I was in Indiana last week collecting data collection for a statewide evaluation I have been contracted to do by the State of Indiana on their AmeriCorps portfolio.  Indiana has a state level Habitat for Humanity organization which administers a grant from Indiana’s Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives to fund HabiCorps.  HabiCorps places AmeriCorps members at various Habitat for Humanity Affiliates around the state to help with volunteer recruitment and management, construction, partner family support, and other projects.
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Living in Denver has some perks…and it’s not just the view of the mountains!  Starbucks decided to pilot its new Gold card program here starting last month.  Since I live in Denver and use their refillable gift cards (it’s much easier to carry on a dog walk than cash!), I was invited via email to join last month.  On the website www.starbucks.com/gold it says, “If you enjoy espresso beverages, you’re in fine company. On average, Starbucks lovers in Denver drink more espresso beverages than the rest of the country, especially Caffe Lattes flavored with vanilla syrup or customized with soy milk.”  Who knew…
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There was an ad in the 2/9/2008 Rocky Mountain News announcing a the annual Warehouse Sale at HW Home.  It mentioned that the Humane Society of Boulder Valley would have a booth at the sale with pets in need of adoption. 
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My computer is not behaving well again today.  It hasn’t been the same since Best Buy replaced the motherboard.  I decided to do what I can do to see what is going on and went to Trend Micro to run their HouseCall program to detect virus and malware etc that might be on my computer.  “HouseCall™ is a FREE Web-based tool designed to scan your PC for a wide range of Internet security threats including viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware.” 

On the page for HouseCall, I noticed the following statement:”After scanning for viruses and spyware, why not spend an extra two minutes to express your appreciation for HouseCall by a charitable donation to Schools Online! ”
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According to research done by the Independent Sector, the value of volunteer time increased in 2007. The estimated dollar value is now $19.51 per hour. Your company and the nonprofit organizations where your employees volunteer can use this estimate to quantify the enormous value your volunteers provide.  This dollar figure is appropriately used for service projects and other general volunteer assignments – not for calculating the value of specialized services offered pro bono.

Learn more about these figures, including how they are calculated and how to use them, go to the Independent Sector website.

On June 10th in the Denver Post, there was an announcement in the Fashion Calendar about the Riverfront Park Fashion Series.  There are three fashion shows scheduled this summer: June 12, July 17, and August 14th for Riverfront Park in downtown Denver.  Clothes for June 12th were by Garbarini and hair and makeup by Luxe Salon.  Ticket prices were $30 or $40 and the proceeds benefitted Railyard Dogs.

That caught my attention.  What the heck is Railyard Dogs?  So after my Google search, I learned on the Railyard Dogs’ website, “In July of 2004, a group of downtown Denver residents joined together with the Denver Health Department to educate dog owners in Commons Park about Denver’s leash laws.”  Railyard Dogs major contribution to the community will be the construction of a dog park in downtown Denver.

My first thought was this effort not my idea of a critical social problem…then after a bit more thought I realized that having a controlled place for dogs to play off leash was a needed component of public health in the urbanscape.  I took my own dog, Kiwi, to the Chatfield Reservoir dog park this morning and I am always amazed by how many pet owners do not pick up after their pets.  Not only is it gross when Rover poops in the middle of the path and I have to walk around it, it is can be a health issue as the poop from thousands of dogs piles up!  I hope they will “police” the new park heavily and force owners to do the right thing.  I got lucky with a dog that will only pee and poop in her own backyard – never on a walk.  Phew!    

A couple years ago, my Dad saved me a bag of milk jug caps from Oakhurst Dairy while spending the summer at our family place in Holden, Maine so I could use them as props during training workshops on strategic philanthropy.  The caps each had a sticker on them stating that Oakhurst Dairy donates 10% of profits to kids & the environment.  They also ran commercials on TV that mentioned their community involvement, as well.

I am in Maine this week and saw that the May 22nd edition of the Bangor Daily News had a half page color advertisement for Oakhurst Dairy with the headline: “Vote Local. Vote Quality.  Vote Oakhurst.” The ad showed a milk jug and a lid – both displaying that they still are committed to 10% of profits to support healthy kids and a healthy environment.  While the ad does not say so, when reviewing their website, Oakhurst donates 10% of pre-tax dollars – which represents a significant commitment to community on their part.  Many companies calculate their percentage donation based on after tax profit.

On the website, Oakhurst states, “As a family owned company, we try every day to be more than just the best milk on the shelf. The people who choose Oakhurst are our friends and neighbors, and it thrills us that as Oakhurst has grown, so too has our opportunity to be part of a wider community.

We appreciate the people who choose to drink our milk – that’s why we donate 10% of pre-tax profits to causes benefiting kids and the environment. Keeping that pledge has enabled us to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations making a difference in our community.

Everyday in New England is filled with new opportunities for families to explore, learn and have fun. And we’re excited to be a part of it. So we sponsor hundreds of events across northern New England celebrating life in our community – like fairs, festivals, parades, amateur and school sports, coastal clean-up days and more!”

The website gives a list of some of the nonprofit organizations they have supported recently.  I always like to see when businesses list the names of the actual organizations they have supported.  Some also list the dollar values of that support.  Oakhurst does not and neither does my company Business Nonprofit Connections.  If you don’t give some specifics about what types of causes you support and some examples of the types of organizations on your website or other marketing materials, it is something you should consider, in an effort to improve your transparency and “get credit” for what your company is doing.

This was the fourth year that Metafolics Salon in Denver sponsored Beauty for a Cure, a one day fundraiser in honor of Marsha Gardenswartz who has been battling fourth stage melanoma and is a long time client of salon owner Jason Linkow.  On Sunday, May 4, 2008, the Metafolics folks all donated their time (and the salon the beauty supplies) to offer event supporters any hair service for a $100 donation to raise money for cancer research at the University of Colorado Foundation for Melanoma Research.  In addition to their choice of a complimentary hair service, supporters also received a free melanoma screening with one of two well-know local skin care doctors, as well as educational materials about melanoma prevention and treatment. 

I initially heard about “Beauty for a Cure”, sitting in Jason’s chair while getting one of his fabulous hair cuts. The first year Metafolics did the fundraiser, they collected just over $5,000 to donate.  Since then, Jason and his staff have grown the event after learning a few lessons on promotion and leveraging resources along the way.  Unfortunately, I was in Maine this year working on my book and could not attend the event personally.  However, last year I did attend and while they were able to raise over $10,000, I know the Salon folks were disappointed with the level of attention and support the event received.  However, to their credit, this did not deter them from going it again and finetuning their approach – including starting the planning and promotion much earlier and adding a second doctor to allow provision of more screenings.

And…the results were FABULOUS!  The event this year will gross over $68,000 for the CU research center!  How exciting!  Roughly $8,000+ dollars were collected through direct donations for services provided by Metafolics staff.  Through Jason’s efforts to leverage the Salon’s donation, each $100 donated was matched by $1,200 in funds from other foundations.  Talking to Jason, it is easy to see he is very pleased with the dollar amount raised this year.  However, he is also proud of the education and awareness this event brings to clients and the community.  Also, because of the free skin cancer screenings associated with the event, several people now know they have the disease and can do something about it before their chances at a full recovery are diminshed greatly.

In addition to donations for services the day of the event, Metafolics also offers clients the opportunity to donate, even if they could not participate that day.  “If people would like to donate, they can do so on the CU Foundation Web site, www.cufund.org. Click ‘Give Online’ and then select the health sciences campus, then University of Colorado Cancer Center and indicate “melanoma research” in the notes section. To send a check donation, make the check out to the CU Foundation and indicate “melanoma cancer research” in the subject line. Checks can be sent to: CU Foundation, Gift Processing, P.O. Box 17126, Denver, CO 80217.”

Also, Metafolics got great press for Beauty for a Cure this year.  Kathy Walsh of Denver’s Channel 4 did two great news spots about the event.  Check them out:

http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=41367@kcnc.dayport.com

http://cbs4denver.com/health/skin.cancer.fundraiser.2.713163.html

Congratulations Metafolics Salon on your successful signature event in 2008!

I got a “personalized” email today from United Airlines asking me (a customer!) to join their efforts to leverage support for China earthquake relief through their partership with the American Red Cross.  I liked they were proactive in sending out the request to their huge network of frequent flyers and offered me an easy way to get involved to do my little part to help out.  I also liked that they said “no contribution is too small.”  They are offering 500 miles as an incentive for a minimum $50 donation which helps spur me to action – how about you?

Dear Ms. Susan Hyatt,

On May 12, a powerful earthquake struck Sichuan province in southwestern China with a devastating impact on the lives and livelihood of millions of people. Our customers can assist the response effort by contributing through the American Red Cross to the China Earthquake Relief Fund.

Mileage Plus customers who donate $50USD or more will receive 500 miles as a one-time bonus. The United Airlines Foundation will support customers’ donations with up to 5 million miles for this bonus mile offer. In order to receive the miles, email your electronic American Red Cross receipt to ChinaRelief-Miles@united.com. 

No contribution is too small.

We thank you in advance for your support and generosity, and for partnering with United to make the world a better place to live, work, travel and do business.”

Nicely done, United! Are there causes YOUR company cares about for which you could leverage your networks to provide greater assistance/support than you could using only your own philanthropy budget? The name of the game is to think partnership…not just with nonprofits, but also with customers and other stakeholders.

I am in Maine this week on a writing retreat at my family’s cabin on Green Lake.  Though the leaves are not out yet, it is a beautiful and very quiet place as the summer tourist season won’t kick off for a while yet.  Today I stopped by Borders Bookstore at the Bangor Mall on my way to Orono, my hometown, for a Pat’s Pizza.  Best pizza on the planet with plenty of “local color.” 

Anyway, seems like everyone is doing a checkout promotion for charity this month!  The woman at the register in Borders asked me if I would like to purchase one of about 10 pre-selected children’s books that were on display behind the counter as a donation to the local Ronald McDonald House.  She explained the cheapest book was $3.99, several were $6.99, and a couple hardcovers were a bit more.  I bought one for them to add to their stack to deliver to the Ronald McDonald House.

I told her about this blog and that I wanted to be able to write a post about their promotion asking if they had any literature I could have.  She called her supervisor and – no, they did not have anything I could take with me.  They did have color posters tacked next to the cash registers about donating books to children but they did not mention what nonprofit organization was the beneficiary.  I had to ask again who was getting the books and she told me, the local RMH.  Also, the cash register receipt only listed the book, not that it was a donation.

So…my tips for them.  Have a flyer or something a customer can take home, should they want more information.  Also, have the purchased book labelled as a donation on the receipt.  I understand that a book is not the same thing as having donated cash directly, but there must be some way to have the register print that out on the receipt.