Making Goodness Matter - January 2013

MAKE GOODNESS MATTER (EVEN MORE)

------------------------------------------------------------ Well here we are! It’s the end of January, and how many of you made resolutions January 1? Are you sticking with the workouts?  Only drinking wine on weekends? (Oh, sorry that’s me…)   How about replacing that laundry list of things most of us may not follow through on with a few actionable items we know you could easily accomplish! How about in 2013 we focus on Making Goodness Matter (Even More!)… And in our typically helpful way, we are here with some useful how-to’s, tips and tricks to help you create more impact in your company around community investment.   # 1. ENCOURAGE YEAR ROUND GIVING ------------------------------------------------------------ I Will Help Encourage Year Round Giving   Psst… Procrastinators this one’s for you! Since the busiest months for giving typically come at the end of the year, it’s easy to forget about planning for the year ahead.   If engagement, cultural commitment and emotive connection are the goals, a dynamic, year-round, multi-pillar strategy to connect with your employees is key. Giving Season is a year round concept!   Check Out Some of Our Favorite Ideas to Energize Your Program Throughout 2013    # 2. THINK ABOUT SOCIAL COST ------------------------------------------------------------ I Will Think Differently About the Social Cost of my Giving Program   Many people and most programs are passionately addressing a wide variety of important causes, pillars and social issues, measuring the effectiveness of charities, social return on investment, impact, sustainability, etc. – all hugely important stuff.   Meanwhile, almost no one is focusing on landscape issues like: Why is there so little automation, centralization, aggregation and collaboration in the area of donation processing?  Why do so many charities duplicate infrastructure for non-strategic and non-programmatic investments?   Click Here to Read More + Check Out Some of The Numbers   # 3. COMMIT TO CHANGE ------------------------------------------------------------ I Will Make the Changes to our Workplace Giving Program that I Know We Should!   More and more, companies of all sizes are seeking better business and social benefits around giving back. They are paying a ton of attention to the design, execution, technology and client service surrounding their employee giving and volunteering programs… and rightly so!   Unfortunately, many programs are fettered by the nature of the platform or provider that powers them. The good news is … there is a better way! The new approach is about software as a product, which makes it scalable, sustainable and able to maintain relevancy with your employees and your programs as they evolve. The better news is… we can help you check this off your to do list right away.   Request a Demo (and see how we can help set you up for success in the empowered, one or two click world in which we live)   # 4. SURVEY MY EMPLOYEES ------------------------------------------------------------ I Will Survey My Employees to Assist with Redesigning our Giving Program   If you are looking to improve or redesign your Giving program, the place to start is with your people. One of our recent clients who runs a successful United Way campaign conducted an employee survey as part of examining their program strategy. Their results exposed a gulf between what employees actually want and what management think they want when it comes to giving back (something we consistently hear from companies and users).  91% of their people under 35 wanted the company to have its own program (and 84% of the general employee base) - Whereas 60% of management wanted to with status quo... Armed with these results, the company determined that their goals would be better met with a program that still supported the United Way but as part of a broader, choice-driven, strategic program.   The truth is, people – especially the younger ones – have an appetite for more empowerment and transparency… but don’t take it from us, ask your employees!   Click Here for Some Questions You Could Ask Your People    # 5. LEVERAGE MY MATCHING ------------------------------------------------------------ I Will Create More Leverage With My Matching Budget   The key to a great WPG program is broad participation and matching is one of the main reasons your employees will participate - so be strategic about it.  We observe that the best workplace giving programs enable broad employee choice, ease of use, transparency and a more than lip-service commitment from the company.   Here are a few tips to help you create some business wins and attract more resources to your program.   Download our 5 Tips to Help You Make the Most of Your Matching Program   # 6. BETTER INTEGRATE VOLUNTEERING ------------------------------------------------------------ I Will Better Integrate Volunteering and Giving to Engage My Employees More Broadly   People volunteer for a number of reasons - a desire to learn new skills, simply wanting to make a difference, as an alternative to online dating (just making sure you’re still reading…). But one of the more obvious reasons people volunteer is because they can tap into something they are (or become) passionate about. There are also a ton of reasons why this is a good activity for an employer to promote.  But giving time and money should not be treated as mutually exclusive…   There is a direct relation between how much volunteers give versus non-volunteers. On Average People Who Volunteer Donate 10 Times More Money Then People Who Don't...The dramatic increase is created by an emotive connection to doing good (it’s all those happy endorphins). So ramping up on Volunteering to increase the success of your giving programs seems like a logical strategy, right? But how do you create company-sponsored volunteering events (in your great software tool) that deliver a high quality, engaging experience that will result in meaningful impacts for your people and program?…   Check Out This Blog Post from Our Friends Over at Realized Worth