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Corporate Link is a brief published by San Diego Grantmakers dedicated to supporting the corporate giving and corporate foundation members of SDG. |
May 2009 | |
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Save the Date: SDG Annual Conference October 29, 2009
Mark your calendars for the 2009 San Diego Grantmakers Annual Conference, to be held on Thursday, October 29 at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center. The theme this year is "The Future of Philanthropy: Creating Silver Linings." During these troubled economic times, we believe that it is more important than ever for members of the local philanthropic community to connect with each other and learn how to have greater impact, even with limited funds available. More information will be released in the coming months, but be sure to hold this date for the premier event in local philanthropy! |
New Foundation Center Data on Corporate Foundation Giving
corporate foundations remained virtually unchanged in 2008, totaling an estimated $4.4 billion.
The report also indicated that corporate foundation giving will most certainly decline in 2009, with the banking and finance industries accounting for about one-quarter of corporate foundation support in recent years and corporate earnings down across the board. Slightly more than half (51 percent) of corporate foundations responding to the Center's annual forecasting survey said they expect to reduce their giving this year, with three-quarters of these funders anticipating decreases of more than 10 percent. | |
| Corporate Social Responsibility Weathering the Recession
Evidence abounds that cause branding and corporate responsibility are weathering the recession due to the commitment of companies and the unwavering expectations of key stakeholders. Cone, a Boston consulting firm specializing in cause branding and social responsibility, has compiled an array of proof points, including quotes from business leaders, relevant stats on consumer and executive expectations and examples of companies that are staying the course during tough times. Click here (pdf) for more information. |
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Return on Investment (ROI) Workshop: Practical Techniques for Measuring Social/Business Value
You make significant investments in grants, volunteerism, and other community engagement activities, yet struggle to prove how they help your company's social and economic bottom-line. What if you had the tools to measure the ROI of your philanthropic activities? In response to members' requests, San Diego Grantmakers and Southern California Grantmakers have partnered with True Impact to offer a custom, three-teleconference series designed to provide you practical guidance for measuring your corporate citizenship programs. You will learn techniques for proving value, guiding investment decisions, and promoting continuous improvement.
- Session 1 - Map Impacts: In our first session, we will introduce the basic principles of ROI measurement (i.e., what, how, and when to measure) and a simple, stakeholder?based framework you can use to identify your programs' social and/or business impacts.
- Session 2 - Establish Indicators: Building off impact mapping, we will use a second framework to create program "Strategy Maps" - distilling a program's goals, objectives, and strategies into a summary matrix-then assigning input, output, and outcome performance metrics. This session will include a review of practical strategies for data collection.
- Session 3 - Deliverable Workshop: Prior to the final session, each participant will apply the techniques learned in the first two sessions to one or more of their own programs. Participants will submit their resulting Impact & Strategy Maps to the workshop leader for individual feedback. The final session will then focus on workshopping these deliverables as a group.
Dates: July 8, July 15 and July 18 at 10:00AM PST
Tuition: $295 (for SCG and SDG members only) for the three-session series, which includes:
- PowerPoint training guides
- 1-on-1 consultation of participants' deliverables
- One month free access to class recordings and True Impact web-based ROI tool.
RSVP today by email or (619) 744-2180. |
Corporate Giving Headlines
"In short, government alone can't get us out of this rut, and the nonprofit community is increasingly overstretched. At the end of the day, business leaders represent the 'make or break' difference. Yet even as the cable news networks parlay daily stories of corporate profligacy, we're currently witnessing a renaissance of patriotic, charitable giving among U.S. corporations that could rival that of Rockefeller and Carnegie."
"How will corporate philanthropy actually fare during this recession-closing-in-on-depression? Despite early indications of confidence, economic realities have begun to temper corporate philanthropic predictions."
"Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is urging banks that have received federal bailout money to continue to support charities and lend to moderate- and low-income neighborhoods."
USA Today: "Short on Cash, Companies Give Time, Skills"
"With need surging and dollars available for donations limited by the down economy, corporations are increasingly turning to ways besides writing checks to serve their communities. The trend, which has been growing in recent years, is accelerating this year."
"Five states and one Indian nation have passed legislation recognizing a new type of business that puts its social goals ahead of making money. In the year since Vermont became the first state to recognize the low-profit limited-liability company, or L3C, Michigan, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah have all followed suit, as has the Indian Crow nation. The new for-profit designation is designed to make it easier for socially oriented businesses to attract program-related investments from foundations and additional money from private investors."
With the historic signing of the Serve America Act, more individual Americans than ever will answer the call to service in the coming months and years. What role can and should the business community play in answering this call? While it's no secret that many nonprofits need funding to fill the gap between increasing community needs and decreasing donations, corporate donors have another worthy asset to offer: the skills of its workforce. |
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Corporate Resources
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Lobbying for Good
In their efforts to be socially responsible, most companies fail to wield their most powerful tool: lobbying. Yet corporations such as Mary Kay, Royal Dutch Shell, and General Motors are increasingly leveraging their deep pockets, government contacts, and persuasive powers for the cause of good. Not all kinds of socially responsible lobbying are created equal, however. In this article, the authors discuss which forms are best for companies and society.
Deloitte Volunteer Impact Survey: Pro Bono as Currency
According to the 2009 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, both nonprofits and corporations are overlooking a high-impact opportunity to leverage pro bono and skilled volunteer support to offset a decline in corporate giving dollars. Despite the challenging economic backdrop, nearly 40 percent of nonprofit executives say they will spend between $50,000 and $250,000 or more of "hard-won" cash on outside contractors and consultants this year. Yet nearly one-quarter (24%) of nonprofit respondents have no plans to use skilled volunteers or pro bono support in any capacity in 2009.
Industry Standard for Valuing Pro Bono Services Established at $120/Hour
The Taproot Foundation's Pro Bono Action Tank and the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy recently introduced the first ever standards for assigning a monetary value to the pro bono services, beyond the legal profession, provided by corporations to nonprofits. These standards allow corporations to more accurately track and report the value of pro bono services as a cash equivalent. Click here (pdf) for more information. |
Upcoming Programs
Click here for a complete list of SDG programs. Click program names for details.
Save the Date: October 29, 2009
SDG Annual Conference "The Future of Philanthropy: Creating Silver Linings"
The Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114
Click here for more information about all of these SDG programs. All programs are free for SDG members except where indicated. To RSVP, please call (619) 744-2180 or email programs@sdgrantmakers.org.
FUNDRAISING STIPULATION:
SDG was developed so that grantmakers (staff and trustees) could talk candidly with their peers about the challenges they face. With that in mind, we wish to impress upon members and potential members that fundraising or marketing is not allowed at any of SDG's programs, meetings, or other events.
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Other Corporate Events of Interest
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| This online SDGrantmakers Update is published by San Diego Grantmakers to help SDG members meet the challenges of philanthropy today. Our mission is to connect, educate, develop, and inspire a diverse group of foundations and corporations to stimulate effective philanthropy in the San Diego region. Copies of past editions are archived here.
Contact Nancy Jamison, 619/744.2180 or nancy@sdgrantmakers.org to suggest article ideas or submit news items. | |
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