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.”

David Hancock with Morgan James Publishing wrote a nice blog post, To Give is To Receive, on the Digitizer Group Blog encouraging businesses to think about ways to be involved with causes beyond just writing a check.  Here is the link.

Nonprofits always are seeking cash donations and if you have dollars to give, they of course appreciate that.  However, if you are looking to offer your company and employees a deeper, richer experience with the community…chances are giving cash alone will not do it.  There are so many other ways to offer much needed support to causes.  I have a menu of 65 ways that I use with my clients to help them figure out what combination of giving approaches works best for their specific situation.  Think of your giving as a portfolio.  Cash may be one thing you offer…but what other resources do you have or have access to?

I had the opportunity to interview David Eisner, the former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in October about his sense of current trends in business giving.  During our time, he mentioned that one thing that gets in the way of businesses thinking beyond checkbook philanthropy is in fact nonprofits themselves.  Many of them are still firmly rooted in the “tin cup” mentality of charitable donations and do not think partnership with benefits for both organizations.  Hence, when you are approached, you may be asked for a donation.  I encourage you to engage in a different conversation with the nonprofit rep about what else you could do to support their efforts.  You may be surprised what can develop!

My forthcoming book on business giving strategies outlines the range of ways to make a real difference in the community through contributions of dollars, time, and other resources as well as commerce-based promotions and relationships.

I heard Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone, speak at Mark Victor Hansen’s MegaSpeaking Empire a few weeks ago.  He gave a great presentation during which he mentioned his business networking site, the Greenlight Community.  The site states “We are a global community of entrepreneurs and professionals who believe that our relationships drive our success and bring us joy. We are looking for a place to be helpful and to find new ideas, encouragement, friends, maybe even someone to kick our backsides when necessary, and ultimately, MORE SUCCESS, however we define that!”  Sounded good to me so earlier this week I signed up to participate. 

The first person to contact me was Maxine Karchie from Edmonton, Canada.  When I went to her Greenlight page to respond to her welcome post to me, I noticed the cover for a book, titled “The Future of Safety.”  On the cover was a logo that said “Profits to Charity.”  So I mentioned it and said I would like to know more.

She directed me to her blog post on the book which states, the book …”is now for sale with all profits going to two safety related charities. The publication, The Future of Safety,” is now available on our website http://www.hatscan.com.  Profits will go to: SMARTRISK helps people see the risks in their everyday lives and shows them how to take those risks in the smartest way possible so that they can enjoy life to the fullest. And Job Safety Skills Society (JSSS): Educating youth about workplace safety is the key to prevention.”  So I started digging a bit more.  The HATSCAN website says, “the “give-back” is to donate the profits of this project to two charities whose mission and values are aligned with HATSCAN’s mission and values; ZERO Injuries and young worker safety.”

The book was developed by HATSCAN.  “Founded in 1988, Hazard Alert Training Inc.’s (HATSCAN’s) goal is to be Canada’s provider of choice for core Occupational Health and Safety training.  The Future of Safety is “can’t-do-without” resource for Safety professionals, managers, regulators and persons in all occupations that impact workplace health and Safety. Here are the thoughts of 21 prominent experts from all workplace Safety disciplines and professions, drawn from across the nation … in their own words.”

So such a great tie in between the product and its contents and nonprofits whose missions are in alignment with that of the business.  I like it!

While at Mark Vistor Hansen’s Mega Speaking Empire Event in Los Angeles last weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting Rick Frishman with Morgan James Publishing at a VIP luncheon.  After I explained that I work with businesses to make their giving more impactful, when he handed me his business card he made a point of showing me the logo in the lower left corner indicating their partnership with Habitat for Humanity Peninsula as a Building Partner.  How great!  Such a good idea!

Today I went to their website to see what else I could find out about their partnership.  I was very pleased to see they had a link on their home page labeled Habitat for Humanity.  Clicking that link to get to the Habitat page, Morgan James was very clear about their support for the organization.  They list three main ways they support Habitat:

1. “Financial support – Morgan James Publishing is donating a percentage of all book sales on a monthly basis from our Global (US/UK/CA) efforts under the Habitat for Humanity Peninsula Building Partner Program for the life of each book.
2. Public awareness – Morgan James Publishing is raising awareness by promoting Habitat for Humanity with every book we release, both inside and outside (with authors consent of course). Creating press opportunities to promote Habitat for Humanity and prominently on our Morgan James Publishing, LLC website(s), literature, radio spots, seminars, etc. 
3. Mobilizing volunteers – Morgan James Publishing rolls up our sleeves and does whatever it takes to encourage and mobilize globally volunteers with an emphasis on Habitat for Humanity, including getting our own hands dirty!”

The website also said “We place the Habitat for Humanity logo on the back and inside of our books, with a statement that a percentage of the revenues from the book are donated to the organization.  We also have a large, Mercedes Sprinter cargo van with the Habitat & Morgan James logos that features our imprints and authors; we drive it to as many Habitat home dedications as we can around the country to raise awareness for Habitat and our authors.  From the van, we also give a small library of books to the new homeowners.  So at the same time when we are generating funds for them, we are also raising awareness for the organization’s life-changing work, helping low-income families build decent homes they can afford to buy.  Our efficient business model, enabled by our partnership with Ingram Publisher Services, makes it possible for us to participate with Habitat for Humanity in this way.” – David L. Hancock

On the Habitat site, on the Building Partners Page, they list Morgan James Publishing with a link back to the Morgan James Habitat page.  No blurb about the company or a logo but at least it was listed.  An upgrade would be for Habitat to add those for all significant business partners.

I really like that Morgan James Publishing is so clear how they support and promote their partner, Habitat for Humanity Peninsula.  They also give alot of basic data about Habitat and the work they do in the community, as well.  Definitely a best practice!  How can you upgrade your own website to do something similar?

I continue to ponder the effects of this Wall Street mess on business philanthropy as I watch friends of mine whose hard earned investments are evaporating seemingly over night!  What is true is that at times like this there is a tendancy for everyone to tighten the belt - one way many companies choose to do that is by reducing their charitable giving.  But what a Catch 22!  Giving is down right at the time that the need for assistance skyrockets!  While on one hand such a reaction is understandable, staying “in the game” is also important.  Not only can your company truly “do good” at times like this but your reputational capital in the community and among customers and employees can be truly strengthened by continuing to give back, even if in smaller ways than previously.

Dollars are down for social service programs from all sources – federal grants, foundations, individuals, businesses…  There was an article in yesterday’s New York Times that I found interesting - Economy Expected to Take a Toll on Charitable Giving by GERALDINE FABRIKANT.  In the article, Fabrikant states, “Foundations are required by law to give away at least 5 percent of their assets a year. But when their assets shrink, their donations tend to shrink as well. Gathering enough money to return to their previous level is often hard.  At the same time, individual and corporate gifts to foundations and other charities generally slow during hard times. According to research prepared by Giving USA, donations did not keep pace with inflation for three consecutive years around two economic slumps, in 1973 and 2001.”

So maybe you don’t have dollars to give right now but stay calm – your company has other resources it can share with worthy nonprofits – many of which you probably take for granted.  Maybe you know how to prepare press releases, collect customer satisfaction data, set up bookkeeping systems, develop and manage databases, have a conference room or parking lot you could loan out…the list of possibilities is long if you think out of the box about your assets.

One problem is that as nonprofits feel the pinch, there is a tendency for them to default to begging for cash which you may not have available.  The dialogue of how you could partner to benefit both organizations and share some other resource you have can be cut short prematurely unintentionally.  If you are approached for a cash donation, if you don’t have cash, you can’t give.  But if it is a cause or organization you want to support, take the time to explore other possibilities and needs they may have.  Get beyond the knee jerk reaction of saying times are tough, how can they ask for money when we are sucking air here and your guilt at having to say no – to seeing what IS possible.

Your company can’t support all the worthy groups out there.  One pack of hotdog buns to every nonprofit that asks doesn’t really make much of a difference.  During times like these, it is essential that your company be very strategic and creative about how you give back.  Being strategic does not mean taking advantage or being crass and inauthentic.  It is certainly more than OK to develop giving criteria and say no to the masses.  Focusing your efforts on a small number of nonprofits that you have some mission connection with can allow you to make a greater difference – both in the community and show that you are one of the “good companies” that didn’t cut and run when times got tough.

Rethink your business giving but please, don’t cut it off completely!  Be part of the solution in whatever ways you can!!

Yesterday, in my Google Alerts for Business Philanthropy, I got a link to an article on Rethinking Business Social Responsibility posted by DanS on Political Groove Forums.  It turned out to be something I had already read sometime back but I think it is interesting to read, if you have not already done so.  DanS provides a transcript of the dialogue that between Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and world famous economist Milton Friedman and Cypress (semiconductor) CEO T.J. Rodgers.

Mackey states, “there can be little doubt that a certain amount of corporate philanthropy is simply good business and works for the long-term benefit of the investors. For example: In addition to the many thousands of small donations each Whole Foods store makes each year, we also hold five 5% Days throughout the year. On those days, we donate 5 percent of a store’s total sales to a nonprofit organization. While our stores select worthwhile organizations to support, they also tend to focus on groups that have large membership lists, which are contacted and encouraged to shop our store that day to support the organization. This usually brings hundreds of new or lapsed customers into our stores, many of whom then become regular shoppers. So a 5% Day not only allows us to support worthwhile causes, but is an excellent marketing strategy that has benefited Whole Foods investors immensely.”

Friedman stated, “I believe Mackey’s flat statement that “corporate philanthropy is a good thing” is flatly wrong. Consider the decision by the founders of Whole Foods to donate 5 percent of net profits to philanthropy. They were clearly within their rights in doing so. They were spending their own money, using 5 percent of one part of their wealth to establish, thanks to corporate tax provisions, the equivalent of a 501c(3) charitable foundation, though with no mission statement, no separate by-laws, and no provision for deciding on the beneficiaries. But what reason is there to suppose that the stream of profit distributed in this way would do more good for society than investing that stream of profit in the enterprise itself or paying it out as dividends and letting the stockholders dispose of it? The practice makes sense only because of our obscene tax laws, whereby a stockholder can make a larger gift for a given after-tax cost if the corporation makes the gift on his behalf than if he makes the gift directly. That is a good reason for eliminating the corporate tax or for eliminating the deductibility of corporate charity, but it is not a justification for corporate charity.”

So just a little tension, eh? They both had a lot more to say than the small pieces I pulled for you.  Read the whole thing and see which parts of these positions resonate with you!  Of course, I am on the side of strategic business philanthropy being an essential component of business social responsibility.  I also believe, especially in light of recent issues on Wall Street, it is only good that there is rising peer and consumer pressure on companies to rethink their values and operating practices and give consideration to the Triple Bottom Line – not profit at any cost.

Peaberry Coffee (a Colorado gourmet coffee shop chain) on 2nd Avenue in Denver’s Cherry Creek,  is one of my favorite remote office locations – a Big Joe nonfat cappuccino while working on the computer is great!  In the past week, they have put up four new posters in the shop announcing their partnership with Socially Conscious Coffee, a nonprofit founded in 2002 to provide education, healthcare, opportunity, and support to the families of coffee harvesters and their neighbors. The SCC website has a partners page and Peaberry is listed with its logo as a major ongoing partner giving between $10,000 – $24,999/year.

SCC has a web page titled, Why We Do It.  I have been to many nonprofit websites and unfortunately few have such a page (but I wish they did!) so it tweaked my interest immediately.  It says, “Our programs invest directly in education, environmental stewardship, and economic development within an underdeveloped remote region of Northeast Brazil. We are providing assistance to the most disadvantaged people in the coffee supply chain – those who harvest what’s in your cups.

Prior to the assistance and programs provided by SCC, these farming families lived and worked in area with limited infrastructure, schools, services, and transportation. The coffee harvesters continued to work very hard but have historically had limited opportunities to gain an education, obtain healthcare, or develop diverse workforce skills needed to build a better future for themselves and their children. Without assistance, these families will continue to face the same issues of poverty and subsistence living.”

In addition to the posters, they also have flyers by the coffee machine with information about SCC.  This is a great example of a company supporting a nonprofit that is ABSOLUTELY relevant to the core focus of the business.  Good job Peaberry!

I have been checking the bookstore daily for the October edition of Entrepreneur Magazine to be put out on the shelves.  Today I found it in the Barnes & Noble near my house in Denver.  The wait is over!!

I was interviewed a couple months back by Carol Tice for an article she was writing on the effects of tough economic times on small business giving.  She found me online and called to do an interview.  She was very knowledgeable about business social responsibility and the world of nonprofits so we had a great conversation.  I was contacted later by an editor at Entrepreneur to check the spelling of my name, the company name, that I was a Business Philanthropy Coach and from Denver.  So I knew I was going to be mentioned but had no idea what she would say exactly.

The article, Keep Giving Back: In a Struggling Economy, Entrepreneurs Get Creative with Philanthropy is on page 54 of the print version.  I am one of five paragraphs and got the closing line!

“If you’re short on funds but still want to help out your community, be focused and strategic, making sure the giving you do participate in is impactful and resonates with employees and customers, says Susan Hyatt, a business philanthropy coach.  Your company could loan out executives, provide mentoring, donate goods or participate in walkathons.  Entrepreneurs can also help charities raise their profile by chairing a fundraiser or serving on the board, which will inspire others to give as well…Says Hyatt, “This economy forces people to be more creative and rethink the best way to support their local communities.”

For the full article, click here.

The Cherry Creek Neiman Marcus in Denver was the sponsor of Fit for the Cure on Friday. September 12.  A little blurb in the paper announced that customers could receive a complimentary fitting in a Wacoal or DKNY bra and Wacoal would donate $2.00 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

I had no luck finding more information on the Wacoal or the Neiman Marcus site.  Neiman’s site under the Company Overview only stated, “Community and Philanthropic Information – Please call us at 214-741-6911 for community and philanthropic queries.”

In my opinion, the involved companies are missing an opportuntiy by not being more transparent and letting people know they are doing this program.

In the Tuesday, September 9 edition of the Denver Post, there was a little blurb in the business section about Boulder’s Celestial Seasonings and two new antioxidant green teas being introduced for October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Today I went to their website to learn more and was pleased to see the pink ribbon displayed prominently on their home page with a link to more information.  Turns out Celestial Seasonings has selected tto support he National Breast Cancer Foundation through the sale of two new teas. 

Their website states, “Introducing two new antioxidant-rich green tea blends to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Cranberry Pomegranate Green Tea and Tropical Grapefruit Green Tea.  We are proud to partner with the National Breast Cancer Foundation in their continuing efforts toward improved education and prevention for women across the country.

Celestial Seasonings dedicates this new selection of delicious, antioxidant–rich green teas to women everywhere who exhibit strength, dedication and courage in their fight against breast cancer, and to everyone who is making a difference working toward the goals of helping women presently diagnosed with breast cancer and finding a cure as soon as possible.”

Clicking on the web link to the National Breast Cancer Foundation on Celestial’s site, took me to another page on their site which gives some educational information about breast cancer, discusses the partnership and gives a link to the Foundation’s own site.  

Celestial Seasoning’s site states:  “Every three minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. That adds up to more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer every year, and despite advances in prevention, these numbers increase annually.

Still, there are good reasons for hope. According to the American Cancer Society, the five–year survival rate for localized breast cancer has increased from 80% in the 1950s to 98% today. Increased awareness of the need for early detection plays a crucial part — the National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates that 70% of all breast cancer cases are first detected during breast self-exams.  Celestial Seasonings and the National Breast Cancer Foundation — Partners in Spirit and in Action.”

When I went to the Foundation’s website…I could find no mention of Celestial Seasonings in the partners section or among press releases (latest there was from May 2008 – the Foundation needs to do some serious website updating!)

Guess I need to go buy some more tea!