such joy and nostalgia about some of the little things we did together – many of which I had totally forgotten or really had felt had been no big deal to me at the time – and how it has influenced his path.  For one example, I used to let him play with my computer and he told me that had truly tweaked his interest and he started studying on his own and he now does graphic design and websites as a hobby business.

He shared about his life now and I was so proud of him. He was a bit afraid to tell me he was a truck driver and hadn’t gone to college and it was great to ask whether he was happy and let him know that is what matters most – not the piece of paper.

I was sad to hear his older sister ended up going down the exotic dancer, drug and alcohol route and they don’t even know where she is now or whether she is even alive.  NK was in a mental health juvenile facility for a while and I used to visit him there – so he could so easily have gone the route of his sister but he did not.  And I had some small part in helping him choose another path, I now know.

The whole conversation was such a wonderful reminder that whenever we share of ourselves, we ARE making a difference.  We never know when a small kindness that may seem miniscule to us in the moment can truly impact another person’s life in ways we may never get to know. I know I truly did make a difference with NK and I am grateful for his being in my life.  It inspires me to stay open and be as generous with my time and sharing of myself as I can be – it does not require dollars.  Sometimes the biggest gifts we can give have no dollar signs attached to them.

What can you do this year to give of yourself and make a deep, lasting difference in someone’s life?

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 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:

• More than 1 billion volunteer service hours have been generated by Senior Corps volunteers;
• More than 400,000 individuals have served through AmeriCorps; and
• More than 1 million high school students participate annually in service-learning initiatives funded by Learn and Serve America.

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.

I just got home from attending the Denver Business Journal’s 1st annual Partners in Philanthropy event held in the Pinnacle Club at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.  They had a great crowd in attendance which says a lot about the heightened awareness of business and nonprofit connections given our current economic times. 

The first breakout session I attended was “It Pays to Give” with Andy Boian - Dovetail Solutions (moderator), and panelists Rob Cohen - IMA Financial Group, Scott King – ReadyTalk, and Monique Lovato – Xcel Energy Foundation.  It was interesting to hear the differences in focus between the three based on publically versus privately held companies and the oversight involved with regard to their community involvement activities, as well as the differences that are more related to business size.

ReadyTalk was the smallest company represented.  Scott King mentioned they currently have 92 employees and $20 million in revenues - clearly WAY bigger than my company!!  They still view themselves as a young company and have included community involvement from start-up on – wanting to foster a culture of giving and community connection for the business.  ReadyTalk, based on the vision and values of the King brothers, Scott and Dave, is strongly committed to getting their employees directly involved in the community and in fact consider their philanthropic efforts an employee-based program.  Employees present proposals for nonprofit support to an internal committee of their peers that then selects which nonprofits the company will support with cash and services.  Scott mentioned they do not calculate an ROI as giving back is “just the right thing to do” though he has noticed  a strong connection between employee satisfaction and pride in their company and customer satisfaction.  I went to the ReadyTalk website a few minutes ago to learn more…but there is no section on their website that I could find that shares this information externally.  Anyway…they have captured my attention and I am considering changing my web training service to ReadyTalk as my small way of supporting their philanthropic and community involvement efforts.

IMA Financial Group was the medium size business in the group at 511 employees with $1 billion in sales.  Rob Cohen, Chairman and CEO, explained that to the consternation of some business advisors early on, he included a focus on giving back and community invovlement from day one of the company.  To this end, early employee contracts mandated giving back and he created a foundation “on Day One” as well feeling that it was important to build the discipline to give a percentage from the beginning instead of waiting until later when it could be harder due to the larger numbers involved.  IMA has just hired the first Executive Director for the Foundation to continue focusing its efforts to insure the greatest impact.  IMA also selects projects for employee involvement via a Community Action Committee comprised of employees.  Rob emphasized the need to get involved “for the right reasons” otherwise everyone will see through that; it is important to be passionate and really care about the cause(s) the business supports.  While business value is not a motivator in and of itself for IMA, Rob feels their authenticity in giving and being involved has resulted in business coming their way.  IMA did have a community page on their website which gives a paragraph of their philosophy but no details of who they support.

Xcel Energy Foundation respresented the largest and only publically held company on the panel.  Monique Lovato mentioned Xcel has 12,000 employees and 8,000 retirees in 8 states and their Foundation is the largest corporate giver in Colorado.  Xcel Energy focuses mosty of its philanthropy in four areas: education, the environment, economic self-sufficiency, and equal access to the Arts.  Monique explained that Xcel prefers building relationships “with tentacles” or multiple points of engagement as opposed to just writing a check. Xcel makes use of their extensive intranet system to inform employees of opportunities for volunteering.  Xcel matches employee time with dollars and if 6 or more employees volunteer in a group, the nonprofit gets an additional $500 from Xcel.  Xcel also does matching gifts up to $750/year and their employees participate in the United Way campaign, as well. Xcel has several pages on their website about their community involvement.

Great panel and great work!!  Well done all three companies!

On Monday, I attended the O3 Nonprofit Summit in Denver; I was on a panel about Corporate Sector Response to our economic times.  I was struck by how many of the social sector staff attending the Summit still talk about “donors and fundraising” instead of developing integrated win/win partnerships with companies, especially smaller local ones.  For 10 years, I have trained nonprofits nationally on how to partner with businesses.  (Guess I need to do more work in my own backyard!)  I know from first hand experience that nonprofits that can expand their perspective past checkbook philanthropy to really think mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses are able to develop more substantial relationships that last over time.  I am back on my soapbox…   And I truly believe these times call for collective and creative efforts drawing on the best of all sectors.

Today I launched our 2009 survey for nonprofits to collect information about their partnerships with businesses.  I hope to add to the vast amount of resources I already have on the subject tand use it to inspire both nonprofits and businesses to get more invovled with each other.  The survey gauges nonprofits’ sense of their own effectiveness in six areas related to business partnerships.  It is also designed to collect information about nonprofit best practices in partnering with businesses, challenges experienced, tips and strategies for successful partnering, the types of benefits/resources received, and any impact of current economic conditions.

If you are with a nonprofit, I invite you to click the link and complete this survey.  I appreciate your time.  http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228VWVAZBC4

A survey for small and mid-size companies will be released shortly.

Also, I will be doing a workshop in Denver on April 28th 1-4pm, Recession Proof Resources: How Smart Nonprofits Design Strategic Partnerships with Businesses.  It comes with a 4 hour workshop, 1 hour consultation with me, a 100 page workbook, and perspective and support from myself and the group.  A steal at $99…but I want to be sure that cost doesn’t limit smaller nonprofit’s participation.  I will have a page up here for sign-ups shortly.  So if you know any nonprofits in Denver, let them know!  And if you’d like me to give a workshop on this important topic in your city, drop me an email.

I hope 2009 finds you happy, healthy, and ready to continue your business giving and community involvement to do your part to make a real difference in our world.  These are tough times for many people.  Daily, I hear so many negative things when I talk to some entrepreneurs and small business owners because of the state of the economy, it can get a little depressing!  I see many smaller business owners pulling back and hardening their protective shell as they think such actions will help them ride things out and keep their businesses afloat.  But I wonder if that will really work…for me whenever I have closed down and “gone underground” to regroup, I ended up shutting off opportunities.  When I have hibernated because I had business challenges that I didn’t want others to know about – figuring I needed to try to figure out the way forward on my own before I showed my face again - I ended up feeling really isolated and alone.  And then things DID go from bad to worse.

At the same time that I see many business people turning inwards, I also see many others with a sense of optimism and hope that together we can “turn the Titanic.”  I have been at several business events in the past couple months where entrepreneurs and small business people (some whose bank accounts I can only begin to imagine) are committing themselves to using their skills, talents, and connections to come up with new solutions to social and economic issues – old and new.  It has been very inspiring to me and helped me stay really positive.

As I listened to Obama’s inauguration speech, two specific sections struck me.  I will share one of those today and the second in my post tomorrow.

“Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.  But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.  The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.”

In my work, I have long been trying to shift the paradigm from “charity” to a greater sense of partnership between businesses and community organizations for the “common good.”  It is one reason I work with companies to be more strategic and intentional in how they offer their support to nonprofits – often encouraging business people to think past checkbook philanthropy.  For me, cutting a check and then turning your back because “you’re done” is self defeating and a lost opportunity to do a deeper kind of “good.”  I am absolutely a fan of capitalism and the market – but conscious/compassionate capitalism.  I refuse to consider that making a profit and running a business that considers the other two P’s (people and planet) are mutually exclusive.  And there are many great examples that doing all three is totally possible and even preferable for long-term success.

We are at a unique point in history – at least in my lifetime – where so many people are willing to step up – really step up – and be part of the solution not just whining couch potatoes.   Some of these have never paid attention or been active in civic life before.  They are collaborating for the common good and to rebuild our trust and pride in our country.  Won’t you join us?  What can you and your company do?  Remember my mantra – “You are never too small to make a difference.”

So, so exciting….BusinessWeek Small Biz published an article yesterday online, Make Giving Part of Your Business Strategy…and I am featured in it!

Amy S. Choi, the journalist that wrote the article, contacted me a couple months ago for an interview.  We had a great conversation and I really liked that she was writing an article that would include some “how to” tips for small businesses.  During our conversation, as I described the eight steps of effective business giving that I use in my work, I also mentioned some of the great companies I had interviewed for my book as examples to make my points.  Later I sent her several folks contact info, should she choose to get more information.

From my list, Amy chose to also interview Jason Linkow, owner of Metafolics Salon here in Denver.  A great choice!  The man is so nice and a savvy, businessperson with a lot of integrity.  I have written several earlier blog posts about him.  I have been checking daily for this article.  Today I found it by searching for his name on the BusinessWeek site. (Never though to search on my own…duh!)  So there was a great photo of Jason and Amy’s really well done article.  And Amy quoted me, as well – several times actually.

“Once you’ve settled on a cause, think about the various nonprofits that support it, and ask which would help you best achieve your business goals. “There is a way to be strategic and get business value out of your giving, and still do it in an authentic way,” says Susan Hyatt, founder of philanthropy consultant Business Nonprofit Connections. Are you trying to raise visibility? In that case, choosing a small organization to which you can become a major benefactor would be a good strategic move. If you’re looking to improve recruitment and retention or to boost morale, canvas employees for their opinions about worthy causes. For those looking to increase sales, it’s worth asking if a nonprofit’s other patrons might be potential clients….A lot of companies don’t know exactly what they’re giving, which is ridiculous,” says Hyatt. “If philanthropy were a business unit, you would know what you were spending to the penny.”

Then establish some metrics. That means preparing to track what your employees are doing and how much time they give, and the value of in-kind gifts and pro bono services. If you’re giving cash, ask your organizations to tell you how they spent your money, and consider the payback. Did you gain greater visibility or any new clients? You don’t need to quantify the returns on every dollar spent, but if you don’t keep track of what you’re doing, it’s hard to know the benefits either to you or your cause.

If you’ve chosen an organization you don’t already have a relationship with, start building one by contacting either the development director or the executive director, depending on the size of the nonprofit, says Hyatt. If you know someone on the board, start there. Or, if you want to support a specific program, reach out to the program director. Although the frequency of your contact will vary depending on what kind of support you plan to offer, plan on a minimum of quarterly updates. This will give you a chance to explore future opportunities and evaluate the impact of past giving. “You want to create new opportunities, not show up and deliver a check,” says Hyatt.

It’s important to start small. As your business grows, or shrinks, you can adjust your giving accordingly. Decide where the donations will come from in your budget, whether it’s human resources, public relations, or marketing. Appoint a person in the company to monitor these efforts, making sure that the work is recognized as part of their job duties.

You’ll also want to think about how to celebrate your success. There is a fine line between good marketing and appearing self-serving, and the instinct may be to resist saying anything. But remember, most customers want to do business with companies that do good, says Hyatt.”

Very fun!

Because of my work with AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service, a colleague from JBS International – Aguirre Division sent me an email link today to a very interesting article in the Washington Post on Friday, November 28th (page A27) by Paul C. Light, Obama Must Mobilize Supporters to Help Nonprofits. 

In the article, Light says that Generation “O” – for Obama – “is ready to do its part in putting the country on a more hopeful path.”  He makes the case that President-Elect Obama could mobilize “Generation O to help the nation’s struggling nonprofit sector” as the nation’s 1 million other charitable organizations and their 11 million employees are not flourishing.

He states, “there is already plenty of evidence that the sector is suffering. It is often the first to experience recession as households cut back on discretionary contributions and the last to recover. Of the nearly 1 million nonprofits up and running, as many as 100,000 will fail over the coming six months.”  He makes the case that “what the nation needs is an emergency program to rescue failing nonprofits while protecting healthy nonprofits from further job freezes and cuts.”

He talks about two possible initiatives which could help the sector.  “The first would be a loan fund for distressed nonprofits. This program would be administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which has shown its ability to work with states and nonprofit intermediaries to funnel money into needed activities, including the recruiting, training and deployment of volunteers. With an interest-bearing payback provision, the loan fund would carry minimal taxpayer risk and would be directed to distressed nonprofits that can prove their ability to spend the money to increase effectiveness.

The second initiative would be a call for Generation O to volunteer. This volunteerism cannot be the run-of-the-mill, episodic engagement that increasingly characterizes volunteering in America — the kind of come-and-go volunteering that rarely helps nonprofits fill vacancies in front-line service jobs. Rather, Obama should call upon his supporters to make durable, year-long commitments to specific high-impact jobs.”

Lots of things brewing!  What is true is that the Governors’ Commissions on National and Community Service (aka state service commissions) – the state level organizations that administer AmeriCorps and promote service and volunteerism as a strategy to address local issues – have more than 14 years experience with what it takes to run effective nonprofit programs to maximize the impact of scarce resources.  The AmeriCorps and other programs they administer and support are well-known for being great stewards of dollars and leveraging big impact from a minimal investment.  They also have huge networks within their state with nonprofits, government agencies and the private sector.  Hopefully they will be at the table to help figure out how to best mobilize citizens to make a difference and counteract the impact of tough economic times.

Read Light’s full article- it’s great food for thought!  Go National Service – your time to “explode” and show your true value may be near!!

The last ten years I have been “all about” strategic business nonprofit partnerships.  I first truly became committed to this topic as a result of my consulting work with the national network of Governors’ Commissions on National and Community Service and the AmeriCorps programs they fund in their respective states.  In trainings I give on performance measurement and evaluation, I always find myself up on a soapbox telling program staff they HAVE to measure their impact –for decision-making and continuous improvement of their programs and to share with community stakeholders (including businesses) to leverage additional resources and grow their support base.

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I have been fascinated by business engagement with nonprofits for more than ten years.  However, the roots of my interest in this topic run deep.  To start with, I grew up in rural Maine in a family of four that values fairness and equality above all else.  Jokingly, I always say I am from the “buy a box of six doughnuts and you know everybody gets 1.5″ family.  And how many times did my father tell me that I need to be as respectful and polite to the janitor of the building as the president of the United States?  That being a good person on Sunday on the way to church is not enough – one needs to be a good person all week. 

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