Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Summer 2004 : Donors' Corner: Workplace Giving
Donors' Corner: Workplace Giving Makes Us All Philanthropists
By pooling small, incremental gifts, workplace giving campaigns add up to big contributions, says Paula Elerick, a financial consultant at Smith Barney in Dallas and a GFUSA supporter. Here, she describes the ways in which employees, companies, and causes such as GFUSA all can benefit from a workplace giving campaign.
If you've ever shopped with a toddler, you know how much competition there is for their attention.When my 4-year-old son Agustin has a choice, for example, he'll pass over just about any flashy new toy for a DVD or CD-ROM with a good story line and excellent computer games. His core value? Be challenged while having fun.
Workplace giving campaigns are not very different. They are also about core values. Through doing good, workplace campaigns can also promote good business by uniquely communicating core values to employees and clients alike. A well-run campaign is really just the beginning of a gift that keeps on giving.
Three Firms That Made It Happen
Grameen Foundation USA thanks all of its corporate contributors, including those who have held workplace giving campaigns on our behalf. Here are three Texas companies who have helped strengthen our programs on behalf of impoverished women:
FIRST PRESTON MANAGEMENT, INC.
This Dallas-based firm held an employee holiday giving campaign called “We Care” that raised $63,000 for GFUSA in 2003 to enable The PLAN Fund, a GFUSA partner in Dallas, and AlSol, our partner in Chiapas, Mexico, to provide tiny loans and other financial services to women living in poverty.
HOLLIDAY, FENOGLIO AND FOWLER
The Dallas branch of this national real estate firm raised nearly $23,000 that went to support GFUSA’s Chiapas work.
STAUBACH COMPANY
With a generous matching gift from Susan Pausky, Senior Vice President of Staubach’s Southwest Corporate Services, the “Women of Staubach Philanthropy Project 2003” raised more than $24,000 to support GFUSA’s work in Chiapas.
Three Principles to Consider
It's not the "Energizer Turtle."
Name recognition and branding are vital to every workplace. By reinforcing core values, workplace campaigns are inexpensive ways to build name recognition and branding. Often, clients and employees are loyal to companies for intangible reasons. I drive out of my way for a certain gasoline company because I associate it with innovation and convenience. I feel a little bit better about the $40 I just spent because it's my entrepreneurial spirit that's really pumping the gas. Workplace campaigns communicate those same intangibles reflected in the heart and soul of the cause they are supporting--reinforcing core corporate values on a more personal level to employees and clients. Clients and communities also begin to recognize employees not just for what they do, but for what they give.
Super-Size Me!
Workplace campaigns define philanthropy to include a much broader understanding of giving--giving of our time, our networks, and our talents--in addition to our dollars. A workplace campaign makes philanthropy accessible to everyone. Consider what happens when an employee's $100 gift joins 100 other $100 gifts. If these gifts are then matched by the corporation, voila! Collectively, employees have just made a gift of $20,000. And in the process, many employees renew their volunteer spirit by becoming personally involved in the cause.
Oh! Pick Me! Pick Me!
More than ever, corporations want their best employees to be happy and successful, leading balanced lives. A workplace giving campaign gives employees permission to focus on their personal commitments to make a difference in other people's lives and communities.
Remember, everyone is a potential philanthropist. Workplace giving campaigns make it easy to leverage individual gifts for maximum impact--for employees, corporations, and the causes they support.
More Information...
Take Action: Start a GFUSA Program in Your Workplace
You can start a giving campaign at your place of business to support GFUSA's efforts to help some of the world's poorest women go into business for themselves. It's easy. Here's how:
- Contact your Corporate Giving or Human Resources department to find out about your company's guidelines for workplace giving campaigns.
- Review your employer's matching gift requirements. Determine the criteria that must be met in order to maximize the impact of your campaign.
- Contact Randi Nordeen (rnordeen@gfusa.org or (202) 628-3560, ext. 121), GFUSA's Director of Development, for assistance in designing a campaign tailored to your workplace.
Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Summer 2004 : Donors' Corner: Workplace Giving
Grameen Foundation uses microfinance and innovative technology to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world's poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, we help the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Our global network of 55 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 34 million people in 24 countries. In addition, we introduced and now sustain technology initiatives (Mifos and Village Phone) in Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, bringing our total country outreach to 28.
+1-202-628-3560 www.grameenfoundation.org
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