Shopping That Keeps On Giving

With only five shopping days left before Christmas, the tryanny of holiday gift shopping is at full throttle. So with gift buying on the minds of so many, I thought it would be of interest to highlight a few of the charity-corporate programs that were devised to encourage shopping.

For the first time, the Weatherproof Clothing Company has linked up with New York Cares' annual coat drive for the homeless, which is now in its 21st year. From December 14 -17, New Yorkers were encouraged to bring a gently worn coat to a drop off location in Penn Station. The donors were given a $100 voucher that would be used towards one of the coats being sold on Weatherproof's "Coats for Clunkers" website. On the site shoppers have a choice of three men's coats - a leather coat $164.99, the Ultra-Tech coat $129.99 and the Faux Sherpa coat $139.99 - and three women's coats - a trench coat $129.99, a walking coat $139.99, and an irridescent trench coat $149.99. The shipping cost per coat is $6.00.

http://www.coatsforclunkers.com/
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20091125/FREE/911259993

Cataloger Lands' End also encouraged donations of used but wearable coats. From October 29 through November 30, customers were encouraged to drop off the coat at one of the 252 Lands’ End shops at Sears or at oneof the 13 Lands’ End Inlets® around the U.S. The customer then received a coupon good for 20% off the purchase of a new Lands’ End coat. The donated coats were being sent to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the coats would then be given to homeless people as near as possible to where the coats were donated. Donors even find out what happened to the coat they donated by going to www.bigwarmup.com, then the "Find Your Coat" tab, and then typing in the unique code that appears on the paper receipt. To date 33,344 coats have been donated nationally.

http://www.landsend.com/newsroom/press_releases/press_releases/oct28_big_warm_up/index.html

ABC Carpet & Home, via its ABC Home & Planet Foundation, has partnered with numerous nonprofits to give "Gifts of Compassion." Though the gifts can be given year round, the December holiday season seems to be a fitting time to bring attention to this program.

Gifts can be purchased through the company's website via a link to the foundation site, or directly through the foundation's website. Shoppers can also go to the MISSION Market located on the first floor of the ABC Carpet & Home flagship store in Manhattan and select the charity and the program. The receipient will receive a personalized certificate that is placed in a vintage silk sari envelope.

One of the available Gifts of Compassion is "A Sacred Cow for Fetile Soil." For a donation of $130, a cotton farmer in the Asifabad region of Andhra Predesh, India will receive a cow, which is a basic necessity that the farmers lack. The donation also covers that cost of feed, shelter construction, healthcare, and insurance for the cow.

Most Gifts of Compassion average about $100. So for individuals who can afford to spend as much, gift givers can choose the lower cost Clusters of Compassion.

Gift givers can choose from the following groups: Africa AIDS Response, Aid to Artisans, Architecture for Humanity, Batonga Foundation, Calvert Foundation, Chetna Organic, Children's Theatre Company, ForestEthics, Global Fund for Women, The Green Belt Movement, Greyston Foundation, Housing Works, Malaria No More, The Natural Resources Defense Council, Navdanya, NY Pet-I-Care, One H.E.A.R.T., The Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage, Project Mala, Rainforest Action Network, Rudolf Steiner College, Tickle-Up, V-Day, Women for Afgan Women.

http://www.abchomeandplanet.org/

As you are beginning to learn, I love to promote the little guy. So I will end this post with a nod to Mikelle Design. This maker and seller of lovely jewelry has some offering that benefit nonprofits. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the "Happy Elephant necklace benefits either an elephant sanctuary in Kenya or in Tennessee. At its booth at the Grand Central Station Holiday Fair in New York, Mikelle Design was selling beaded Fairy Penguins that were made by disadvantaged people who live in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. The beaded penguins were acquired through the nonprofit Monkey Biz South Africa; www.monkeybiz.co.za

Mikelle Design also has a project in development in South Africa to assist the children affected by the HIV/Aids Crisis

Tis The Season Part II

As the prime holidays of the year are about to commence and December 31 (the deadline for charitable giving for 2009) is mere weeks away, I wanted to direct your attention to four news stories that focus on charitable giving.

Study: Sites to bring in billions in holiday donations
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10407501-93.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0

Red Cross Says Americans Still in a Giving Mood
http://directmag.com/casehistories/nonprofit/1130-red-cross-donations/

Corporate giving campaigns adjust to economy, but show signs of recovery
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-giving-workplace-1123-nov23,0,1313298,full.story

A different sort of holiday cheer
Lavish parties are out, but events focused on charity are in
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/21/AR2009112100020.html?wprss=rss_business

I'm no economist but these articles lead me to think that some optimism is in the air. Perhaps the end, or the nearing end, of the recession is nigh. Such a happening would certainly be a relief and a wonderful holiday present.

But you might question, why include articles that talk about consumer giving? My reason is the fact that our lives are intimately tied to corporations. They produce, market, and distribute the goods and services we rely on. For many of us, they provide us with work and pay our salaries. Even if we work for a small business or for ourselves, we are still impacted / influenced by corporations.

If consumers feel too uncertain about the future, then that concern will have a direct and dramatic effect upon charitable giving. How can one make a donation if there is a concern that his/her job will be eliminated?

Uncertainly does not just affect individuals. Consider this: how can a corporation, that is all about making a profit for its owners or shareholders, make charitable donations if revenues and profits are down?

But I do not want to take on the role of Scrooge in this posting. I think its heart lifting that there are such positive indications about charitable giving - corporate and individual - this year. Adding to this positive "vibe" are all the retailers that are partnered up with nonprofits (see my last post).

So for my next post I'll write about more of these charity / retail programs. But for now my I suggest that you start writing up your gift list for charities. Today I received a direct mail piece from a charity in my neighborhood. I had not heard of them before, but I intend to check it out. So this nonprofit might find itself on my personal list this year.

Salud.

Tis The Season

Though Thanksgiving and Black Friday are behind us, gift buying for most of us is in full swing. So it seems to be the perfect time to report on how some retailers are working with charities.

MediaPost and Smart Money have published interesting stories about who is doing what and why.

Retailers Wrap Discounts With Red Ribbons
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.printFriendly&art_aid=117053

Give to Charity; Get a Discount
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/discounts-for-donations/

Holiday Cheer: Major Retailers Launch Cause Initiatives
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116718

Some of the biggest names in retail are mentioned in the articles. Macy's will give the Make-A-Wish Foundation $1 for every letter written at a "Believe" station. J.C. Penney helps link you up with a senior or child in need via the Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree. Wal-Mart is making $32 million in monetary and in-kind donations to charitable organizations across the country. Mandee has teamed up with Soles4Souls and when customers make an in-store donation of a pair of gently used shoes through Dec. 24, they receive a one-time use coupon for 20% off one item.

But other retailers, large and small, are committed to making the season bright for charities.

Simon Pearce Glass is again offering the Share the Light Charity program. This year's design chosen as the Charity Piece is the $35 Pear Bauble. A portion of the proceeds from the November 23 - December 24 sales is being donated to New York City-based Roundabout Theatre Company.

Airwalk is premiering ‘Airwalk Doing Your Part." The shoe brand will donate $1 to Music for Relief or The Surfrider Foundationon on behalf of each consumer who submits his/her email address at www.airwalk.com/doingyourpart. During the submission process, the consumer designates which of the two charities will receive the donation. No prior purchase is required.

Payless ShoeSource will deliver over $1million worth of free shoes to children of families in need via a network of hundreds of charity partners. In order to participate, charities have to apply directly to Payless by going to http://www.paylessgives.com/.

Best Buy is focusing on teens. When consumers buy one of the designated @15 Gifts (which range from eReaders to DVDs), the company will contribute a portion of the proceeds to a fund for nonprofits targeting teens. The benefiting nonprofits are Genesys Works, Youth Venture and Teens Against Bullying.

I have a soft spot for the "little guy." So I think its great that the boutique, Sportie LA, is collecting gently worn footwear to ship to Soles4Souls. Sportie LA is also making it possible for customers to make money donations to the charity.

In my next posting, I'm going to talk about the charities that have extensive holiday programs with retailers. Make-A-Wish is but one of the nonprofits I will feature.

Mission

I have started The Charity-Corporate Connection because of the experiences I have gained serving on the board of directors of several nonprofits. In the capacity of board member, I have seen the immense need of nonprofits to find funding in order to carry out the mission. My work and interest in nonprofit issues have also led me to obtain a Master of Science degree in Nonprofit Management from New School University (New York, NY).

To raise monies nonprofits hold fund raisers, send out direct mail letters, place print advertisements, run capital campaigns, write grants to foundations and governmental bodies, create businesses (both non- and for-profit), and form alliances/partnerships with corporations.

Alliances/partnerships are of particular interest for me because of the board work with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) http://www.aidshealthorg/. I intend to 1) share news stories of nonprofit-corporation alliances, partnerships, and programs, and 2) to track those collaborations and ideally report on the successes/benefits.

Background

When I joined the board in 2000 AHF had recently launched its global program. The AHF goal was ambitious: to have 100,000 people in treatment in 30 countries. Though AHF had been in operation for over ten years, it was new to the global scene so securing funding, especially from governmental sources, was a challenge. Infrastructure was also a concern. Because AHF is a Los Angeles, California based organization, it has to set up operations in other countries in order to provide treatment and access to care. Linking up with local non-governmental (NGO) partners, such as Uganda Cares, is one solution as to how to provide patient care in far flung settings.

But, while doing course work to obtain the Nonprofit Management degree, I came across another potential source of assistance - the corporate sector. I learned that many corporations in resource-poor countries provide employees (and sometimes family members) with access to healthcare including HIV treatment and medications. Businesses, especially those that are Africa-based or that have significant holdings in Africa, have realized the financial and social impacts that HIV/AIDS has not only on the bottom line and on the physical health of workers, worker's family members, customers and the general populace. A 2002 survey by Deloitte and Touche survey earlier reported that roughly half of South Africa's bigger firms had a formal HIV/AIDS policy. As the number of people with AIDS grew, firms experienced a loss of productivity, low morale, absenteeism, and the death of workers aged between 20 and 40.

Because AHF and these corporations are managing the substantial costs in delivering HIV/AIDS care and medications, there appeared to be an opportunity for collaboration. AHF's wealth of knowledge in the delivery of "best practice" HIV/AIDS care could be shared with corporations via affiliations or contractual arrangements. AHF has invaluable experience with setting up highly efficient, low-cost clinics and these business models can be shared with companies who wish to provide HIV/AIDS care.

Some of the companies that came to my attention are:

Eksom, South Africa: Eskon has an HIV/AIDS Programme that "consists of various initiatives. According to a company document, these include Prevention & Awareness, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Care and Support as well as Partnerships in Action. Immune Modulating Therapy as well as anti-retroviral therapies are being case-managed while day-to-day monitoring ensues on a continuous basis." www.eskom.co.za/content/Response_to_HIV_AIDS%5B1%5D.doc

Daimler Chrysler South Africa: DSCA has a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention and care program for its employees and their families in South Africa. On its website, the company has posted its commitment of HIV/AIDS care: "Managing HIV and Aids is core business for DaimlerChrysler in South Africa. The HIV and Aids Workplace Programme of the DaimlerChrysler Group of Companies in South Africa aims at effectively addressing the development challenge posed by HIV and Aids to DaimlerChrysler employees, their families, business operations, and economic and social development more broadly. The DaimlerChrysler South Africa HIV and Aids Workplace Programme:

• Extends quality prevention, treatment, care and support to employees, their dependants and the community


• Reflects the corporation's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility


• Progressively manages the increasing financial and human resource management impacts associated with HIV and Aids"

http://www.daimlerchrysler.co.za/social/aids/index.asp

Anglo Coal South Africa (parent company Anglo American): Anglo Coal devised an AIDS prevention and disease management program. In fact, Anglo Coal was recently recognized by the Global Business Coalition for its HIV/AIDS efforts. An Anglo American 6/23/09 press release states that "All Anglo Coal employees are actively encouraged to test annually, with senior members of the management team taking HIV tests in public to lead by example. Employees who test positive can enrol in a free HIV management program offering care, support and treatment...Anglo American was the first large company in South Africa to offer free anti-retroviral treatment to all employees back in 2002. There are currently 7,300 employees enrolled in the HIV disease management program across all Group companies in South Africa." http://www.angloamerican.co.uk/aa/media/releases/2009pr/2009-06-23/