Joining Forces

Say a tech company based in Silicon Valley wants to give back. Rather than downloading an app for that, a simpler solution provides a way for companies to design, implement and execute charitable activities.

Coordinating philanthropic and community involvement efforts is a one-stop shop away, says Diane Solinger, executive director of San Jose, Calif.-based Entrepreneurs Foundation. She's talking about the partnership her organization and Mountain View, Calif.-based Silicon Valley Community Foundation announced on Dec. 20, 2010, to make it simple for companies to implement giving programs. Here, Solinger elaborates:

FundRaising Success: What kind of help are you able to jointly provide to businesses and the charities they choose that you couldn't separately?

Diane Solinger: Combined, EF and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation offer a suite of services to Silicon Valley businesses inclusive of all aspects of philanthropy and community engagement. The services range from strategic planning for comprehensive community benefit programs, employee engagement and volunteering program design, employee-
giving program design, marketing and communications of programs to internal and external audiences, development of sustainable business practices, and corporate-giving programs. EF brings expertise in comprehensive program design and implementation while the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has expertise in grant making and has outstanding knowledge of local community issues. Together we provide a one-stop shop for companies of all sizes.

FS: You announced the joint services offer on Dec. 20, 2010. How close are you to completing the work of coordinating your collaborative efforts?

DS: We have already begun working collaboratively in a formal way after years of collaborating informally. Several companies have engaged with us primarily to fine-tune or revisit strategic plans for their corporate citizenship programs and are leveraging the joint expertise of the two organizations to meet their philanthropic objectives.

FS: How do the businesses 
receiving advice pick the nonprofits they want to help?

DS: The first step we take is to determine what business objectives — whether it be branding, employee retention and morale, or business development — can be achieved through a community program. The second step is to engage employees in the decision-making process. So there is a top-down, business-oriented framework and a bottom-up, employee ownership component. When the framework is set and employees are included in the decision process, 
we find that the best 
nonprofit and business matches can occur.

Companies tend to look for organizations that can look beyond corporate cash contributions and offer opportunities for employees to volunteer, provide skills and expertise, and for products to be leveraged, as well.

FS: What should fundraisers do in order to work with the businesses seeking your advice?

DS: Development officers and fundraisers need to build long-term relationships with companies and employees. First and foremost, if the companies have a foundation or giving program, be sure to fit the focus areas. That's pretty basic. Secondly, however, the best partnerships are those when a company and a nonprofit can find mutually beneficial and creative ways to work together to meet each others' goals.

For example, if a company is very interested in team building to increase employee satisfaction and strengthen internal communications, a nonprofit might want to have group volunteer activities available. This may not be instant cash contributions to the nonprofit, but it will help forge a relationship and one of the first steps toward giving is involvement — that holds true for companies as it would for individuals.

Another way to engage companies, which doesn't necessarily raise cash but lowers organizational operating expenses (so it helps with budget), is to consider skills-based volunteering or pro bono volunteering opportunities. Companies will often support organizations financially that provide meaningful engagement opportunities for their employees.

A good reference for nonprofits would be EF's joint study with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation: The 2010 Silicon Valley Corporate Citizenship Report. Results of the study indicate that companies are very employee-centric when it comes to philanthropy. FS