Having spent a large portion of my life working with and for nonprofits and NGOs, I know very well that the best way to be effective in this world is to give both time and money, consistently, all year round. At this time of year however, even in our company and in my family where philanthropy is an unwavering core value, we talk and think about giving more frequently.
In the sustainable business world, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should take on the same budget cycle and run parallel to financial forecasting. Strategically speaking, it makes sense that at the end of the year a sustainable business not just review the impact of philanthropic and community actions but plan and guide future actions to maximize future impact. As we plan how we are going to leave our mark next year, I asked each member of our company to present a few nonprofits for us to put in our CSR plan for 2011. I’ve asked that one piece of each presentation be an estimation of how effective that organization has been.
Several years ago a colleague recommended I read Forces for Good: Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits. This book helped me look beyond the traditional benchmarks used to determine success of a nonprofit and look for other, equally important qualities. Now I look for things like the organization’s ability to inspire “evangelists” or influence policy in addition to the line on the 990 tax return that tells me how much of each dollar goes directly to benefitting its target population. I look at the ability to adapt practices to changing funding climates and the strength of partnerships both within and outside the nonprofit community. “Effectiveness” is so difficult to determine but often that definition and those variables used to describe effectiveness will help determine potential impact of our resources. If nothing else this approach should spur questions and discussion on a deeper level.
Personally, a laser like focus on giving is not just about paying tribute to those who taught me, by example, that giving is a lifelong commitment but it is also about passing that legacy of helping others on so the pipeline never runs dry. Find an environmental nonprofit at 1% for the Planet.
See www.pnsenergy.wordpress.com to see what some of our team is talking about!
