I got a call out of the blue this week from “NK”, a now 24 year old man, who was my “Junior Partner” through Denver Partners, a local mentoring nonprofit, for 3 years starting when he was seven.  I had not heard from him in 12 years and was thrilled he made the effort to reconnect with me.  I can’t even begin to tell you the dysfunction of his life and family at that time but we spent 3-10 hours a week doing a whole range of things that I knew at the time we both benefitted from – just hanging out and cooking dinner together to taking him for his first meal in a restaurant where you tip the waitress, to fishing for carp in my apartment complex pond.  It was just after my divorce and we had a lot of fun together – filled a hole for both of us.  I have so many happy memories and tough moments interwoven from my time with him.

During our call, I was moved to tears hearing him talk with such joy and nostalgia about some of the little things we did together – many of which I had totally forgotten or really had felt had been no big deal to me at the time – and how it has influenced his path.  For one example, I used to let him play with my computer and he told me that had truly tweaked his interest and he started studying on his own and he now does graphic design and websites as a hobby business.

He shared about his life now and I was so proud of him. He was a bit afraid to tell me he was a truck driver and hadn’t gone to college and it was great to ask whether he was happy and let him know that is what matters most – not the piece of paper.

I was sad to hear his older sister ended up going down the exotic dancer, drug and alcohol route and they don’t even know where she is now or whether she is even alive.  NK was in a mental health juvenile facility for a while and I used to visit him there – so he could so easily have gone the route of his sister but he did not.  And I had some small part in helping him choose another path, I now know.

The whole conversation was such a wonderful reminder that whenever we share of ourselves, we ARE making a difference.  We never know when a small kindness that may seem miniscule to us in the moment can truly impact another person’s life in ways we may never get to know. I know I truly did make a difference with NK and I am grateful for his being in my life.  It inspires me to stay open and be as generous with my time and sharing of myself as I can be – it does not require dollars.  Sometimes the biggest gifts we can give have no dollar signs attached to them.

What can you do this year to give of yourself and make a deep, lasting difference in someone’s life?

“Happiness Is” Film Says Giving Is The Way To Contentment

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

In 2006, documentary filmmaker Andrew Shapter wanted to know what “the pursuit of Happiness” really means in America today. How are people pursuing happiness in their own lives? Is happiness really something, as humans, we can actively pursue? So he and a small crew piled into an RV, and over the course of the next three years, drove across America to find out.

“I asked people, ‘what is it that makes you happy, what is your pursuit of happiness and how do you achieve it?’ I looked for people that are really satisfied with what they are doing in their lives,” Shapter said.  The more I went around and had these soul-searching conversations, I realized the people who were happiest were those who tried to make their community better. Those were the happiest people around…Shapter’s new movie “Happiness Is” documents his journey and the people he found along the way who believe they have found a way to pursue happiness. Shapter also interviews celebrities and leaders — the Dalai Lama and Willie Nelson both make brief appearances in the movie.  But most of the documentary is dedicated to happenstance; recorded moments where the filmmaker and his crew stumble upon scenes where people are celebrating the act of giving back.”

I love this – even “the screening tour is a unconventional: Shapter plans screenings across the country at venues provided by nonprofits in need. Then, he donates all the ticket proceeds to benefit the charity that hosts the screening. Production and tour costs are paid for through the purchase of DVDs and downloads, available at the screenings and on the film’s online store. At the very first screening, “Happiness Is” raised $10,000 for CapCityKids in Austin, Texas.”

Check it out – I really want to see this movie!  Here is the list of currently scheduled screenings.  Or you can download it for $9.95 or order a DVD for $16.95.

I have now had several interactions with tuggl guys, Matt Buchanen and Josh Clauss, and totally love what they are up to!  I first met Matt when he came to my Meeup Group, Business Philanthropy – Do Good and Do Well and Josh at the Recession Proof Resources workshop for nonprofits last week.  They are smart and their enthusiasm is totally contagious!

What is tuggl?  Tuggl is an innovative online mechanism to do what I have been talking about for 10 years!  No wonder I am a fan…

“tuggl.com is a website consisting of individuals, local businesses, and nonprofit community organizations.  Our goal is to transform how local businesses define and achieve success by rewarding those businesses that are committed to providing great service to their customers as well as continued service in their community.  We hope to create a competitive marketplace for local small business philanthropy and definitively prove to businesses that doing good is good for their bottom line.  

As part of our efforts, we are asking non-profits to create a presence on tuggl and start recognizing those local businesses that support their cause in any way.  In doing so, nonprofits are actually helping those businesses get more visibility and grow their business as well as helping consumers know which companies are doing good in their community and supporting causes that speak to their heart.  For nonprofits, tuggl hopes to transform the relationship with local business supporters by giving nonprofits the power to actually have a profound impact on those businesses’ ability to grow.  In this way, we believe nonprofits will have more leverage when seeking local business supporters throughout the community.”

Cool, eh?  Tuggl is being developed and piloted the system here in Colorado….next stop the USA??  Check it out!

So, so exciting….BusinessWeek Small Biz published an article yesterday online, Make Giving Part of Your Business Strategy…and I am featured in it!

Amy S. Choi, the journalist that wrote the article, contacted me a couple months ago for an interview.  We had a great conversation and I really liked that she was writing an article that would include some “how to” tips for small businesses.  During our conversation, as I described the eight steps of effective business giving that I use in my work, I also mentioned some of the great companies I had interviewed for my book as examples to make my points.  Later I sent her several folks contact info, should she choose to get more information.

From my list, Amy chose to also interview Jason Linkow, owner of Metafolics Salon here in Denver.  A great choice!  The man is so nice and a savvy, businessperson with a lot of integrity.  I have written several earlier blog posts about him.  I have been checking daily for this article.  Today I found it by searching for his name on the BusinessWeek site. (Never though to search on my own…duh!)  So there was a great photo of Jason and Amy’s really well done article.  And Amy quoted me, as well – several times actually.

“Once you’ve settled on a cause, think about the various nonprofits that support it, and ask which would help you best achieve your business goals. “There is a way to be strategic and get business value out of your giving, and still do it in an authentic way,” says Susan Hyatt, founder of philanthropy consultant Business Nonprofit Connections. Are you trying to raise visibility? In that case, choosing a small organization to which you can become a major benefactor would be a good strategic move. If you’re looking to improve recruitment and retention or to boost morale, canvas employees for their opinions about worthy causes. For those looking to increase sales, it’s worth asking if a nonprofit’s other patrons might be potential clients….A lot of companies don’t know exactly what they’re giving, which is ridiculous,” says Hyatt. “If philanthropy were a business unit, you would know what you were spending to the penny.”

Then establish some metrics. That means preparing to track what your employees are doing and how much time they give, and the value of in-kind gifts and pro bono services. If you’re giving cash, ask your organizations to tell you how they spent your money, and consider the payback. Did you gain greater visibility or any new clients? You don’t need to quantify the returns on every dollar spent, but if you don’t keep track of what you’re doing, it’s hard to know the benefits either to you or your cause.

If you’ve chosen an organization you don’t already have a relationship with, start building one by contacting either the development director or the executive director, depending on the size of the nonprofit, says Hyatt. If you know someone on the board, start there. Or, if you want to support a specific program, reach out to the program director. Although the frequency of your contact will vary depending on what kind of support you plan to offer, plan on a minimum of quarterly updates. This will give you a chance to explore future opportunities and evaluate the impact of past giving. “You want to create new opportunities, not show up and deliver a check,” says Hyatt.

It’s important to start small. As your business grows, or shrinks, you can adjust your giving accordingly. Decide where the donations will come from in your budget, whether it’s human resources, public relations, or marketing. Appoint a person in the company to monitor these efforts, making sure that the work is recognized as part of their job duties.

You’ll also want to think about how to celebrate your success. There is a fine line between good marketing and appearing self-serving, and the instinct may be to resist saying anything. But remember, most customers want to do business with companies that do good, says Hyatt.”

Very fun!

I have now seen Seymour Segnit speak at three big events – T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensive, Christine Comaford-Lynch’s Rules for Renegades Summit, and Mark Victor Hansen’s MEGASpeaking Empire.  He is a talented guy and is launching Life University’s new program, The BIG Weekend in early 2009.  The BIG Weekend is a three day event to be held in Los Angeles March 27-29.  The website states, “In 3 amazing days you will uncover what is holding you back, retrain the way you think and react to situations and break through any obstacles that held you back from living your ultimate life…This is no cookie-cutter approach to personal development. At The Big Weekend you will focus on those areas in your life that need attention, identify your issues and address them on the spot.”

I was signed up to attend the BIG Weekend in March – however, I am not able to make those dates.  When I went on the website to reschedule, I noticed a tab called Giving Back.  As you know, I am always on the lookout for such things.  So…

From the Giving Back page I learned that “10% of revenues, yes revenues from The Big Weekend go to support charities that promote education around the globe.”  The page goes on to state, “Giving Back: The Heart of The New U.  In a world of far greater global awareness, we are just beginning to see the opportunity – and the impact – that we as individuals and corporations can have on the world.  From its inception, Life University has provided an environment that gives back and supports our planet and our global community based on a founding belief: We are all responsible and accountable for the world in which we live.”

So nice job that one of five tabs on the Life University website is about giving back.  I would have liked to see a few more details about exactly what programs the 10% will go to, but I assume that is coming. 

Do you have a page on your company’s website that gives an overview of your giving philosophy and who and what you support?  If you don’t, I STRONGLY recommend you follow Seymour’s lead and get one going!!

I ran across an article today by Kathy Plomin in Business Lexington, GIVING BACK: Corporate Philanthropy:Giving back offers benefits to the giver, too.

In addition to quoting the usual stats from the Cone/Roper Research Reports to help make the case for business philanthropy, the article states, “If you own a family business or are an officer of a corporation, there are at least four options for you to consider for your company’s charitable giving: a corporate giving program, a corporate foundation, a corporate donor advised fund, and employee matching and non-cash giving.”

The article gives the following advice: “Many corporations operate an annual giving program to make charitable grants part of their annual budgets. Small business owners can blend their family business with family philanthropy by channeling their charitable support through their company. This is usually directed by the senior management and/or ownership of the company.

A company may also wish to create a corporate foundation as an independent, tax-exempt private foundation. A corporate foundation is usually started with a single gift that can become the endowment, to which the company can add future contributions. The foundation’s officers are usually the company’s owners and key executives. At some companies, employee committees make giving recommendations about projects they believe are worthy of support. Just be sure you do your homework –– the corporate foundation is subject to the same rules and regulations applicable to other private foundations.

In addition to awarding cash grants to charity, companies often offer to match their employees’ gifts of cash and volunteer time to nonprofit organizations. Many companies assist and encourage their employees to give by organizing workplace giving programs and by facilitating payroll deductions for employees’ charitable gifts. Companies sometimes match gifts that their employees make through workplace giving programs.”

Plomin has done a nice job giving an overview of business giving.  In my experience though, too many smaller businesses (family owned or not) make the mistake of thinking the best way to give back and make a difference is by setting up their own foundation or starting a nonprofit themselves.  Somehow people don’t realize that either of these options is ALOT of work and the burden on top of running a profitable business, especially in tough economic times may counteract the value of the effort.  My advice would be to do a little research about what nonprofits already exist that are working in the same general area as the cause you want the business to support.  Even if they are not doing exactly what you think best and you have ideas for a new innovative program, consider partnering with them.  Use their structure and networks to help do your good works.  You don’t need to recreate the wheel. 

Same with starting a foundation.  For most companies until you reach annual revenues in the multimillions, it may be far better to run your grant program as a donor-assisted fund at a community foundation than to start your own foundation.  Again, a community foundation has the experience and the existing infrastructure to manage your program for a small administrative fee – leaving you to do good AND have the time you need to run your own business.

Be strategic and think things through BEFORE you leap in over your head!!