Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, along with 38 other billionaires have made a moral commitment to donate half of their wealth to charity (http://givingpledge.org). Excellent! Charitable organizations will be saved. Problem solved . . . Wait! The problem is not solved? There is more to do? Do we need more billionaires to step up? Yes! Okay, great plan. Let’s start making those calls.
While calls are being made to the other 380 billionaires in the United States (See Forbes 400), I am thinking it is time for the rest of us to reconsider our role in supporting the charitable organizations that provide worthy programs so that we can ensure that those in our communities continue to have access to important and essential programs.
So how do you give back when you are not a billionaire? How do you give back when your business is struggling? How do you give back when you don’t have a job? How can we even think of giving when everything is so on the edge?
“Maybe we have to break everything
to make something better out of ourselves.”
-Chuck Palahniuk
Now, I am biased, I admit it. My advice that follows is completely one-sided, as my role as an event consultant for non-profits directly impacts my view. My team and I are in the trenches everyday - on the ground with local non-profit organizations working to raise essential funds for programs that impact the working class. We are working with organizations that are dealing with social issues, such as food support to those who need assistance feeding their family and with those that are offering education and mentor programs to high-risk students and . . .the list goes on.
In our field, there are ways in which us “non-billionaires” can contribute to providing essential needs for our communities. Here are just a few reminders. . .
1) Volunteer - Don’t forget that man-power is the energy for non-profit organizations.
Are you a business owner? We often feel the stress of time and the intense need to work hard to keep our business afloat, but let's not forget the importance of taking a break and seeing something from a different perspective. Encourage your staff to volunteer for a local charity once a month. This is easy to organize, offers team-building within your own company, and has a huge impact on the cause you are supporting.
2) In-Kind Donations - Don’t forget the value of the donated (whether full or partial) items, product or venue.
Are you in the Events Industry? Remember R.O.I. and all the industry conversations about analyzing your investments and testing the results? Remember when you saw in-kind contributions as a natural part of your business marketing plan? Now, with the financial crisis, you have cut back and cannot see how you can sustain the cost of giving away products? You cannot see how giving is going to generate the “receiving” you desire. The world has changed. Just remember by YOU involving YOUR staff resources, YOUR product, YOUR space – the community will react positively about your business and will see you as a contributing player and that is the return on your investment during these tough times.
We have not seen any checks from Gates or Buffet come to our clients yet, so while we are waiting let’s all do what we can.