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corporate philanthropy

Fighting Ebola Through Donations

by Admin

Last week Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated $25 million to help stop the spread of the Ebola virus. This is the largest donation given by any individual. Monies donated by Zuckerberg went to the foundation that funnels private donations to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC (CDC). Zuckerberg’s Facebook post stated,

“Grants like this directly help the frontline responders in their heroic work. These people are on the ground setting up care centers, training local staff, identifying Ebola cases and much more.”

Fighting-Ebola-Through-Donations-440

Last month the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $50 to fight the deadly virus. This is the largest private foundation donation yet. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is working with pharmaceutical company Amgen Inc. to find and alternative production method for the experimental drug, ZMapp, the only approved treatment for Ebola.

Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, gave $9 million through his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Ebola infected communities continue to spread the disease because they cannot even clean up after the sick or deceased. It is common for disasters, healthcare crisis and other high profile outbreaks motivate individuals, corporations and foundations to give goods, time and money. The effects of Hurricane Sandy motivated donors to give over $310 million dollars to the Red Cross alone[1]. From my area in the Philadelphia region, many took giving into their own hands. Neighbors organized food, clothing and essentials drop-off points, rented vans and simply drove them into devastated New Jersey shore neighborhoods, giving whatever they collected to families in need. That’s not an efficient way to fight Ebola.

According to Business Insider, “A significant percentage of this money has been pledged but not yet distributed to the affected region.” The grpah of contributing sources and nations is below[2].

Ebola funding graphic

Sources:
[1]Did You Know? (Sandy Response)
The American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/support/donating-fundraising/where-your-money-goes/sandy-response

[2]Here’s Who’s Paying To Fight Ebola – Other Than Mark Zuckerberg (Business Insider)
By: Friedman, Lauren.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-countries-pledge-to-fight-ebola-2014-10

Filed Under: Blog, corporate philanthropy, donation, Facebook, giving

Five Qualities of a Good Corporate Giving Program

by Admin

Socially responsible companies that are in touch with their communities have happier and more productive employees. The inner happiness generated by improving your world empowers engaged employees and teams.

Corporate philanthropy programs can include anything from a community day of service, a wintertime coat drive, or those that are far reaching, like bringing electricity to Haiti. Small and medium sized corporations don’t need to set up your their own foundation, just pick a cause and get to it!
No matter how your firm decides to approach corporate philanthropy, there are some general guidelines to adhere to for a successful program.

Do it for the greater good
Make sure your program is truly for the betterment of a cause and not purely a publicity effort. People will see through self-serving charity that in reality is nothing more than a veiled marketing ploy. The primary goal of a corporate giving program is to aid a community, nonprofit, or cause. The process of serving via a corporate giving program results in happier and engaged employees. Finally, the corporation benefits from a more productive workforce.

A firm may receive media attention or even choose to advertise their efforts if it is within their budget. Think of these as ways to get more people on board with your do-gooder ways rather than an outlet to pat yourself on the back.

Seek Popular Opinion
Survey your employees to find out what causes your employees truly care about. Every donor has personal reasons for giving. They may choose to give to brain cancer research because they lost a relative to the disease. They may donate to the college that is their alma mater. One of the goals of a corporate community service program is to engage your employees. They are not going to be as enthusiastic about a program that does not fall within their area of interest.

If your firm is big enough, give your employees choices. Rather than conduct one holiday coat drive, do something each quarter like a springtime community clean-up day or volunteer at a local food pantry. Nonprofits are always in need, get connected with a local charity and find out what they need most.

Don’t take it personally
Some may choose not to participate in your day of service, fundraising campaign or gala. Not everyone has the means to donate every time they are solicited. Not everyone agrees with your cause. Some philanthropists give in other ways like in-kind donations or donations of skilled labor.

Once I was watching my son’s roller hockey game at an outdoor rink on a Saturday morning. A stranger approached me and asked if I would sign up to donate blood to support a community blood drive for a local girl. I declined with “No, thank you” and turned back to watch the game. For the record, I am a regular Red Cross blood donor and was eligible to donate at that time, however, I was scheduled for surgery the next week. The simple “no” was not enough for mister pushy neighborhood guy. He stood there, staring at the side of my face and said “No?” “No thank you?” “What do you mean No thank you?” as if the words were too difficult to interpret. I did not feel the need to explain my circumstances, especially to someone who wanted my DNA! That was not an example of a corporate program but was definitely bad manners. Understand that people have a lot more going on than you are aware. Accept their decisions and move on. Maybe they will contribute later on in some other way.

It takes time
Nonprofits are businesses too and building a business takes time and tenacity. Establish a goal for your program and make it reasonable. For everything I get involved in from fundraisers to fitness or business ventures, I set three goals. One is the short-term goal, the next and real goal is the ultimate goal and the last is called my lofty goal. James Collins and Jerry Porras called lofty goals the ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ or BHAG in their 1994 book entitled Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. BHAGs are long-term goals that span 5 to 20 years.

Last year I was part of team that set up an inaugural 5k race for a local charity. We decided that if we got 50 runners we would be doing okay. Fifty runners would make us breakeven financially. If we registered 100 runners, we knew the event was a success and would interpret that as a sign to continue next year. Our lofty goal was 150 runners. We hosted 120 runners that day and were thrilled! Just this morning I had a curbside conversation about who our new major sponsor was and how to tactfully shift last year’s sponsor over to another event!

Just as companies take time to become profitable, charity events can take time to build a following. Give them a chance to become a smashing success. Make your program a regular event that people will mark their calendars for. You want your employees to see the benefits of their efforts. Stating goals and celebrating them ensures that everyone is on board with realistic expectations.

Celebrate your Employees’ Accomplishments
Did you hit your short-term, ultimate or lofty goal? Be sure to celebrate your employee volunteers. Show them the results of their efforts, quantify them if possible: We collected 1000 coats, raised $20k dollars, or fed 6 families. Volunteers are in it because they want to do good. If you can, and the recipients are willing, bring them in to share in the joy. Sometimes giving is anonymous where the donor does not get to see the result or even meet the recipients. That is the case for my charity Kind Quilts. Due to patient confidentiality, our donating is completely anonymous. The last time we had a press event, we met the staff in the nurse’s lounge of a local hospital and took photos with the hospital directors. That does not stop us from singing the praises of our volunteers!

Five-Qualities-of-a-Good-Corporate-Giving-Program

Qualities-of-a-Good-Corporate-Giving-Program

Filed Under: Blog, corporate philanthropy, giving

Societal Improvement Is Important For Employers

by Admin

Many corporations believe that societal improvement is an essential measure of business performance. Businesses use prosocial programs to boost employee morale, increase retention rates, and attract new talent.

Societal improvement is important for employees who seek a higher purpose in life. According to the UnitedHealth Group’s Doing Good is Good for You: 2013 Health and Volunteering Study, 76% of people studied said that volunteering made them feel healthier and identified volunteering as a health benefit.

An employee’s volunteer work is also good for the businesses they work for! Volunteering improves employees’ physical and mental well-being and helps them develop leadership as well as soft skills. Employees appreciate companies that initiate, support or become involved in their volunteerism.

The CECP’s annual Giving in Numbers report is an analysis of 2012 corporate giving data from 240 Fortune 500 companies, including 60 of the largest on the Fortune 500 list.

Facts from the 2013 Report About the Companies Surveyed Inlcude:

  • Direct cash donations dominated at 47% of total giving
  • Median total giving in CECP’s sample was $20 million
  • Since 2008, non-cash contributions grew at a rate of 10% or more each year
  • K-12 and Higher Education was the most funded program area for all respondents
  • 70% of the companies surveyed offered paid-release-time volunteer programs
  • Forty percent of companies expect giving to increase from 2012 to 2013
  • Companies headquartered in the American Northeast are most likely, on average, to offer a domestic Paid-Release-Time volunteer program.

Employers can promote their employee’s altruism and cultivate happy, engaged employees while also serving the community. Corporations find many ways to participate in prosocial programs including matching employees regular gift giving, disaster relief gift giving, organizing days of service, paying employees for service with a 501(c)(3) organization during a normal work day, giving pro bono professional services

Societal-Improvement-For-Employers

Filed Under: altruism, Blog, corporate philanthropy, prosocial programs, volunteering

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