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.

(more…)

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!

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?

Industry: Salon beauty services

Headquarters: Denver, CO

Founder: Jason Linklow

Founded: 1999

Markets: Denver, CO

Interviewed: Jason Linklow, Owner

Metafolics Salon is primarily a full service salon. Along with providing all hair services, the firm also offers skin care and massage services. The name is a make believe word created by the founder, Meta is a prefix that means to transform or to evolve to a higher level and Folics means care. So, Metafolics means to evolve to a new level and place, which is what the salon tries to provide for its customers. The philosophy of Metafolics is to provide a high level of salon care without the pretension common to higher end salons. Everything from how the salon’s atmosphere was designed, to the location, to the type of people the firm hires, and the manner in which it conducts business, is all designed to not be intimidating, but instead to make people feel welcomed, positive, and happy.

Salon means a gathering place for the community, and the community philosophy of Metafolics is based upon that definition. By managing a symbiotic relationship, Metafolics supports the community that supports it.

Metafolics Salon

1070 Bannock Street, Suite 170
Denver, Colorado 80204-4058

www.metafolics.com  

Owner of Metafolics Salon Jason Linkow takes pride in the fact that his business embodies the traditional meaning of a salon: a community gathering place, used to receive guests and host events or intellectual conversations. The full service beauty salon makes this community aspect an integral part of its service to help women feel beautiful inside and out.

The salon engages in community involvement programs ranging from volunteering services for fashion shows raising money for battered women to running its own fundraisers for melanoma at the salon. Regular donations in kind are made to charities needing products and gift baskets for auctions and giveaways. The salon chooses both personal and company wide causes. For example, they will give donations to customers who are involved with charities on top of the company fundraisers and donations. This is not to say, however, that causes are random. Linkow makes sure that any cause the company supports strategically aligns his high-end salon with its target customers.

Linkow emphasizes that companies, especially small businesses that don’t have disposable income, need to align the causes they support with business goals. There are many causes to support, and he can’t be everything to everyone. In order to make sure that all partnerships are ‘win-win,’ he must say no sometimes, and stresses that one should not feel bad about this. Thus one of Linkow’s pieces of advice is make sure that you are getting the recognition and benefits deserved from involvement, and not to be afraid to say no if this is not the case.

Metafolics Salon has found three main benefits to their community involvement programs: more customers, greater brand recognition, and a positive culture. The influx of customers often comes from the pro bono services it provides for local charity fundraisers. Similarly, by having its name on various fundraisers and charities, Metafolics increases its exposure to the market without direct marketing costs. Finally, Linkow stresses that programs have led to a better culture at the salon.

For example, when one of his customers was diagnosed with melanoma, the salon conducted a fundraiser with a dermatologist to scan customers for skin cancer free of charge. In one day, they raised over $3,000 for a local cancer research foundation and found skin inconsistencies needing further medical attention in 20% of customers screened. This helped employees at the salon feel like they were a part of something bigger, and made customers at the salon feel more valued.

This event is now held annually and this In all of the programs the salon has been involved with, one of Linkow’s biggest ‘lessons-learned’ is to make sure that fundraisers and charities you are going to work with are well organized. This helps ensure that the events will go well, and that you will really be making a difference. After each program, he evaluates its success to determine whether or not he will participate again.

This is all tied to making sure that partnerships benefit both parties involved. Linkow even hires a publicist to help out with cause marketing, ask the difficult questions, and make sure that Metafolics is being fairly recognized. Linkow founded the salon to have a greater impact on more people, and named it to represent his desire to help people evolve to a higher level. By strategically aligning community involvement and good customer care into his business, he has implemented a sustainable and meaningful business practice that is helping his customers and Metafolics Salon move to the next level.

By Louise Doyle Based on interview with Jason Linkow, owner of the Metafolics Salon, conducted by Susan Hyatt.

Metafolics Salon is located at 1070 Bannock St, #170, Denver, Colorado and can be reached at: (303) 623-9181