I am in New Orleans in the rain today…and am now the proud owner of yet another umbrella…  Earlier in the week, I facilitated the session, Transitioning to New Opportunities, at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) sponsored Gulf Coast Convening (Twitter – #gulfconvening).  148 people representing the nonprofit, government, and business sectors from 4 states (LA, MS, AL, and FL) attended to share ideas and best practices for how national service and volunteer programs can support the recovery efforts post BP oil spill.  The Convening also offered participants an opportunity to discuss needs of affected local communities and ways to collaborate for greater impact using available resources.

Today while I was wandering around in the rain after having my mandatory beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde, I noticed an Abita beer poster in a bar window detailing that Abita would donate $.75 for every SOS beer sold to saving the gulf coast.  So while I am drying out before my next walk in the rain, I went to the Abita website to learn more.  The site is great – complete with moving birds and fishing boats.  Very creative!

“Working with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB), Abita Beer announced that it has established ‘SOS – A Charitable Fund’ that will assist with the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive this disastrous oil spill.

The fund has pledged that 100% of all money raised will go to charity. In addition, the Louisiana Seafood Marketing Board will play an important role in advising where the money can do the most good. An advisory committee is being established as the donation process and grant procedures are finalized.

The centerpiece of the fundraising effort is a new charitable beer created by Abita. The brew, called SOS – A Charitable Pilsner, will generate 75¢ for every bottle sold. This Abita Beer is a message in a bottle…a distress signal for the troubled waters of our Gulf Coast. For every bottle sold Abita will donate 75¢ to the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive this disastrous oil spill.”

“In addition, related retail merchandise (hat, tee shirt, lapel pin, decal and car magnet) will be sold and 100% of the net proceeds will also go to the SOS Fund.”  Check it out here.

The special web pages allow visitors to donate directly to the SOS fund, which I like.  Abita Beer has pledged to cover administrative fees associated with the SOS fund so that 100% of donated money will reach those most in need – which is great!

Founded in 1986, the Abita Brewing Company is nestled in the piney woods 30 miles north of New Orleans.  I love this visible support of a local company for their community!!

Last week I was in Concord, NH to facilitate a board retreat for Volunteer NH!, NH’s premier nonprofit organization supporting volunteerism, Citizen Corps and AmeriCorps.  While there, I went to TJ Maxx to buy a suitcase to replace my old, battered one with zippers mangled by the airlines. During checkout process, the woman at the register asked if I would like to make a donation to Autism Speaks.  Since she did not specify an amount and left it open-ended, so I asked how much they were asking for from folks.  She said I could donate however much I wanted.  I admit, I am definitely not a big fan of such open-ended add-on offers.  It seems easier to say no thanks to me because it requires me the customer to work harder to figure out how much to give.  I personally much prefer the round-up to the next dollar or a set $1 or $5 donation add-on approaches – at least for me, they require less thinking making it easier to say, “sure!”  So I ended up giving $1 – not much but something.  The open-ended approach obviously was working for them, however.  There was a handmade sign next to the checkout line announcing that in 2007, the Concord TJ Maxx raised more money than any other TJ Maxx to support autism.  They had raised $3,400 and were hoping to raise at least that much again this year.  Their sign had a thermometer showing the donations received.  Clearly, the store employees were proud of their efforts.  They also had preprinted flyers providing the customer with a few details of Autism Speaks, its mission and website address to take home.  The dollar value of the donation was also listed as a line item on the sales receipt.  Good job!

Autism Speaks “goal is to change the future for all who nstruggle with autism spectrum disorders.”  They are “dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to rasing public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardshoips of the disorder.”

I went to the TJ Maxx website, One for Change page.  The store is partnering with its customers, asking them to donate $1.  Together One for Change has raised $13 million for various charities including Autism Speaks, Save the Children, and Josline Diabetes Center.