The Giving Climate Unveiled
With all the chatter about the ups and downs of charitable giving during the down economy, it’s refreshing to hear some definitive - and positive - news. According to the 2009 Giving in Numbers Report, released this week by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), corporate giving was actually up during 2007-2008, despite worries that corporations would back down from charitable commitments as the economic turmoil raged in the second half of the year. What’s more, the data show that companies got creative when the economy started to sink, opting for pro bono work and skills-based volunteerism instead of simply backing down from their social commitments. In fact, the Wall Street Journal this week profiled how four chief executives at leading companies are rethinking their philanthropic strategies.
Other key findings from the CECP report include:
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A majority (51%) of companies surveyed increased giving from 2007 to 2008 despite 68 percent experiencing profit declines
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Among Fortune 100 companies, who experienced greater-than-average profit declines, 60 percent increased giving from 2007 to 2008
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Of companies surveyed, a full 91 percent report having an employee matching-gift program
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Ninety-four percent of survey respondents have at least one formal domestic volunteerism program and 49 percent of respondents have at least one formal international volunteer program
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The median number of pro bono time donated was 1,080 hours by companies that reported having such programs
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Consistent with past years, 86 percent of companies report having a corporate foundation
To download the full report for free, visit CECP’s Web site.
Tags: Volunteer corporategiving research charity economy donation philanthropy
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Making a (Collective) Difference
It’s the little things that count - when you add up the small efforts of many, they can create real change. As consumers, we adopt simple behaviors that can make a collective difference; turn off the faucet, pick up a piece of trash, buy a product that donates to a cause, recycle a soda can. When times are tough and cash donations are in short supply, how can companies adopt this concept to make a difference in society?
While cash remains critical to any nonprofit’s ability to fulfill its mission, this recession has led to innovative examples of companies leveraging assets, beyond cash, to solve social problems. Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University notes that many companies wanting to conserve cash have shifted from financial donations to in-kind contributions – taking a little and making it into something bigger.
Some companies offer employees a few hours time to volunteer for nonprofits, which combined can amount to hundreds of hours in professional services otherwise unaffordable. Others are donating new or unused materials that meet the needs of nonprofits, which when taken collectively can have big results.
In an interesting new approach to in-kind, a group of airline financiers has established a program called ISTAT AirLink that allows easy donation of unreserved airline seats and cargo space to causes who need to get volunteers and supplies abroad. The program brings together several airline carriers with excess space, offering valuable resources to nonprofit organizations.
A key part of this program’s success is the centralized organization, which allows aid agencies to list people, medicine and supplies they need shipped on a Web site, and permits airlines to post spare seats or cargo space. The result; nonprofits get people and resources on the ground, and companies are able to put to harness space which would otherwise be vacant. There is small added investment for the airline – extra cargo handling or passenger service – but the benefit to the nonprofit is huge. As airline financier and founding member Bob Brown notes, "If we can save an NGO a dollar in cost, that should flow right through to the people they're serving."
What excess capacity does your organization hold, and how can it be put to use for the greater good?
Tags: Volunteer corporategiving nonprofit sharedresponsibility charity trends economy donation
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Summer Cause Campaigns
Cause-related campaigns understandably flourish at certain times of the year- during the winter holidays, October and Earth Day, for example. But this summer is turning out to be just as ripe for opportunities to do good. A few sunny summer campaigns that have launched recently:
Electrolux’s “Virtual Lemonade Stand”
Electrolux and its sprightly spokeswoman, Kelly Ripa, have launched a new initiative to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. For each Virtual Lemonade Stand consumers open online, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF (with a minimum of $10k and a maximum of $15k). The company has also committed to donate $500,000 to the cause.
Tom’s of Maine “50 States for Good”
Corporate-sponsored online contests that allow consumers to decide which organizations will get charitable dollars are a leading cause-related trend right now, and during the hazy days of summer, it’s just getting hotter. Through Tom’s of Maine’s “50 States for Good” campaign consumers can help the company decide where to invest $100,000 in communities across the U.S. by nominating and/or voting for their favorite organizations in their states. In the fall, Tom’s will donate $20,000 to each of the five winning nonprofits.
Gap’s “The Ultimate Happy Hour”
This one’s just for Gap employees around the world. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Gap has launched The Ultimate Happy Hour to encourage and reward its employees for their volunteer work. In keeping with its commitment to serving underserved youth and women, employees are encouraged to focus their volunteer efforts in these areas.
Tags: Volunteer charity celebrityengagement causebranding campaigns
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Spotlight on Volunteerism- National Volunteer Week
Perhaps we sound a bit like a broken record, but we just can’t stop talking about volunteerism. The momentum simply hasn’t slowed since we first called 2009 “the year of service” in January. National Volunteer Week concludes tomorrow, but it’s not the calendar marker that is resonating as much as some of the news and research that has been released in light of it.
This week, President Obama brought to fruition his call for service when he signed “landmark” legislation expanding service and volunteer programs in the U.S. He called upon Americans to “make an enduring commitment to serving your community and your country in whatever way you can.” The Serve America Act will more than triple the size of AmeriCorps, create new volunteer programs and help nonprofits expand programs and recruit and manage volunteers.
Photo Credit: The Huffington Post
The latter is particularly relevant given new findings from Deloitte’s* 2009 Volunteer IMPACT Survey. The study, the latest in Deloitte’s research series which explores skills-based volunteerism, revealed a troubling disconnect in the pro bono space. At a time when more than nine in 10 nonprofit respondents say they need and want pro bono support, “most have a startling lack of knowledge about where to get it.” What’s more, about one-in-four nonprofit respondents say they have “no plans to use skilled volunteers or pro bono support in any capacity in 2009.” This insight points out that corporations and nonprofits are still more focused on giving and getting cash, despite these challenging times. Until the conversations between these two parties extend beyond financial support, both will leave significant value on the table. As Deloitte notes, pro bono is currency. And it’s a tender that will become increasingly valuable as the nationwide, sector-spanning spotlight on volunteerism intensifies and the corporate purse strings tighten.
For much more news on this topic, please see the Philanthropy & Volunteerism section of our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to Cone's newsletter here.
*Cone client
Tags: Volunteer Obama
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The Value of Corporate Volunteerism
Citizen volunteerism is growing at a rapid rate, fueled by the poor economy, President Obama’s public call-to-service and allocation of stimulus dollars to government-funded service programs. But the time is also right for a surge in corporate volunteerism.
We know employee volunteerism is a valuable way for companies to give back to their communities and boost morale among employees, and a new study released by the Taproot Foundation’s Pro Bono Action Tank (PBAT) and the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) provides a helpful standard for companies to better measure their contributions.
This valuation, of what can be an ambiguous line item for businesses that aren’t professional services firms, may provide the incentive they need to send more employees to serve their communities. The standards will allow corporations to more accurately track and report the value of pro bono services as cash equivalents, according to Charles Moore, executive director of the CECP.
As the old business axiom goes, what gets measured gets done.
Tags: Volunteer economy research
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Social Media for Good - Help Fight Hunger with One Click!
Philanthropy that’s focused, yet flexible enough to respond to the changing business and social climate is the smart approach leading companies are taking today. Companies such as Wal-Mart, GE and Visa have said they are allocating more funds and/or in-kind donations to address immediate domestic needs. One of the most pressing is childhood hunger. In the U.S., 1 out of every six children (more than 12.4 million) are going hungry, and as the economy deteriorates, this number will only grow.
To make it easy for people to take meaningful action in the short-term, Tyson Foods is joining Share Our Strength, Hum. Minds at Work., Kompolt and MediaSauce in a new collaborative initiative called the Pledge to End Hunger. For every pledge made on the site (as long as it reaches the 1,000+ goal), Tyson will donate 35 lb of food (enough to feed 140 children) to a food bank in Austin, TX where attendees will soon gather for the annual SXSW Interactive Festival. The two states that generate the most pledges may also have an opportunity to receive their own truckload of food if the tally passes 1,000.
You likely have hundreds of followers and friends on your Facebook and Twitter networks alone, so simply visit the site and pledge- to give, volunteer or help spread the word.
Tags: Volunteer newmedia charity currentevents campaigns
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Volunteer Nation
We often talk about consumers’ inclination to purchase cause-related products, but Cone’s 2008 Cause Evolution Study found that a corporate-nonprofit partnership is also a valuable tool for activating consumers in other important ways. After learning about such a partnership, 42 percent of Americans are more likely to tell a friend about the charity, 36 percent are more willing to donate money and 23 percent are more likely to donate their time to volunteer for a cause.
Time is a precious commodity in today’s 24/7 society, so it is hardly surprising that volunteerism falls toward the bottom of the spectrum. What is somewhat troubling is the “service gap” that Porter Novelli’s latest Styles research uncovered. It shows a significant difference between the causes Americans find personally relevant and those to which they are most likely to give their time- up to a 64-point gap for certain causes. This disconnect, and 2009’s strong call for service by all sectors, presents a great opportunity for companies and their nonprofit partners to take their cause programs to the next level and to better engage consumers beyond product sales and donations. 
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Tags: research Volunteer
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A Year of Public Service
It’s hard to see a light at the end of the economic tunnel these days, but at least there is a twinkle along the way: 2009 may just be the year of service.
As President-elect Obama, in conjunction with the Ad Council, announces his push for public service through TV and radio PSAs, Starbucks times its initiative to encourage community service among its consumers, one million hours worth, to coincide. But let us not forget employees. Employee volunteerism programs may be one of the first casualties of the down economy (if not in policy, at least in practice) as employees worry about saving their jobs and employers are concerned with making the books. Yet, the benefits of employee volunteerism outweigh the scant investment by providing consistency where there may be little and by helping to restore goodwill and a sense of community among a dispirited staff. Skilled volunteerism is also, according to Deloitte’s 2008 Volunteer IMPACT Survey, a highly cost effective, but underutilized, training and development tool.
The benefits could extend outside of the office walls, as well. In the cases where current conditions have forced cuts in charitable contributions and have even sent matching gifts programs (which account for about 10 percent of total corporate giving) to the chopping block, employee volunteerism may be one last vestige of constancy to keep valuable corporate-nonprofit partnerships intact today and in the future.
Tags: Volunteer
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