Saturday, September 19, 2009

What Business Giving Is Not!


There are a few things I've learned over the years in my experience as a business philanthropy/cause marketing consultant and coach, and I hope I successfully convey them to businesses aspiring to give back to causes in away that makes a difference for their business and charities they give to. Undoubtedly, there is a learning curve for businesses to grasp the benefits of giving beyond knowing the simple truth that it is a good thing to do.

So, I want to share with you the basic truths for businesses, of any size, that want to make an impact in communities through charitable giving or cause marketing. These truths I believe are what business giving is not:

"What Business Giving Is Not:"
1. It is not a quick fix for the bottom-line,
2. It is not a solution to your public relations challenges,
3. It is not about promoting all the 'good deeds' you do,
4. It is not a strategy to drive more traffic to your store front or website,
5. It is not a short-term effort to drive sales,
6. It is not a way for you to make an impression in your community or to your customers about how charitable you are,
7. It is not about picking a different cause each month (what I call cause-surfers)
8. It is not a marketing strategy that costs you nothing.

Here is the deal about what business giving is: It is a long-term strategic approach your business takes to solving social issues you care about most. As you grow your giving campaign and message over time your message is ingrained with your customers and community, and your business will benefit as well as the causes you give to.

Solving issues across the fabric of communities is a long road. Businesses must keep this message in mind before embarking on a giving campaign.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Revel Consulting Teaches Non-Profits How to Fish

A business management consulting firm in the Seattle area has developed a pretty novel way to give back to their community: they’re teaching local non-profit organizations how to fish.

Well, not literally. As Brett Alston, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Revel Consulting explained to me, Revel has developed a philanthropy program called “Sustainable Giving” that reflects that oft-repeated axiom about how if you give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, “you have fed him for life.” That’s the idea for the program: contributing funds to a charity sustains them for a set period of time; but if you help them to spend that money more efficiently, streamline their operations and teach them how to raise even more money in the future, it will sustain these organizations in the long-run.

That’s the unique approach Revel has developed. As a management consulting firm, Revel’s 100-plus consultants spend much of their day applying their “Pure Consulting” model to their clients’ businesses, creating efficiencies in their operations, saving them money, and finding new ways to increase their revenue. Already providing monetary support to a variety of local non-profits and charities in the Pacific Northwest, Revel was looking for a way to help sustain those same organizations beyond traditional financial donations. So this creative firm decided to start donating the same services they provide to their for-profit clients: professional consulting services leading to cut costs, more effective operations, and increased revenue down the road.

So far, so good. Revel has already put their Sustainable Giving program into practice by partnering with Foster Kids 5K, an annual run and walk race held in August in the Seattle area, which raised more than $4,000 to support Royal Family Kids Camps – a cause that provides a safe environment for King County foster kids with a history of abuse and neglect. When Foster Kids 5K initially approached Revel for a donation, members of the company offered to work closely with the event founders and met on a weekly basis to work toward reducing overhead, reducing event production costs, and marketing the event more effectively. The result was that a larger portion of the proceeds went toward a worthy cause rather than toward producing the event.

This seems to be a good situation for everyone involved: good for the company and their consultants, as it allows them to stay involved in their community (consultants can choose to work with non-profits they personally believe in); good for Revel’s non-profit partners, who are often understaffed and in need of expert advice; and, above all, good for the cause.

evel Consulting Teaches Non-Profits How to Fish

A business management consulting firm in the Seattle area has developed a pretty novel way to give back to their community: they’re teaching local non-profit organizations how to fish. Well, not literally. As Brett Alston, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Revel Consulting explained to me, Revel has developed a philanthropy program called “Sustainable Giving” that reflects that oft-repeated axiom about how if you give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, “you have fed him for life.” That’s the idea for the program: contributing funds to a charity sustains them for a set period of time; but if you help them to spend that money more efficiently, streamline their operations and teach them how to raise even more money in the future, it will sustain these organizations in the long-run. That’s the unique approach Revel has developed. As a management consulting firm, Revel’s 100-plus consultants spend much of their day applying their “Pure Consulting” model to their clients’ businesses, creating efficiencies in their operations, saving them money, and finding new ways to increase their revenue. Already providing monetary support to a variety of local non-profits and charities in the Pacific Northwest, Revel was looking for a way to help sustain those same organizations beyond traditional financial donations. So this creative firm decided to start donating the same services they provide to their for-profit clients: professional consulting services leading to cut costs, more effective operations, and increased revenue down the road.

So far, so good. Revel has already put their Sustainable Giving program into practice by partnering with Foster Kids 5K, an annual run and walk race held in August in the Seattle area, which raised more than $4,000 to support Royal Family Kids Camps – a cause that provides a safe environment for King County foster kids with a history of abuse and neglect. When Foster Kids 5K initially approached Revel for a donation, members of the company offered to work closely with the event founders and met on a weekly basis to work toward reducing overhead, reducing event production costs, and marketing the event more effectively. The result was that a larger portion of the proceeds went toward a worthy cause rather than toward producing the event.

This seems to be a good situation for everyone involved: good for the company and their consultants, as it allows them to stay involved in their community (consultants can choose to work with non-profits they personally believe in); good for Revel’s non-profit partners, who are often understaffed and in need of expert advice; and, above all, good for the cause.

Friday, September 11, 2009

How Core Values Lead to Your Small Business Giving Niche

When most people hear the term, core values, they generally associate it with large corporations. They are statements that describe what the company believes in and guide its behavior. Many companies have them and communicate them on their website. For example, Seventh Generation, a leading brand of non-toxic and environmentally safe household products, has core four core value. Their values are 1) Leadership, Inspiration and Positive Change – a company with the authority to lead, the creativity to inspire and the will to foster positive social and environmental change; 2) Make the World a Better Place – a community in which individuals possess the resources, knowledge, courage, and commitment to make the world a better place; 3) Sustainability, Justice and Compassion – a society whose guiding principles include: environmental sustainability, social justice and compassion for all living creatures; 4) An Earth Restored – an earth that is restored, protected and cherished for this generation and those to come. Wow! Right. We can see how Seventh Generation incorporates these values into their product development, business practices, communication, and giving.

The premise for establishing core values is how you show up, serve, and promote who you are as a business. For a small business, core values are closer to own personal values and it becomes a grey, squishy area to even try to compartmentalize the two. Your business is an extension and expression of your unique qualities, characteristics, and authenticity. This comes through in your products, services, and customer/client relations. When your core values are deeply aligned with your business, you are being true, authentic and honoring your highest purpose. Doing business from this place affects your voice and conviction that you have a unique value to offer the world.

Making a commitment to defining your core values lays a foundation for how your business makes a difference in this world. Seventh Generation’s core values are closely aligned with product and service to their customers and the world and it is clear to see where their commitments are. Core values can:

1. Move your business forward in the right direction
2. Make all decision making easier and aligned
3. Build your brand
4. Attract customers with similar values
5. Energize you and those that work with you

Core values help create your giving niche. So, if you’ve been in stuck-mode about giving, waffling back and forth as to where you should give, making a commitment to understanding your core values is well worth the exercise. You will be able to set giving goals that are aligned with your business and feel good about it. This is the first step in my Six Step Giving IMPACT Strategy TM process to begin planning a giving program that is aligned and authentic to your business. By defining your core values, you will be far more likely to succeed with your giving program and over time see giving success!

2009. Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

6 Key Indicators To Know if Your Business Giving is Making a Difference

Almost every business owner has a passion for some social issue that we know we can help to make a difference. Your cause may be illiteracy, breast cancer, the environment or hunger. There are so many causes and the desire to help a lot of them can be overwhelming. Realistically, you know you just can’t help them all. So, what do you do and where do you begin?

Most of us start our business putting in countless hours with little financial return for the first few years. Spending time away from core activities of your business just isn't a priority, like going through donation requests or returning calls for donations. But no one ever really said to you, "Hey this is how to create a giving program that works."

I know about the owner of a small communication company who works tirelessly taking new orders, making sure technicians are in the field, handling crises, hiring new sales persons, then, exhausted and burned out, she would let the stack of donation requests pile up. She would literally wait until December to handle them all. Frustrated and tired of reading requests, she realized one day that she'd have to do something different if she really desired to make a difference.

It's at this point you must make a decision. Most of us try to be the good neighbor to charities. But you simply can't. The problem is there are things you MUST DO to truly create a successful business giving program. If certain systems are not in place then you really don't have a business giving program at all. Below are some key indicators to let you know if you are making a difference. And making a difference means you are effective with how you give and what you give.

Here are Six Indicators:

1. Your giving is purpose-driven. Giving is a good thing to do. But, as a business owner you need to align your giving with your values and your business's values. As a small business you may be thinking that you are your business so how can the two be different. But, in some ways they are. When your giving is not purpose-driven, it is unfocused and reactive. And this is a sure way for your giving not to help build your brand or build cause-related connections.

2. You have a business giving plan. Jotting down donation requests on a legal pad doesn’t count. Using sticky notes don't count either! You have to take the time to create and follow a written business giving plan, just like you do for your marketing. A plan allows you to become effective with the resources you give, and by giving you the tool to measure your success each year.

3. You have a giving budget and leverage business assets for giving. Writing a lot of checks are you? $25 here, $75 there and not balancing it against a giving budget! Oh, you don’t have a giving budget! This is an absolute must. You need a budget for your giving even if it's a small one. Keep in mind that business giving is not all about money! As a matter of fact, small business owners should have a well leveraged giving program.

4. You give to fewer charities. Giving smaller size checks to as many organizations you can actually waters down your giving impact. This goes back to being unfocused and reactive and you are missing a key ingredient giving success. A well focused program leads to business success and charities will thank you for it too.

5. Your communication is clear. You have to have a way to say no to charities that ask you for donations and not feel bad about it. You can't be all things to all organizations. It's impossible. If you are saying yes to just about anyone or any friend that asks you to make a donation from your business, this will leave you feeling depleted and awful because you know that you just cannot make the donation at the time and you don't want to say no. Having a communication plan in place to address this situation alleviates any regret or from feeling badly. Actually, your plan allows you to say proudly and confidently what you do support.

6. You have an accountability system. You scramble to find receipts or letters from organizations that you gave to because your accountant needs them. If this is you, you should have a system for managing and monitoring your giving records. It helps with end-of-year evaluation of your giving.These are just a few of the indicators to know if you are making a difference.

A business giving program that makes a difference for you and the causes you care about most has a solid plan in place, is well managed and measures its giving. If you are someone who desires to have a business that stands for something and makes a difference, creating a business giving program and system is the key to giving success.

Copyright © 2009. Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D. All rights reserved.