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!

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