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April 2010 - Vol 2, Issue 1 |
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SCORE - Non-profit Business Resources
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Office Depot Foundation - Find Us and Follow Us! |
The next time you log into Facebook or Twitter, please take a moment to look for the Office Depot Foundation! We have created a page on Facebook, where we will be posting updates about Foundation activities, photos and videos from recent events and links that we recommend. We envision this as a place where you and other members of the Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network and others in the civil society sector can discuss issues and challenges, ask questions of your peers, share your accomplishments and stay informed about the work of the Foundation. When you're on Facebook, just search for the Office Depot Foundation page.
On Twitter, you can locate us at http://twitter.com/OfficeDepotFndn. We look forward to engaging our friends and colleagues in many interesting conversations in the months ahead. We'll see you in cyberspace! |
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| Greetings! |
It seems like our world has experienced a disproportionate number of natural disasters this year. Beginning with the terrible devastation in Haiti and continuing with record snowfalls, historic flooding in New England and still more earthquakes, 2010 has been quite remarkable - and hurricane season hasn't even started.
This chain of events leads me to two observations. First, the relevance of the civil society sector has rarely been so evident. From the moment that the earthquake struck Haiti, it was clear that non-profits and non-governmental organizations would play an integral role in the relief efforts as well as the long road to recovery that lies ahead.
Secondly, the importance of disaster preparedness and business continuity planning was reinforced resoundingly. Any business or non-profit that has watched the events of this year and has not taken action to create or update its business continuity plan is living very dangerously. Several of our Weekend in Boca III speakers shared valuable information on these topics. I encourage you to visit our Office Depot Foundation website to take advantage of the resources we offer there.
For those of you who joined us during Weekend in Boca III, thank you for sharing your time and insights with us. And to everyone who reads this, please keep the lines of communication open. We always welcome your input.
Thank you for being a part of the Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network.
Mary Wong
President, Office Depot Foundation
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| Weekend in Boca III - Inspiring! |
 The opportunity to network was one of the highlights of Weekend in Boca III. Pictured are (left) Jay Hein, president of the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research in Indianapolis, and Noah Manyika, president of NeXus Urban Serve in Charlotte.
More than 125 non-profit, business and government leaders from across the United States - the largest group yet - participated in last December's Third Annual Weekend in Boca Civil Society Leadership Symposium. Presented by the Office Depot Foundation in collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research and the SCORE Foundation, the three-day symposium was praised by many of those attending as "inspiring," "substantive" and "energizing."
Two dozen speakers and panelists - all of whom generously donated their time - engaged participants in stimulating conversations about the roles that civil society organizations, government and the business sector can play in meeting the many challenges facing communities and building sustainability for the future. Among the highlights was a panel featuring representatives from Elkhart, Ind., Cedar Rapids, Iowa and New Orleans - three communities that have suffered at the hands of natural and economic disasters in recent years - who described steps they have taken to get back on their feet.
Special presentations on disaster planning and business continuity added outstanding value for the participants, while the worldly observations of 12-year-old philanthropist Zach Bonner, who is dedicated to raising awareness about youth homelessness, inspired everyone who heard him. And, of course, the opportunity for participants to meet and get to know each other continues to produce positive benefits. As one attendee stated, "As always, meeting people from various facets of the community, from communities outside of the South Florida area, and from varying perspectives is always terribly valuable. Such opportunities enable relationships and resources going forward, into the future."
The Office Depot Foundation is grateful to the planning team, the speakers and all of the participants who combined to make Weekend in Boca III a great success. To view photos of the symposium, a video report and dozens of photos from the December event, please visit the Leadership Network page on the Office Depot Foundation website.
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| Listen Learn Care Awards - Well Deserved! |
 Office Depot Foundation Listen Learn Care Award recipients included (from left) Dwight Stephenson. Frank Chee Willetto, Zach Bonner, Peter McDonald, Sr., Samuel Tso and Nat Moore.
To highlight its mission and celebrate achievements in community service, the Office Depot Foundation presented its third annual Listen Learn Care Awards in December to a remarkably diverse group of individuals ranging in age from 12 to their 80s. "Through this awards program, the Foundation honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and innovation not only in following their own dreams, but in helping others to achieve their goals and aspirations," says Foundation President Mary Wong. "These awards recognize not only what they have accomplished, but also their vision, their dedication and their persistence."
The 2009 Listen Learn Care Awards recipients included:
· Tony Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ champion, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy and founder of the Tony Stewart Foundation, along with his mother, Pam Boas, who serves as treasurer of the Tony Stewart Foundation.
· Zach Bonner, 12-year-old philanthropist and founder of the Little Red Wagon Foundation who walked from his home in Tampa, Florida, to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about youth homelessness. This year, he has begun a new journey - a "March Across America" from Florida to Los Angeles.
· The Navajo Code Talkers, members of the Navajo Nation who, while serving in the Marine Corps, helped to bring an end to World War II by transmitting secure information in their native language. Frank Chee Willetto, Peter McDonald Sr. and Samuel Tso accepted the award on behalf of their colleagues.
· Nat Moore, a star player on two Miami Dolphins Super Bowl teams and founder of the Nat Moore Foundation.
· Dwight Stephenson, the former Miami Dolphins All-Pro center, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and founder of the Dwight Stephenson Foundation.
The awards presentations took place during the Foundation's annual Tropical Holiday Celebration at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, which brought Weekend in Boca III to a rousing conclusion. |
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| Office Depot Foundation News |  Following on the heels of last year's donation of our 2 millionth backpack, the Office Depot Foundation is proud to announce that we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of our award-winning National Backpack Program in 2010. Together with Office Depot's Business Solutions Division, the Foundation will donate approximately 300,000 backpacks to deserving children across North America and beyond this year. Back-to-School Backpack Celebration events will take place in many major U.S. cities and a number of special locations, such as the Navajo reservation in Arizona and the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota. Please visit the Foundation's website for more details. We are grateful to have the opportunity to help children through this important initiative for a 10th consecutive year and greatly appreciate Office Depot for making this program possible.
_________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ We are very proud to announce that the Office Depot Foundation received the PR News CSR Award in the Media Relations category for our efforts to publicize our 2009 National Backpack Program. We were named the winner from among eight finalists. You can read more about the award here. The National Backpack Program also received an Honorable Mention in the Community Affairs category. This is the third time in two years that the Foundation has been recognized by PR News. Last year, our 2007 Report to the Community was honored with the NonProfit PR Award for best External Publication. We also received an Honorable Mention for the National Backpack Program media relations campaign in the most recent NonProfit PR Awards competition. PR News is an executive-level publication for corporate and agency public relations professionals. |
| Practical Tips for Non-Profits - Is your non-profit racing to the bottom or positioning for the top? | | "If you make your business possible to replicate, you're not going to be the one to replicate it. Others will. If you build a business filled with rules and procedures that are designed to allow you to hire cheap labor, you will have to produce a product without humanity or personalization or connection. Which means that you'll have to lower your prices to compete. Which leads to a race to the bottom. Indispensable businesses race to the top instead." Seth Godin from his newest book "Indispensable."
In tough economic times like those we have been experiencing here in the United States, one area non-profit leaders quickly focus on is looking at how they can maximize their delivery of services by cutting expenses where and when possible. Not an unusual business move, but one that can be dangerous if left with the notion that as long as you can be the least expensive service provider - you will survive during economic challenges. But how far do you think you can realistically slice your budget before the quality and effectiveness of the services you are providing are jeopardized.
As you look at capacity-building for your non-profit it is important to remember that growth is not a one-sided equation it may include having to do one of the following:
- cut costs and I will have more funds with which to build capacity.
- or conversely, raise more funds and I can just spend more on programs.
Capacity building strategies need to take a balanced approach and multiple strategies which include -
- Increasing gross revenues
- Increasing in-kind opportunities
- Increasing the number of volunteers
- Expense review and reduction where appropriate
- Collaboration with other organizations to achieve cost-efficiencies
The Office Depot Foundation and The SCORE Foundation will be releasing the Second Edition of Business Planning Tools for non-Profit Organizations in the coming weeks. This newly expanded edition includes an entirely new section titled - Volunteerism - A Valuable Strategic Asset. To reserve your copy in advance, please email your request to mark.dobosz@scorefoundation.org and we will send it out to you as soon as it becomes available. |
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The Foundation is joining in the observance of the 40thanniversary of Earth Day on the 