CECP is the founder of annual International Corporate Philanthropy Day (ICPD), held the last Monday of February.  ICPD is a day to focus attention both among corporations on corporate giving to highlight what companies are up to, the impact they’re having, and milestones that have been reached.  It’s also meant to be a chance to collect best practices from companies to create awareness for the story of corporate giving and then to create encourage a dialogue about what’s working, what’s not working, and how it can be made better.

• CECP is working on a standard definition for what counts as a charitable gift that can be used globally and doesn’t use any one country’s definition as a starting point.
• Many companies do not systematically collect data on their inputs to the community.  People want to jump into talking about the impact of their giving.  However, it’s not just how much you gave, it’s about the good that you were able to achieve. It’s very hard to know or even start to think about what impact you’ve had, if you don’t know what you did.
• There is an increase in the level of sophistication among consumers in terms of their expectations for business, as well as a sophistication on the part of companies in many countries to understand what programs work, which programs don’t work, and how they can start to have better impact.
• One of the unique assets of corporate givers is they have employees who have a real interest in the health of their communities and have great skills that they’ve honed in their work that can be useful to bring to bear on social issues. CECP sees companies really looking at how to structure and manage employee engagement and skills-based volunteer projects to unleash the talents of their employees during the business hours or off business hours to help nonprofit partners.
• Many companies are increasingly aligning the core resources of their business and their philanthropy with the larger business strategy. No longer setting aside what the company does best when doing its philanthropy.
• A misconception of collaboration is that you can divide the amount of work by however many people are in the collaboration. Everyone in a collaboration should probably expect to do 75% or 80% of the work because collaborations generate more work than when they’re not in them.

For more information on the 2012 STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT and to access all session materials from eat of the 28 speakers, go to: STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT.

I will be part of the luncheon plenary panel on Thursday, June 14th 12:00 – 2:00 pm.  I am looking forward to it!

Saving Philanthropy Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Saving Philanthropy profiles diverse social service organizations that have gained national attention for the measurable outcomes they achieve, and highlights the role that forward thinking funders play in the process. The program lays out in clear and digestible language the key components of a managing to outcomes strategy, and utilizes interviews with leading voices in the sector to explore how to foster a managing to outcomes culture. Since its completion and premier at the Center for Effective Philanthropy Conference in May 2011, Saving Philanthropy has been screened for nonprofit organizations across the United States and Canada and has been overwhelmingly well received.

Kate Robinson, Executive Producer, and Robby Robinson, Director, Saving Philanthropy, will facilitate a panel discussion following the film screening.

Panelists:

Kelly Bruggeman, Executive Director, First Interstate Foundation

Jennifer Zenor, Executive Director, Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault

Susan Hyatt, Founder & CEO, CORE THOUGHT

In particular, Kenn emphasizes four major conclusions. The first was that corporate volunteering is a dynamic global force driven by companies that want to make a significant difference to serious global and local problems. The second conclusion is that there’s no best way to do corporate volunteering; rather, it includes a very broad range of activities, philosophies approaches. The third conclusion was that there are regional and cultural variations in how volunteering is understood and practiced, and the fourth is that volunteerism is being put to work in varying degrees as a strategic asset to help achieve business goals. One of the trends in corporate volunteerism is skills-based volunteering because of its perceived greater impact, compared to lower skilled work.  The research also revealed that companies now understand that NGOs are critical assets for them in developing and implementing their volunteer efforts, and explored how companies assess their volunteer programs.

For the future, Dr. Allen predicted there will be new forms of volunteering emerging, such as “release time” volunteering (required time given to community projects by employers), more employee-driven volunteer efforts with companies, and through partnerships to help them promote, strengthen and celebrate volunteerism all over the world.

Key Points

• Volunteerism is a vital asset for corporations worldwide and provides benefits to the company, employees, and the community.
• Corporate volunteerism has a different flavor in various regions of the world.  Volunteer efforts needs to be tailored to be appropriate to the local culture.
• Effective corporate volunteering requires allocation of company resources for design, management and impact assessment. Volunteering is not “free.”
• Dr. Allen’s new book, The Big Tent: Corporate Volunteering in a Global Age, is an excellent resource for corporations to understand the role of volunteerism as an aspect of social responsibility

Strategies and Tips

• Corporations can and do utilize volunteerism to increase social responsibility
• Understand different types of volunteerism and which can best apply to the mission and goals of the company.  For example, general hands on volunteering can involve more employees while skills-based volunteering generally is more intensive and engages fewer employees.
• Adapt global volunteering initiatives to insure compatibility with local needs and culture.
• Forge partnerships with NGO’s and other organizations to increase volunteerism and thus public perception of the company’s sense of social responsibility

Kenn Allen is the founder and President of the Civil Society Consulting Group LLC which is a global consulting firm based in Washington, DC. With a Ph.D. in human resource development from George Washington University, he is the author of several books, numerous articles and other research tools and projects. Dr. Allen’s research emerges out of his years as Director of the Global Corporate Volunteering Research Project which was a special project of IAVE, the International Association for Volunteer Effort and its Global Corporate Volunteer Council. His latest book, called The Big Tent: Corporate Volunteering in a Global Age (sponsored in part by the Telefonica Foundation), is based on research from a report compiled by the Global Corporate Volunteering Research Project and Dr. Allen’s many year’s experience working in the realm of corporate volunteerism.

Download the 2012 STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT transcript of Kenn Allen’s session.

For more information on the 2012 STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT and to access all session materials, go to: http://www.strategyforgoodsummit.com/upgrade.

So interesting offer – Google donates $3 directly to Create Jobs for USA (the initiative Starbucks helped start) and they get a new sign up for their BETA version of the new Google Offers program.  Starbucks is also donating $5 – in product to the consumer.  Create Jobs for USA gets donations and exposure, and I get double my money’s worth on my morning dog walks to Starbucks.  A quadruple win…???

What is Create Jobs for USA? From their website, “Starbucks has teamed up with Opportunity Finance Network® (OFN) to help create and sustain jobs. The Create Jobs for USA program provides capital grants to select Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). The CDFIs will provide loans to underserved community businesses, which include small businesses, microenterprises, nonprofit organizations, commercial real estate, and affordable housing. The goal of Create Jobs for USA is to bring people and communities together to create and sustain jobs throughout America.

The Create Jobs for USA program initially was seeded with a $5 million contribution from the Starbucks Foundation. People can support the initiative by making a donation to the Create Jobs for USA fund. Donations are accepted at company-operated U.S. Starbucks stores and online at createjobsforUSA.org. For donations of $5 or more, donors will receive an American-made “Indivisible” wristband.

To learn more about this program, please view their video.”

Since 2006, Aveda has selected Greengrants as a Global Earth Month partner each April to raise money and awareness about environmental issues around the world.  According to the flyer for the event, there is significant overlap between the countries where Aveda sources the natural and organic ingredients that go into its products and the countries and communities where Greengrants focuses its grantmaking programs.

AVEDA EARTH MONTH TOUCHES THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES

• $16 million raised for clean water in 5 years
• 3,000 women trained in community
  environmental management
• 26,000 people benefit from wells and water infrastructure
• hundreds of other clean water-related projects

About Greengrants Fund:
Mission: To mobilize resources for global environmental sustainability and social justice

“Global Greengrants Fund is a public charity that seeds environmental action through small grants. We support change from the ground up by channeling donations to local projects and grassroots campaigns for justice, primarily in the developing world and emerging economies.

We are a bridge between passionate people seeking social justice and environmental sustainability. From the neighborhood organizer in Ghana’s mining region to the Chicago donor advocating for global environmental rights, we are a network of changemakers.

Our belief is that everyone deserves a healthy environment. The reality is that millions of people are denied this right. Toxic contamination; destruction of natural resources; disappearance of water, food, and work; displacement from traditional lands; these are the sad truths for too many communities. Environmental degradation is common, and so are the social injustices that accompany it.

Our strategy is to support local leaders—primarily outside the United States and Western Europe—in fighting these injustices. Through activist-led grantmaking, we find these leaders and provide seed funding for grassroots action on the front lines of social change. Together, we’re working towards one vision: A just and sustainable world.”

To kick off this internationally celebrated event of corporate giving, Susan Hyatt is hosting the 1st annual Strategy for Good (tele)SUMMIT.  For weeks Core Thought has been preparing and lining up the best leaders in the corporate philanthropy business to speak.  Among those speakers is Margaret Coady of CECP and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark.  CSR professionals will be speaking on an array or topics to be seen valuable by anyone looking to start or enhance their corporate philanthropy initiatives.

Among the Core Thought and Strategy for Good Events, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) has a great list of what your company can do on this special day:

• Tell your company’s philanthropy story on an internationally recognized day.
• Further engage senior management, employees, and nonprofit partners in your giving programs.
• Raise awareness of the important role of corporate philanthropy in fostering stronger relationships across sectors.
• Publicize your company’s philanthropic initiatives, benefiting from the added media interest.
• Enhance relationships with peers and thought leaders in the corporate giving community.

See the full CECP article here.

See the full Strategy for Good SUMMIT 2012 line-up here.  Registration is FREE, so don’t hesitate in taking advice from the professionals.

Core Thought, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) consulting and training firm (www.core-thought.com) will hold its inaugural STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT beginning Monday, February 27, 2012.

The STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT is a free, five-day tele-summit that celebrates International Corporate Philanthropy Day. The SUMMIT brings together leading business thought leaders committed to the social good and corporate philanthropy to share their insights, tips and strategies with other business leaders interested in strengthening their own give-back efforts.

The tele-summit is open to anyone interested in learning about how to make their company’s community engagement more impactful and can be accessed here: www.strategyforgoodsummit.com from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, February 27 through March 2.

Participating speakers represent a range of perspectives and approaches to giving back. Fortune 500 companies and experts in corporate social responsibility, cause marketing, employee volunteering, and grant-making will participate, as will independent, ‘cause committed’ companies whose business models have social good built into their operations. “Leaders from Ford, Motorola, Barefoot Wine, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, and craigslist are among those who will participate and share insights with SUMMIT attendees,” says Sue Hyatt, founder and CEO of Core Thought and the STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT host. “The inaugural STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT is designed to inspire companies to get more strategically involved in their communities and to demonstrate the many options available to businesses determined to give back.”

Anyone with internet access and a telephone can participate during live broadcasts. The SUMMIT recordings will be available for free for 48 hours after the live broadcast, and packages of all recordings will be available for purchase after March 5.

The line-up of speakers showcases over 30 business leaders, and will include: Margaret Coady, Director, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy; Alison DaSilva, Executive Vice President, Research & Insights, Cone Communication, Inc.; Mark Kramer, co-founder and Managing Director, FSG; Ruth Jones, CEO, Social Venture Partners International; Cindy Hallberlin, President & CEO, Good360; Eileen Sweeney, Motorola Mobility Foundation; Zhena Muzyka, Founder and Mistress of Tea, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea; and Michael Houihan and Bonnie Harvey, founders of Barefoot Wine.

For further information and for free registration for the inaugural STRATEGY for GOOD SUMMIT, visit www.strategyforgoodsummit.com. Susan Hyatt can be reached at: shyatt@core-thought.com or 303.512.0808.

Learn practical tools for creating and managing your community investments according to your values, vision, and business goals.

Learn from businesses around the world that are bucking the current economic environment through community investment that works!

Understand the new giving paradigm shift from checkbook philanthropy to  strategic, all-win partnerships.

Be inspired by success stories that give you a powerful vision of what is possible in your business and community.

Understand how to create inspired and loyal employees using your core values.

For five days, 30 of the world’s leading business thinkers, executives, authors and pioneers will come together via a telesummit to share their ideas and tips to help you transform your company’s social mission, business giving and community investment strategies, your life and the world.

MEET SUSAN HYATT, Your SUMMIT Host
Susan is the founder and CEO of CORE THOUGHT, a consulting firm that helps companies transform good intentions into real impact on their communities and their bottom line. She is the author of Strategy for Good: Business Giving Strategies for the 21st Century. Susan’s clients include the Corporation for National and Community Service, CARE, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, and USAID. The author travels widely as a trainer, keynote speaker, and avid volunteer in global service projects.

The There Is No Limit Foundation had a unique opportunity to work with a professional grade graphic design company.  Elefint Design donated their services to the foundation and the results were magnificent:

The There Is No Limit Foundation wanted to profile Guinea, a country sometimes turned a blind eye by donators.  The infographic highlights the most important problems the country is facing (contaminated drinking water, limited access to sanitation, living wages, illiteracy and death).

Secondly, the infographic highlights the There Is No Limit Foundation’s programs and how they address the serious problems Guinea is faced with.

The good news for you and your company, is that if you don’t have a graphic designer on your payroll, you can start small with Google’s Infographic Toolbox. Choose from dozens of templates to find the perfect display for your initiatives.

For more infographic templates, visit www.creattica.com.