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Giving Thanks and a Helping Hand in the Time of COVID

Although this has been a difficult year for everyone, it has been especially difficult for families in underserved communities, who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we enter this season of giving, I ask that you consider volunteering or donating to one of the local organizations who are addressing the critical needs of these communities. Group volunteer activities are not advisable at this time, but you can volunteer individually, following the organization’s health and safety guidelines. Some organizations even have virtual volunteer opportunities. And all organizations can use donations. Here are a few suggestions.

Second Harvest Food Bank needs help packing and sorting the food it collects and provides to people in need in the community. They also need donations. Find out more here: https://www.shfb.org/give-help/volunteer/

The Family Giving Tree has volunteer opportunities in their warehouse. You must register in advance and adhere to their protocols. Find out more here: https://familygivingtree.org/

Sacred Heart needs volunteers for their holiday program to drop off turkeys, hams and other items to unhoused community members, and to work in their food pantry. Find out more here: https://sacredheartcs.org/

HandsOn Bay Area offers virtual volunteer projects in the areas of wellness calls, career readiness, education and more. Find out more here: https://www.handsonbayarea.org/virtualvolunteering

In addition to giving back to the community, it’s also important at this time of year to say “thanks” to your employees, customers and vendors.

Thank employees – some suggestions

Say “thank you” individually. Encourage managers to make the time to thank each of their team members individually for contributing to the success of the organization, and for their extra efforts during these challenging times. A personal thank you a via phone call or note is much more meaningful than a group thank you during a Zoom call.

Give a gift or cash award. Send a gift, gift card or bonus in addition to the personal thank you. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be meaningful.

Give a half-day off for shopping. Help employees avoid the weekend crowds by giving them a half-day off during the season to do some shopping.

Thank customers and vendors

Send a written thank you note. Yes, it sounds “old school,” but emails can get missed and easily deleted. Write a personal note expressing your gratitude for their business and include something specific to make it personal. It will be remembered and appreciated far more than a form letter or template.

Send a gift. Send cookies, a logo item, or some other treat to show your gratitude for their business.

Acknowledge them. Say “thank you” to your top customers and in your company newsletter, on your website, or through your social media channels.

Make a referral. Word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising, and referring someone to one of your vendors is a great way to say “thank you.”

And don’t limit saying “thank you” to just this season. Make your employees, customers and vendors feel appreciated every day. It’s a small investment with a very big return.

Thank you! For following my blog and providing your comments and feedback!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For These Companies, Giving is a Year-Round Event

As I discussed in my last blog, consumers and job candidates are increasingly looking to do business with and/or work for companies that demonstrate they care about their communities. Do they give back? How do they treat their employees, customers, suppliers and partners? What are the company values and are they adhered to?

For many, these factors are key in their decision process. Companies that are socially responsible have a better public image – with consumers and in the media; have more engaged employees, are able to recruit higher quality talent; and are better able to attract and retain investors. In fact, 55% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for products from socially responsible companies. And, according to a study by Cone Communications, 62% of Millennials would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company.

Here are some examples of companies that practice giving and social responsibility year-round.

Kendra Scott. Kendra Scott grew her jewelry company from a $500 home project to a billion-dollar fashion brand, all the while keeping philanthropy as one of her core values. The company’s annual impact includes more than $4.5 million in monetary donations, $10 million in in-kind contributions, 2,000 employee volunteer hours and more than 10,000 philanthropic partnerships.

cuddle + kind. cuddle+ kind is a family-run business that sells handmade knitted dolls. For every doll sold, the company gives 10 meals to children in need. Not only that, each doll is handcrafted by women artisans in Peru, providing them with a sustainable, fair trade income.

TOMS Shoes. TOMS’ social responsibility model started with them giving a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair of shoes sold. TOMS’ giveback model has since expanded to include coffee (providing water where needed), bags, eyewear and apparel. “With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One®.”

Glassybaby. Glassbaby provides glassblower artisans the opportunity to continue their craft, and donates 10% of every glassbaby to the Glassbaby White Light Fund to help people, animals, and the planet. Glassbaby gives back almost $2 million annually. Glassbaby employs more than 80 glassblowers at their locations in Seattle and Berkeley.

As you think about your organization’s plans and strategies for next year, give some thought to how you can create and maintain a culture of giving.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Creating a Culture of Giving and Kindness

This is the time of year when many organizations and their employees open their checkbooks and contribute their time to help those in need. There are multiple opportunities to volunteer and streamlined processes to donate during this traditional season of giving.

But here’s the thing: Need isn’t seasonal. It’s an equal opportunity to give, all 12 months of the year.

I’d like to suggest that instead of focusing all your organizational and employee giving efforts just in the months of November and December, you instead create a culture of giving all year round.

How do you do that? Here are some ideas.

At the beginning of the year, select a charity to support through donations and/or volunteering for the year; encourage employees to make individual donations to the charity selected
Ask employees to recommend charities to support and then select a different one each month or quarter to contribute to
Set a company fundraising goal for a particular cause and ask employees to help you reach it
Match employee individual donations
Give employees a set number of hours per year that they can use to volunteer
Have a team competition to see who can raise the most money for a cause or charity

Many people make their buying decisions and their job decisions based on a company’s reputation for giving back. This means that in addition to a giving culture helping those in need, it also provides many intrinsic benefits for your company and your employees.

Consumers want to buy from you
Job candidates want to work for you
Employees feel good working for a company that cares

Another thing about a giving culture is that giving is usually a demonstration of kindness. And it’s clear that in our current divided and often mean environment we can all use a lot more kindness. To those in need and among ourselves.

Leaders, it starts with you. Set the example by treating your individual employees, your team, your customers, your vendors, your job candidates, everyone, for that matter, with kindness. Lead with the question, “How can I help you?” instead of “How will this transaction help me?” Encourage employees to be proactive in helping each other and recognize those who consistently demonstrate that spirit.

Just think about it. Giving and kindness within the organization and giving and kindness to others. What a wonderful world it would be.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Do Better by Doing Good

American consumers, and increasingly, American workers, have many choices these days in terms of the companies they choose to buy from or work for. And many are making their buying and/or employment decisions based on a company’s social responsibility. How does it give back to the community? How does it support sustainability? How does it treat its employees, customers, suppliers, and partners? How does it rate in integrity, valuing diversity, and gender equality? What are the company values and are they adhered to?

These are all questions that ten years ago or so we may not have factored into our buying decisions. Or thought about when we were searching for our next job opportunity. But these are very important questions today. In fact, 55% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for products from socially responsible companies. And, according to a 2015 Cone Communications study, 62% of Millennials would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company.

Companies that are socially responsible have a better public image – with consumers and in the media; have more engaged employees, and are able to attract higher quality talent; and are better able to attract and retain investors.

Here are a few examples.

Starbucks. Starbuck’s social responsibility is based on: community, ethical sourcing and environment. They develop community stores that partner with local nonprofits. They’ve pledged to hire at least 10,000 veterans and military by 2018, and they focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. They are committed to ensuring that their coffee, tea, cocoa and manufactured goods are responsibly and ethically produced and purchased. They build LEED certified stores, recycle, conserve water and energy, and strive to be environmentally friendly in every aspect of their operations.

Companies that do good do better. According to the CECP 2016 report, Giving in Numbers, companies that increased total giving by at least 10% between 2013 and 2015 saw increases in revenue and pre-tax profit, as opposed to all other companies, which saw decreases in both metrics.

“Creating a strong business and building a better world are not conflicting goals – they are both essential ingredients for long-term success.” – William Clay Ford Jr.

Teaming Up for Those in Need

In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, it has been so encouraging to see how people have put aside their differences – political, racial, ethnic, economic, etc. – to work together to help those who have lost so much – their homes, their belongings, and, in some cases, their loved ones. Times like these make us review our priorities, and, I hope, think about how we can help those in need.

Companies often do team fundraising or volunteer events as part of their year-end giving. I’d like to suggest that you consider moving that up this year, or even adding an additional event to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Here are some ideas:

Set a company fundraising goal and ask employees to help you reach it
Match employee individual donations
Have a team competition to see who can raise the most money
Do something fun as a group and ask each employee to contribute a certain amount for the fund

There are many organizations that have established funds to support the region affected by Hurricane Harvey. Here are a few of them:

Also, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) and the City of San Jose have launched the Californians Helping Texans – Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to accept tax-deductible donations to help Harvey victims. SVCF has also vetted a number of national and local organizations accepting funds, which are listed on their site.

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

Supporting Our Communities

As you gather with friends, family and colleagues this holiday season, please remember those in your community who are less fortunate. This can be an especially difficult time of year for them.

Giving back is not only a socially responsible thing to do, it also has many intrinsic benefits for you, your company and your employees.

You feel better about yourself!
Your company will benefit by demonstrating that it cares about the community, which helps attract customers and employees. And,
Your employees will have the opportunity to bond (and feel better about themselves) when you encourage them to volunteer their time or their money to a team selected cause.

There are many local charitable organizations that rely on donations and the help of volunteers to continue to serve their respective constituents. Here are a few:

Second Harvest Food Bank needs help packing and sorting the food it collects and provides to people in need in the community. This makes a great team event. Your employees may also want to help with food distribution.

The Family Giving Tree offers several opportunities for group volunteering: Off-season product sorting; wish card sorting/collateral prep; and volunteering in the warehouse.

Cityteam needs frozen turkeys and canned nonperishable food items to help to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children struggling with homelessness, hunger, and poverty. Donations can be dropped off 9am-4pm Tuesdays-Saturdays at Cityteam’s Community Services Program, 1297 North 13th St., San Jose.

You can find more opportunities for giving in this San Jose Mercury News article.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29 is Giving Tuesday. Please consider giving to your favorite charity.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Archive for Community service

Giving Thanks and a Helping Hand in the Time of COVID

Teaming Up for Those in Need

Supporting Our Communities

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