A Model for Business Giving: Time, Talent or Treasure

First, this idea is not mine. I heard these three words first at a Rotary Club of Sunrise meeting several years ago. It has stuck with me throughout the years as a quick and easy way to remember what my company has to give: time, talent, or treasure (money).
I get asked at least twice a week to donate to some cause. Yesterday it was a call about sponsoring a school’s folder; last week it was for printing flyers for an event, and two days ago it was mentor high school students. We said no to two out of three requests: sponsoring a school’s folder and mentoring high school students because we didn’t feel these would be a good use of our resources. Our experience with mentoring in the past, especially if it is school-directed, has not been good. We’d rather pay a young person to do actual work and learn along the way-a better win-win for all.
We have a few guidelines we use when deciding if we will give, and whether the donation will be our time, our talent or our money.

  1. Will the donation make a significant difference? There are many big organizations that received substantial federal, state, and county funding. We tend to look at smaller groups that are self-funded or run on a very small budget. I like lean organizations, as I feel what I give them will make a big difference. A few hundred dollars to an agency that has a $2 million budget is unlikely to make a big difference.
  2. Is it a cause I believe in on a very deep level? Supporting education, children, the arts and the physically disadvantaged are what we focus on. These are part of what we know and understand, so groups that focus on other issues are generally less interesting to us. To this end, we have given to Holualoa Elementary School’s literacy program, Deep and Beyond’s snorkel days and camps, Family Support Hawaii (Board of Directors), the Rotary Club of Kona’s Community Foundation (Board of Directors), Hawaii Island Growing Our Own Teachers (Board of Directors), and Aloha Theater/Aloha Performing Arts Company (new website and free hosting).
  3. Is our donation a multiplier? Providing PR materials for events multiplies our contribution many-fold. Providing expertise or consulting will help the entity grow or refine processes—a definite multiplier.
  4. Does Kona Impact get a PR benefit? Ok, the truth is that we want something in return. A nice thank-you letter is great and sufficient in most cases. Our logo on shirt, sign, or email is good, too. If it’s for an event, thank your sponsors by name.

Last year we gave a $750 (retail) banner to a group. Their focus was something we believe needs attention. We will, however, decline future donations because we did not receive any recognition for what we had done: not a thank you letter, no recognition in the program, not even a call.

Note: please do not waste money on a West Hawaii Today mahalo ad! Send a simple letter or card to each donor instead! It’ll mean much more and it’s something they can put on the wall. Don’t waste money thanking us for giving money!

In the past Kona Impact used to write a lot of small checks; we now say no a lot and try to engage non-profits on a much deeper level.

 Kona Impact  | 329-6077