What does Samuel Adams & Speed Coaching Have in Common?

Samuel Adams Brewing has a unique and clever signature philanthropy program, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, that is a spin-off of the speed dating idea. It's called Speed Coaching. This is one clever and creative program worth sharing. Read more here about how Samuel Adams is helping food and beverage entrepreneurs through skills-based volunteering and microloans.

Connecting Your Giving Message to Market

Question: What is the one way you can interact and gain trust from clients and customers without selling to them?

Answer: Sharing your business's giving back story.

And it is a business strategy that is working better than ever. In fact, it works so well that big corporations are doing it more and more and I KNOW that when you connect with clients on a level that goes beyond 'the transaction' to one that you both share in, like making a difference, you create an immediate emotional connection which builds trust and loyalty.

So, whether you give back in a small way or big way, your business can be influenced by supporting causes and when you create a giving story that is credible and authentic it can be a driving factor in increasing sales. And I want to share with you great tips on this topic. That is why I am interviewing Lisa Manyon, President of Write On Creative and copywriting expert because what you say is just as important as how you say it.

Join us for this free teleseminar, "Connecting Your Giving Message to Market in an Authentic Way" on 4:00pm EST on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

On this call you will learn:

• How to connect with customers on their terms
  
• POWER points to ask yourself before you start writing
  
• Why what you say is as important as how you say it
  
• Shortcuts to copy success
  
• Crafting copy that compels your customers to act
  
• Why credibility and authenticity count

Sign up to reserve your spot on this call.

As Giving Falls, Stories Need to Rise

Great article by NPR, "Charitable Giving Fell Last Year but Didn't Dive". A need for services increases and donations decreased leaving many nonprofits having to get very creative and resourceful with fund development and adding social networking to increase awareness.

My advice to charities is the same as it has been, your mission is not your message. Your stories of success is your message and you have to be able to share it in a compelling way that emotionally connects with prospective donors and current donors.

2 Scoops for Volunteerism??

July is National Ice Cream Month. Mmmmm, this is good to know! And, Baskin-Robbins is partnering with DoSomething.org on a summer campaign called, "I Serve, You Serve" to encourage teens to get involved in their communities.

Teens who sign up to volunteer through DoSomething.org/Serve will get a coupon for a free vanilla soft-serve cone from July 13-17. The campaign slogan is "Get something good for doing something good." Okay, kids get an allowance for doing chores. Now we have to reward them for volunteering, for an act of kindness. Come'on! I am not thinking kids are going to volunteer for an ice cream cone. The campaign name is cute but appears short on being compelling.

The act of rewarding kids for volunteerism beyond the thank you and gratitude they should feel for helping out someone is not necessary. What kind of message does this send? The whole idea of volunteering is to give back and help out without there being a bargaining chip. If we are going to engage kids in community service through schools and teach them the value of volunteerism then it strikes me that we all have a part in sharing the same message and enticing them with ice cream to volunteer doesn't quite align with that message.

Happy National Donut Day!

I don't know about you but I have a severe sweet tooth. So from one sweet tooth to another: "Happy National Donut Day!"
There's a great spirit behind this day. National Donut Day started in 1938 as a fundraiser for The Salvation Army to honor those who served donuts to soldiers behind the front lines in France during World War I. That is nearly seventy years ago.

In that spirit, across America, Dunkin' Donuts wants to share the suga' with you. They will be giving out free donuts when you buy a beverage. What a way to get your day started. Make sure you stop in to a Dunkin Donuts nearest you and grab your free donut. Hey, why not extend the generosity and pick up 12 coffees and a dozen donuts for co-workers. Better yet, why not drop it off to your local Salvation Army in appreciation for the families they serve in your community.

Share the spirit of generosity on this day. A lil' sweetness and suga' can go a long way.

11 Year Old Walks from ATL-DC for Homeless Kids

You may know this year my book, Small Businesses Give Big: Why charitable giving is a great business strategy! was released. I made the commitment to donate 20 percent of each book to the Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc. This is a perfect alignment and here is why. My book is about small businesses and entrepreneurs across America who give back in a big way in their community. Some have just 5 employees, the largest one has about 70. Yet their passion and commitment to making a difference is big. The Little Red Wagon Foundation was started and is still just one 11 year old boy who has taken on the commitment to help end homelessness for youth under the age of 18. His name is Zach Bonner. The alignment between his charity and my book was perfect because 'small can do great things.'

Here is the amazing thing, Zach set out on May 11th from Atlanta and is walking to Washington, DC to raise awareness for homeless kids. This is a 663 mile trek. He is currently in Spartanburg, SC. You can follow his walk in real-time at http://www.zachtracker.com/ and post messages to him on his Message Board. If you have a family member or friend in Raleigh, Richmond or any city you see him in on any given day, please let them know to go out and cheer him on. Zach's mom and sister are traveling with him in her red VW Beetle and they did get an RV donated for the trip.

You can see some of the photos posted here:

http://kids.aol.com/KOL/2/homeworkhelp/article/zach-bonner-walk-pictures

And you can follow his Tweets on Twitter. Today, I am asking that you reach out, send a hug, a note, tell a friend, co-worker and others about Zach Bonner. He has given up his summer vacation to reach his mission. So far his journey is amazing.

I am so honored to be a part of and support his journey.

PS: If you live in Greenville, SC, please be sure to give a shout out to Sheila McCullough the owner of Fleet Feet. I contacted her to see if she could donate a pair of good shoes to Zach as his feet were hurting him 'real bad'. Thanks Sheila!

Pour a Cold One for a Cause

This summer, take the heat off of a local charity that has been hit by the economic times, and make a difference by pouring a few "on the rocks" for some friends. Yup! Who said giving back couldn't be fun?

You can host a fabulous cocktail party for a cause. It is easy to do, every one is bound to have a good time, and a charity is supported. This is a win-win-win and it gets every one's "spirits up." Here are a few tips to get your 'good' party going:

1. Decide to do host a cocktail party for a cause a few times over the summer months. Perhaps you and a few friends can rotate being host.
2. Create a theme around the party using cocktail names. Let your creativity soar.
3. As the host, you purchase the beverages, fancy umbrellas, stirrers, painted glasses, etc...
4. Attendees drop a contribution (minimum) in to a container, sun-hat, beach-bucket, etc...
5. Guests can even donate a gift certificate to the cause for any upcoming event they may be organizing.
6. Take photos! Use the photos on your blog, business ezine, etc... and also give copies of the photos to attendees and the charity as it is a great way for them to get the word out about how you and your friends are supporting them. This just may inspire some else to do the same.
7. Create incentives for friends to come to the party, it adds a little extra something to the atmosphere.

Next time you're thinking of a cocktail of choice, marry it up with a charity of choice. It's just a different "twist" on giving back.