AMD Combines Volunteer Efforts within Conference Events

AMD has published a white paper titled “Bringing Action into the Agenda: Crowdsourcing Volunteerism at Corporate Events.“ It provides a guidance document and case study to show how integrating a volunteer effort into a conference / event can deliver a win-win set of benefits to several parties.

This is a great read and very beneficial for conference-goers and those who host corporate events. GOOD Magazine highlighted AMD’s white paper in a recent article “One Way to Revolutionize How We Network at Conferences? Service Events“, and received good comments and receptivity from readers.

According to AMD’s white paper, here are five key benefits in integrating volunteerism within conference events:

1. Conference organizers benefit by distinguishing their event from others, providing participants with a unique experience, and adding another sponsorship opportunity.
2. Sponsors / hosts of a volunteer event can show their organization’s commitment to the community and employees while supporting the associated cause.
3. Participants receive an additional and unique networking opportunity in a rewarding volunteer environment that naturally facilitates interaction.
4. Locally-based NGOs benefit from additional volunteers to help support their mission, and often they in-turn can provide volunteer support in the form of equipment and/or expertise.
5. The host community stands to gain from a large volunteer event that delivers valuable services for the public good.

To continue reading or to download the white paper, click here!

-YourCause Team

YourCause Partners Recognized as Best Corporate Citizens

Every year we look forward to CR Magazine’s annual best corporate citizens listing and proud to see that our corporate partners are recognized! We would like to congratulate our clients and all the companies doing amazing work in the community.

To see the full “100 Best Corporate Citizens 2013” listing, click here!

[Infographic] State of Developing Global Good

As a company whose mission is to “Develop Global Good,” we’re excited to see an increase in corporations striving to offer their giving and volunteering programs internationally. International programs are growing at a fast pace, so we put together a nice little infographic that highlights some of the most useful statistics regarding international giving and volunteering programs.

Check out our other infographics below:
Where and Why People Donated Their Time and Money
The Evolution of CSR and the Web
Charitable Payroll Deductions
CSR- The Business Case

BCCCC Film Festival Finalists

After 90,000 plus votes, Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship has announced its top ten finalists for this years film festival! We’d like to highlight three of our clients that made it into the top ten AT&T, Dell, and Hilton Worldwide. Videos will be shown during the conference in April where they will announce the winner. For more information on the Film Festival or to watch the finalists videos click here.

Congratulations to all finalists and good luck!

• Aetna Inc.
• Amway
• AT&T
• Dell
• Hilton Worldwide
• Humana Inc.
• Mary Kay Inc.
• Sabre Holdings
• The Dow Chemical Company
• UPS

Happy Wednesday,
The YourCause Team

Boston Center for Corporate Citizenship 2013 Film Festival

Boston Center for Corporate Citizenship has opened up voting for their annual Film Festival. The Film Festival provides companies with an opportunity to demonstrate how they have utilized video as a communication tool. The winner of the Film Festival will be announced during the 2013 International Corporate Citizenship Conference, April 21-23, in Boston, MA.

We are proud to support a few clients participating in this year’s festival. Check out their best corporate citizenship videos below. To learn more about the festival, view the entries, or vote – click here.

AT&T: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=lGGEXJJT88g

Dell: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=ZlbopcVB1YY

Hilton Worldwide: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=fYsftRD6sGY

Medtronic: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=GciiKktg6mk4

Union Bank: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=aV1j_EZL4Fk

Happy Thursday!

– YourCause Team

YourCause Joins A Billion + Campaign

We are excited to announce we have become a pledge company on A Billion + Change campaign. With the amount of impact our CSRconnect users are making, they motivate us to engage and give back to the communities in which we live in.

A Billion + Change is a national campaign to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based service by 2013 to address core issues our communities face across the country and around the world. The campaign will transform how businesses leverage their employees to make a lasting impact on society by engaging, inspiring and mobilizing professional talent to build the capacity of non-profit organizations to better meet community needs. They seek 500 pledge companies to make the largest commitment of pro bono service in history.

We encourage companies to consider making a pledge and inspire employees to help organizations successfully reach their mission. To view a list of pledge companies or make a pledge of your own, click here.

Happy Monday!
-YourCause Team

#TAKE3 with Network for Good [Holiday Campaigns]

Kate Olsen, Director of Partnerships at Network for Good, shares best practices for engaging employees, giving thanks and sharing corporate impact during the holiday season. Insights are inspired by their recent Holiday ‘Good’ Guide and can be downloaded here.

1) What are elements to consider for strategizing a holiday cause program that “fits” a company’s audience?

Start with your employees.  Your company’s employees are not only your biggest asset, but they are also your best brand ambassadors. A holiday cause program should always start with them.  What do they care about? How do they like to give back? Hopefully, you have been getting to know your employees’ preferences for giving, volunteerism and favorite causes through programs all year and can now design a holiday campaign that speaks to their passions.

Don’t overthink it (people are primed to give).  In the United States, we are conditioned to support our favorite causes at the end of December when the tax year ends. Year after year, the pattern is the same: a flurry of online giving activity spikes in the last few days of the year. Use that momentum to build excitement for your company’s campaign and then make it really easy for people to participate.

Make it heartfelt & meaningful.  A thoughtful communication from your company’s CEO can really inspire the rank and file employees. Such a communication shows employees that the leadership team cares about social impact and values all the contributions each employee has made all year.  There is something special about feeling that your individual generosity is adding up to tangible good in the community.

2) Since December is one the busiest months for giving, how can companies take advantage of this time to most effectively impact their business and the community?

December is a time to reinforce the commitment to cause your company has been making all year. Think about the partnerships your company has built with nonprofits.  Are there ways to showcase those partnerships? December is also a great time to be reflective and tell the story of impact you have made collectively with you employees and customers in the communities where they live and work. What are the stories you can share from volunteer projects or giving drives? Put a human face on the investment your company and stakeholders have made in the community.

3) What are easy ways for companies to creatively promote and communicate gratitude campaigns to stakeholders during the holidays?

Just say ‘thanks’. It’s that easy. Expressing gratitude can be one of the most powerful ways to acknowledge employees, customers and community partners. The end of the year can be hectic and many companies are already starting to plan for 2013. Take a moment to celebrate all the good and remind each other of the spirit of the season. You can send note of thanks via email to employees, post a thank you message on your Intranet, or ask employees to share their stories of gratitude on your blog.  In addition a heartfelt ‘thank you’, you can inspire further generosity through charity rewards or by inviting employees to give again as part of a holiday campaign. You can even lobby to swap out holiday tchotchkes for cause cards or extra grants to reward volunteerism and service.

#TAKE3 is a blog series dedicated to quick, yet insightful, takeaways for the corporate responsibility realm. Each feature includes an interview with an industry leader that addresses three questions on best practices and trends influencing the triple bottom line.

Missed the last #TAKE3? Click here to read past entries.

Bloomberg’s First “Civic 50” Rankings

Bloomberg Businessweek, in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light, groups that promote civic engagement, identified the companies that best use their time, talent, and resources to improve the quality of life in their local communities and beyond. The Civic 50, that ranked S&P 500 corporations, looked at the philanthropic efforts of some of the top companies.

We congratulate three of our clients, AT&T, HP, and Cummins on ranking among the top 50! You can view the complete list here.

Happy Friday,
The YourCause Team

#TAKE3 with Joe Waters [Corporate Fundraising]

Joe Waters, author of SelfishGiving.com and Cause Marketing for Dummies, shares best practices for corporate fundraising and establishing effective nonprofit partnerships.

1) What key trends have you observed over the last year in causes, tools and strategies for corporate fundraising? What can we expect in the future?

Mobile, mobile, mobile. Mobile is the future of nonprofit marketing and fundraising. Our smartphones and tablets are becoming the remote control of our lives and causes will be closely linked with what people call The Third Screen (the television and PC were the first and second screens, respectively). For cause marketers like me, mobile means fewer in-store promotions and more promotions where people are and where they care. Both nonprofit and business brands will be focused on connecting deeply with consumers and mobile will be the conduit.

Further Reading: 4 Ways Nonprofits Can Get Started with Mobile (and 4 Ways They Shouldn’t)

2) What cause marketing campaigns do you find most effective, year-round or campaign-based?

Both can be effective. What’s important is that nonprofits work closely with their partner to choose a promotion and time frame that works for BOTH partners. Rome wasn’t built in a day. These year-long campaigns we admire and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars locally and millions of dollars nationally took years to develop. The important thing is to get started, but most nonprofits and businesses never do.

Further Reading: Getting Started with Cause Marketing

3) What best practices can you share for selecting a nonprofit for corporate fundraising programs?

A lot of companies gravitate to what I call “Garanimal” cause marketing. They look for a nonprofit that’s a “good match” for their business (e.g. A restaurant works with a food pantry, a real estate firm works with a housing charity, etc.). It’s not a bad first thought, but there are more important things to consider. One of them is the value the nonprofit brings to the businesses. Does the nonprofit communicate effectively with its supporters? Do they have a donor base that will support and reward a corporate partner? The essence of cause marketing is win-win. Believe it or not, it’s the company that usually short-changes itself.

Further Reading: How to Choose a Cause for Cause Marketing

#TAKE3 is a blog series dedicated to quick, yet insightful, takeaways for the corporate responsibility realm. Each feature includes an interview with an industry leader that addresses three questions on best practices and trends influencing the triple bottom line.

Missed the last #TAKE3? Click here to read past entries.

The Conference Board Webinar: Inspiring Employees, Inspiring the World

On October 31st at 1:00 pm EST, The Conference Board will be hosting a webinar that features Dell’s Director of Giving, Deborah Bauer, and YourCause’s very own Founder and CEO, Matthew Combs, to discuss how social media is empowering Dell’s global corporate social responsibility programs.

To learn more and register, visit here!

“This webcast should be of interest to corporate leaders, practitioners and thought-leaders focused on business and social impact, corporate contributions, corporate foundations, community relations, community involvement programs, corporate citizenship, employee engagement, volunteer efforts, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder and non-profit partnerships, public affairs, and corporate communications.”