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 article from Joan Hill, Communications Manager for Denver’s Warren Village, in Thursday June 19, 2008′s The Hub Section of the Denver Post about a recent philanthropy activity of Qwest, the telephone company.  Warren Village helps motivated low-income, single parents move from public assistance to self-sufficiency through subsidized housing, on-site childcare, counseling, and education or job training.

For the second year in a row, Qwest Women and employees provided every child at Warren Village a brand new pair of shoes.  “Seeing the joy on their faces was priceless,” according to Bridgette O’Toole who managed the shoe donation project for the company.  The article also mentioned that members of the women’s organization “asked everyone they knew to buy a pair of shoes to donate” which to me means they leveraged their personal networks not only to increase the amount they were able to contribute but, at the same time, they let others know about their community involvement, helping to improve the company’s image.  There were quotes from both Bridgette and Naomi Taggart, resources director for Warren Village in the article.
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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!    

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 interviewed Jason Linkow, owner of Metafolics Salon in Denver, for my upcoming book Business Philanthropy: How Smart Businesses Give Back.  Jason is a smart business man and a deep thinker.  I knew he gave a great haircut and did things in the community, but I after interviewing him, I was VERY impressed with his business savvy and authentic commitment to making a difference while leveraging scarce resources to grow his business.

Jason explained, “A salon, if you look in the dictionary, is a gathering place for the community.  So, in my business plan, it was very important that we give back to the community, which gives to us.  It’s a symbiotic relationship.  Right now with just one location, we pull clients from all over the state.  So, we have a very large community that comes to our salon.”  

Jason explained that Metafolics chooses organizations to support on two levels: personal commitment or as an entire business.  He says, “Any employee that works in my business, myself included, if they have a cause that they personally care about, can suggest charitable directions to head in, as can the customers in our chairs.” 

Metafolics gives back in a variety of ways from small to large.  “For example, a lot of people who are on boards that do fundraising for their schools may come in and ask us for silent auction donations and things of that nature.  That’s a very small level of how we could partner with different small entities where our time is worth money.  It is not necessarily a monetary donation but we’ll give complimentary gift certificates and things of that nature.”

For larger efforts, Jason takes a very strategic approach to Metafolics’ community involvement, especially when their support will involve a significant investment of time, dollars, product or use of their facilities or marketing materials. “If there is going to be an expense to the business, because we are a small business and don’t have tons of excess funds to distribute that way, it’s important for us that it is a symbiotic relationship where the charity is benefitting from our involvement, but in some way we’re also benefiting by working with them…whether it just be through publicity or getting our name out there. 

“At the end of the day, doing a good deed always feels great.” He says that the Salon makes smaller scale donations out of the kindness of their hearts and to keep their name out there in the community. However, for larger scale efforts, a very important consideration for them is whether it will be a win-win for both organizations.

Jason sees many benefits from Metafolics involvement in the community.  “The obvious benefit is that we’ve had a bunch of new clients come in who might have won our hair cut or hair color at an auction and never would have been in our salon if it wasn’t for that. Also, the repetition of hearing our name over and over, creates more brand awareness.  So when somebody does say this is where they get their hair done, it clicks, it makes sense, they’ve heard of us, it makes us more legitimate.  On a bigger level I think, depending on the cause, certain communities are very good about supporting the businesses who support them.  We’ve been asked time and time again to contribute to other events that might have been because of our involvement in another fundraiser - it just kind of snowballs into other things. All in all, it’s great for the individual technician but it’s also good for our business and the culture within our business.”

Food for Thought:
Have you thought about your criteria for which community events or causes to support, as Jason has? Have you segmented the decision-making process based on level of effort or resources that will be required? Do you understand what benefits result from your efforts?

I was at Metafolics Salon in Denver today for a hair cut with owner Jason Linkow.  I am a big Jason fan – he gives a fabulous hair cut AND he a smart, insightful business person.  I interviewed him for my forthcoming book, The Business Handbook of Strategic Philanthropy, because I felt he was a great example of a small business committed to doing good in the community and at the same time growing the salon’s business.  Metafolics sponsors an annual event to raise money for melanoma which is very impressive.  But I digress – I’ll write more about that in another post. 

While I was “in the chair,” Jason and I got into a discussion about Oprah’s Big Give Show.  Because I really value his perspective, I now will go to http://www.abc.com and watch the two episodes I did not watch as I was underwhelmed with Show One.  Jason told me several things about the Big Give that I had not gotten from watching the first show.  He watches the Oprah Show regularly so he saw the episode where Oprah set the stage for the Big Give and gave more details about who the judges are and their amazing personal philanthropic activities.  I wish I also had seen that Oprah Show to give me a better context when watching the Big Give. Had there been a few more of those details given during the Big Give premier show itself, I probably would have been a little less harsh in my critique.

Jason felt the “tapestry of the show” was being woven with each new episode exanding and deepening the overall message of the series.  I trust him to get such things “right” – he has never steered me wrong on a big screen production and always adds a layer of analysis that I somehow missed.  So I’ll write more after I watch the next episodes.  Check back later this week! 

I ‘d love to hear what your thoughts are about the Big Give, as well.  Is it just another tear jerker way to get viewers or is it really moving us all to more heartfelt and generous action?