Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza is one of the inspiring companies interviewed for Susan Hyatt’s book, Strategy for Good.

Beau Jo’s is a Colorado-based company that owns a chain of pizza restaurants. The company is an institution in Denver, both for the thick pizzas and for the way you finish them off: with a bottle of honey in which to dip the remaining crust (“built-in dessert”). There are two types of pizzas at Beau Jo’s: the original Mountain Pies with rolled crust at the end and Prairie Pies without the roll but a thinner layer of toppings. They come with a variety of sauce options and the usual pizza toppings along with a couple of unusual signature toppings such as tofu. The restaurant allows patrons to leave their mark at each casually decorated, mining antiques-filled site by drawing on a napkin and hanging it on the wall. Denver Westword named Beau Jo’s the “Best Pizza” readers’ choice winner in 2006. The restaurant strives to use healthy fixings in its pizzas, including whole wheat and gluten-free crust, and natural ingredients and toppings whenever possible.

Idaho Springs, where Beau Jo’s began, is a small community. The company’s giving philosophy has to do with the reality that the business can only grow so much within a small community without being involved. Originally the firm began its involvement to make the community in which it operates a better place to live for the residents and a better place for the company to do business. One of the ways the firm supports the community is by establishing dates sponsored by community organizations, where 20 percent of the pre-taxed revenues are donated to the sponsoring organization.

Ace Hardware Stores in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Washington, and Virginia (and more!) are collecting bad holiday lights for recycling to benefit Lights for Life.   This year, Ace Hardware stores will also accept extension cords for recycling.  Lights for Life, a nonprofit organization aids kids with cancer and their families by recycling the copper and other usable materials in light strands.

From their website, “Last year, Ace Hardware customers across the three states donated more than 30,000 pounds of holiday lights to the campaign, raising $14,000 for families of children diagnosed with cancer and bringing the total amount of lights donated by local Ace customers since 2008 to more than 77,000 pounds. Local stores hope to increase this year’s donation by 50 percent and have set a goal of collecting 45,000 pounds of holiday lights and extension cords during the 2011 holiday season.”

“Each year, more than 200 million strings of incandescent lights are sold in the U.S., and most of them end up in the landfill,” said Linda Worthington, marketing director Lights For Life. “Just the small act of dropping your broken or old lights or extension cords in a collection bin at an Ace Hardware can make a big difference in the lives of the families of kids with cancer.”

Holiday lights and extension cords can be dropped off at participating Ace Hardware stores between November 15 and February 15. The holiday light recycling program adds to the growing list recycling programs offered by area Ace Hardware stores. Many Ace Hardware stores also accept used compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), mercury-containing thermostats, used cell phones and rechargeable batteries for recycling.”

Great idea!  I always feel bad putting my strands of dead icicle lights in the trash…I have a box to go to Ace today!  How about you?

1% for the Planet is helping to tilt the scales of giving toward the thousands of under-funded nonprofits dedicated to the pursuit of sustainability, to preserving and restoring our natural environment. Membership consists of more than 1,400 businesses in 38 countries that have committed to donating 1% of sales annually to support the environment.  Together they give over $15 million annually to over 2,000 environmental organizations worldwide. To date, 1% for the Planet has initiated over $50 million in environmental giving.

We are members of 1% for the Planet and have deleted them as one of the nonprofit royalty recipients for Susan Hyatt’s book, Strategy for Good.  Join us – it’s a great way for your business to be part of a network that is committed to supporting environmental organizations.

Sunday, May 15th is the annual Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon.  I am volunteering again this year and looking forward to it!  They expect 8,000 runners and over a thousand of them are running to support their favorite nonprofits.

DaVita Charity Partners Program

“Run for charity with our highly successful DaVita Charity Partners Program for 2011! It’s simple: non-profit organizations from across Colorado agree to register runners/walkers (and/or provide volunteers) for the marathon, half marathon or relay and then build a fund-raising campaign around those highly visible participants. With 73 charities participating, we’re the 4th largest program in the country!

The nonprofit keeps 100% of the pledges raised. In 2010, 41 charity partners raised close to $250,000.

When you register through Active.com, there is an option to select the Charity Partner you wish to join.  That Charity Partner will email you directly with instructions on how to start your fundraising.  Already registered? No problem. Email info@runcolfax.org and we’ll get you all set up.”

Great way to support local nonprofits by giving them the opportunity to offer a fun fundraiser as a way to involve supporters and strengthen their sustainability while giving DaVita great visibility for their strategic business giving.

About DaVita:

DaVita Inc., a FORTUNE 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services and education to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease.

This Sunday, May 15th, is Denver’s annual Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon.  It will be the third year that I have volunteered for the marathon.  Should be fun!  Today I got an email from my volunteer team captain with the following information:

” Calling all Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon volunteers! To thank you for your efforts, Bellco Credit Union will randomly select 5 volunteers to receive a $100 gift certificate to Runner’s Roost. Simply take a picture of yourself race weeked at the Expo, along the race routes, or at City Park in your volunteer t-shirt and then share it with Bellco on their Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/BellcoCreditUnion

Celebrating 75 years in Colorado, Bellco Credit Union is proud to support the 2011 Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon and all the volunteers who make race day possible. Life is a marathon, not a sprint – Bellco helps its more than 
193,000 members to face this challenge with the right set of services to meet their financial needs. Stop by one of its 15 branch locations or check out  www.Bellco.org.”

What a great idea!  Fabulous way for Bellco to get great visibility with the over 2,000 volunteers helping make the event happen and stand out from all the other non-title sponsors of the event.  Having volunteers compete for $100 by posting photos on Facebook means many new people will go to their Facebook page and as they are looking at the posted photos, they will also learn a bit about Bellco and what they do.  Also, all the friends of those that post will also be able to see Bellco is involved in their newsfeeds.  Existing Bellco customers and employees will also see that Bellco is supporting local volunteers – I am sure that will build even greater loyalty among those folks, as well.

For a small investment, this will definitely get Bellco a lot of exposure at the same time they are honoring the volunteers that are giving of their time to make the marathon happen.  It is strategic and a great way to demonstrate their commitment to business giving and the community.   I like it!

From the press release:

“About the Colfax Marathon

The sixth annual 2011 Kaiser Permanente Colfax Marathon takes place May 14-15, 2011 and includes the full marathon, half-marathon and marathon relay, as well as the new Colfax 5K and kid’s race.  Established by the cities of Aurora, Denver and Lakewood to encourage Coloradans to be healthier, the marathon has established itself as an iconic race for the mile-high city. We support local charities and nonprofits by providing one of the country’s biggest fund-raising platforms through the DaVitaCharity Partner Program. We are proud to partner with corporate sponsors who make our race a success, including: Kaiser Permanente, DaVita, 9News, The Denver Post, Comcast, 104.3 The Fan, The DenverAthletic Club, Primrose Schools, Jim ‘n Nick’s BBQ, and more. To learn more, visit www.runcolfax.org or follow us on twitter @runcolfax or facebook.com/runcolfax.

About Kaiser Permanente Colorado

Kaiser Permanente Colorado is the state’s largest nonprofit health plan, proudly working to improve the lives and health of Denver, Boulder, and southern Colorado area residents for 40 years. Kaiser Permanente Colorado provides comprehensive health care services to more than 535,000 members through 21 medical offices and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The health plan was named “Highest in Member Satisfaction” among Commercial Health Plans by J.D. Power and Associates for the third straight year. Kaiser Permanente was also recognized by the National Committee for QualityAssurance (NCQA) as the top-ranked private health plan in Colorado, No. 9 in the nation and one of the top 5 Medicare plans in the U.S. for the second year in a row. In 2009, Kaiser Permanente proudly directed more than $82 million to community benefit programs to improve the health of all Coloradans. For more Kaiser Permanente news, visit kp.org/newscenter or follow us on twitter @kpcolorado orfacebook.com/kpcolorado.”

COME CELEBRATE WITH ME!!

I am pleased to announce the launch of my new book, Strategy for Good: Business Giving Strategies for the 21st Century.  You are invited to a special celebration showcasing Front Range business and nonprofit organizations that are working together to make a difference in our communities.

When:   Thursday, April 28th from 4pm – 7pm

Where:  Icehouse Tavern, 1801 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202  (2 Blocks South of Coors Field)  (NOTE: Icehouse Tavern is owned by the Little Pub Company.  Owner, Mark Berzins, is one of the business leaders featured in the book.)

Parking: Park in the Union Station lot (or take the Light Rail to Union Station)

Details: Happy hour specials, giveaways, book signing, and great networking with some of Denver’s most philanthropic companies.

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Rebecca Morgan gave a great presentation today, “Making Money in Your Jammies,” at the National Speaker’s Association – Colorado Chapter monthly meeting.  Wow – I learned a lot!!

During her intro, it was mentioned that she had started a nonprofit, Books for Treats.  I was curious…so of course I looked it up as soon as I got home. So what is Books for Treats?

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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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Do you want your company to be more involved in the community but are having difficulty making the case for business giving in this economy?  Check out the following benefits of strategic philanthropy that your company can also tap into.  You can “Do Good AND Do Well.”

STRATEGY – Instead of just throwing money here and there, we now have a deliberate strategy that directs our efforts for maximum impact.

VALUES – Our company’s philanthropy is a way for us to demonstrate our values are heartfelt and go beyond just making a profit.

INTEGRATION – Our giving is now integrated across our departments and locations to leverage more impact in the community and strengthen our internal cohesion.

VISIBILITY – Our strategic giving program sets our company apart from our competition.  We have gone from being “just like everyone else” to doing something remarkable that makes a difference.

SALES – Consumers like to know the products and companies like ours that they invest in are doing good with their money.  Our customers do business with us because they see that we care about the community.

MEDIA – Our community involvement and giving have helped us get invaluable attention from the media – we couldn’t have afforded the great positive buzz this generated for our company.

IMPACT – We were able to create a sound business case for this program.  It’s not just feel good fluff, but work that creates a win/win – for our company’s bottom line and the community.

PRODUCTIVITY – Our employees feel good about being part of something larger than themselves.  Because they feel pride in our company and themselves, they are more productive in their jobs. “We work for a company that cares.”

MAXIMIZE – We are now clear where and how to focus our scarce resources to do the most good in the community.

RESULTS – We actually know how we are going to measure the results of our giving programs.

What can your business do to give back?  How can your give back program be in alignment with your core products or services and company values?  If you can use assistance in being more strategic with your giving program, contact me at shyatt@BNConnections or 303-512-0808…I can definitely help!