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November 2019

Nov 25

4 simple steps to help attract the right corporate partners

By Sponsor Insight

By Kate Brierty, Consultant, Hedges

It might sound like the makings of a great nonprofit fairy tale that out in communities right now there is a large group of people actively looking for causes to support and nonprofits to fund. These people are in every town, available across the country, and can even share your story with global audiences.

This isn’t just a nonprofit fantasy but the current reality of Corporate-Nonprofit partnerships in the United States. Having an effective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy has been a clear priority for many businesses over the past few decades. Companies have developed volunteer programs, provided resources for community groups, helped sponsor events, provided pro-bono services in their field of expertise, and even given direct financial support.

Recent studies show that corporate participation in this wide range of CSR activities is only growing:

  • The vast majority of corporations are thinking about community impact.
  • Companies are being held accountable for “doing good.”
  • More corporations are becoming funders.
    • Giving by corporations totaled $20.05 billion in 2018, which is an estimated increase of 5.4% over the previous year (Giving USA 2019)

This growing focus on effective CSR strategy has solid logic behind it. Studies over the past decade have shown that a strong CSR program can increase employee engagement, decrease turnover, increase productivity, attract applicants, increase sales, boost company reputation and a lot more. And, lucky for nonprofits, the easiest way for a company to design that strong CSR program is to align itself with an organization already doing amazing work. Corporations seem to have noticed that pursuing a partnership program with a nonprofit makes good business sense.

For nonprofits, this means there is a pool of potential corporate partners looking for the right nonprofit for them. It also means that if you are not currently engaging with these corporations, you are missing a substantial opportunity for partnership that could potentially provide support through provided services, access to resources, financial sponsorship, and whole new audiences to serve as your future volunteers, donors, advocates, board members, or staff.

However, there is a caveat — not all partnerships are created equal and not all of them will lead to that long list of positive results for both parties.

With so much opportunity, it’s important to be discerning and strategic with who and where you choose to engage.

So, how do you engage in ways that maximize benefits and minimize risks for everyone involved? There is no perfect answer but taking these four simple steps at the start can set up for the type of successful partnership that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between your nonprofit and a corporation.

#1: Start with clarity on your brand and purpose

Corporations are looking for nonprofit partners that will be a good fit for their mission, brand’s reputation, and business interests. That means they are going to prioritize aligning themselves with organizations that have already demonstrated a strong value add to the community and have a history of results. In order to show them you are that perfect community partner, start by getting crystal clear about the importance of your work and how amazing you are at doing it.

Make the time to sit down with your team and talk about the concrete things you want to message to partners:

  • What makes your organization such an integral part of your community?
  • How you would describe your mission to potential partners?
  • What companies would also benefit from your vision being reached? How you would describe your work to each of them?

Then consider your own purpose in approaching corporate partnership.

  • Are you looking for volunteers to help expand your program reach? Then you might not be looking for a small startup without employee hours to spare.
  • Are you searching for a partner to sponsor a new pilot program? Then you might be looking for someone with technical expertise to lend their services or someone with the ability to fund big projects.
  • Are you trying to expand your own audience through their employees and customers? Then you’ll probably want to be thoughtful about approaching partners with mutual interests that are more likely to have an audience that is responsive to your message.

There are a lot of amazing things a corporate partnership can do for your organization, but your resources and time are far too important to be spent fully engaging with any partnership offer that comes your way. Get specific about why you are putting your energy into a partnership so everyone on your team can easily say “yes” to the right opportunity and “no” to the wrong fit.

#2: Take time to build the relationship

Once you have message clarity, decide who needs to hear it. Many organizations already have some relationships built with potential partners. Maybe you have a local business that is consistently a table sponsor at your annual gala or your board member’s firm has mentioned how they’re looking for new ways to give next year. That’s great, but don’t jump to the ask just yet.

Building a true partnership with a corporation requires a bit more of a commitment from both sides than an annual donation or a single event sponsorship. Your approach needs to reflect that deeper commitment. Being a strong partner means you are sharing the message of your vision, mission and goals with corporate partners. Let your potential partners know what you’re about, so they can decide if your particular brand and impact works for them right now.

Then ask them to answer similar questions to confirm it’s the right fit:

  • Why is the nonprofit partnership a priority for them?
  • What missions are attractive to them and how are they uniquely positioned to benefit those missions?
  • Get technical and ask about the benefits they want beyond the good feelings. Are they looking for employee engagement opportunities? Are they hoping to strengthen their connection in the local community? Are they looking to invest in an innovative new program that will highlight their name?

You can’t craft a strong partnership (or even choose a strong partner) without both parties openly sharing what motivates them and what goals they have for the relationship. Start here with every potential partner!

#3: Have an idea of what you want, but be open to co-creation

While you should enter into your partnership conversations with an idea of what type of benefits are worthwhile, you should not approach your partners with a rigid list of options and corresponding partnership levels. Partners want this process to feel easy and to feel like you have an idea of where they might fit. Most partners also want to feel like the plan is a co-creation that includes their insights and wishes. There needs to be a balance.  

You and your team should consider your full range of opportunities and specifically name where partnership could be a benefit.

For example, if your program involves providing a lot of community trainings consider how partners could help you expand your reach by: providing free space, sponsoring transportation for participants, volunteering as trainers in their expertise, or holding an employee fundraising campaign to cover participant costs.

This is the time to get creative and consider how partnership could help you pilot new programs, reduce the burden on your staff, or reach entire new audiences. Just be sure all the partnership options you are creating would push you closer to your goals without creating more of a burden than it is worth.

By the time you create a plan with an identified corporation, you should know them well enough to understand what type of work your partner is looking to do and what benefits they are hoping to receive. The proposal you bring them should feel tailored to their expressed desires and needs. Then together you can talk about what appeals to them and make edits or adaptations until the proposal is a perfect fit for both teams.

Important note: Proposal perfection is not possible unless the right people have a voice in the design and decision-making.

  • Is your partner trying to create a workplace-giving option that will increase employee engagement? Then there is definitely a need for employees to help design that experience.
  • Are you looking for partnership that will decrease your program staff’s workload? Someone from the program team should certainly be a part of preparing the plan.

Ensuring you have the diversity of perspectives from these beginning stages will help you craft a much stronger partnership plan that is inclusive of the very people that will be making it all happen.

#4: Know your worth

For any corporate-nonprofit partnership to be successful, there must be mutual benefit. As we already mentioned, nonprofit partnerships and CSR programs can have enormous benefits for corporations. They are not simply doing you a favor. Working with the right partners should feel like you’re doing business together in pursuit of a shared vision.

A few dos and don’ts to help ensure you are building an equal partnership:

  • DO get to know some of the statistics about the benefits of a strong CSR program, and share the relevant ones in your partnership conversation.
    • Are they worried about attracting top talent? Share that Cone research from 2016 found that 58% of all job candidates and 79% of millennial job candidates consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work.
    • Are they trying to increase employee engagement? Let them know in 2019, Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship reported that 95% of companies with volunteer programs report a positive correlation between volunteer participation and employee engagement scores.
  • DON’T be shy about advertising the specific benefits your organization brings to the table.
    • Do you have a large number of community connections in the spaces where their employees live and work?
    • Are you a trustworthy connector for interns or future employees for their corporation?
    • Can you co-create social media content with them that will reach a wide audience?
  • DO ask for the specific benefits you are looking for from a corporate partner and DON’T be afraid to walk away if a partner isn’t a good fit.
    • Never design a partnership plan that won’t help you reach your goals.
    • Always avoid providing benefits that create more work than the benefits you receive in return.

The benefits for true partnerships between corporations and nonprofits are getting stronger every year. Once you find the right partner to work with you, both of your teams can start to see the real impact of those benefits. It’s not a fairy tale, it’s just good business.

Kate Brierty is passionate about asking the right questions to help individuals and groups have conversations and make decisions that will create real impact for the people they serve. In all her work as a consultant at Hedges, she is focused on pursuing meaningful results while keeping people at the center of her work.

Nov 18

Collecting Donations for Your Nonprofit Organization

By Sponsor Insight

By Dave Voris, Vice President and Regional Manager, Horizon Bank

Are you running a nonprofit organization? If so, you know that sustainable donations are a critical part of living up to and meeting the IRS’s public charity test and fulfilling your mission.

Whether your organization is directly serving others, working on valuable research, or meeting recreational needs in your local community, your donors need easy and safe ways to contribute.

Leverage your website

Chances are, you’re already using a website to communicate with your target audience, which includes donors. But to maximize the advantages of your site, be sure to allow for donation submissions as well.

According to Mobile Cause, there must be a compelling reason for site visitors to use a pay portal. If a donor is inspired by your organization’s message and wants to give, most likely they’ll want to give NOW. As a nonprofit you should strive to minimize the number of steps required to send a donation. The more steps required, the easier it is to lose the donor’s attention. Mobile-friendly donor buttons make it easy and possible for your supporters to take action quickly and from any geographic location.

Here’s how to make it work best for you:

  • Look for a payment portal service that can be integrated into your site. Sites like Double the Donation can provide you tips about what to look for. Such services typically take a small fee from each donation, as payment for their services. This makes credit card processing, overall, a little more expensive than handling other payments — but the ability to make this type of donation is in high demand. Locally, Horizon Bank offers payment processing systems that can work for you. Just contact us for details on how we can help your nonprofit organization with this need.
  • Implement your payment portal to allow for either a one-time donation, or recurring monthly donations. This makes it easy for both you and your donors.

Next, you need to communicate the service to your audience:

  • Make it easy to find your payment portal. One simple way to increase online giving is to make sure your visitors have no trouble finding your DONATE or GIVE button when donors visit your website.
  • Then, send out periodic reminders through several channels — an e-newsletter, social media and other communications — to drive new or repeat donors straight to your website to make contributions to your cause.

Recurring donations will, of course, be very beneficial to help you handle general operating costs like rent, salaries, event costs, and more. Those donations are spread throughout the year and are contributions you can factor into your annual plan.

For many organizations, online fundraising works to spread your mission and make sure donors and potential donors understand what your nonprofit does and why they should donate to your cause.

Dave Voris is a vice president in the Indianapolis market for Horizon Bank, N.A. As a senior treasury management officer, he works closely with middle market, nonprofits, and small business companies in a broad span of industries. His 25 years of business experience have included treasury management, merchant services, and international banking including sales management, client service and implementation management, product management and electronic payment operations.

Need more ideas? Reach out to an advisor at Horizon Bank. And check out this additional idea for bridging financial gaps. We’re always happy to help, with some Sensible Advice! contact us today.

Nov 18

At IU, teachers thrive at tech-centric institute

By Feature, Technology

By Lynn Sygiel, editor, Charitable Advisors

The term “pathfinders” is often used to describe a person or people who leads a pack and shows the way. Seventh-day Adventists call their youth group by that name, and there is a role-playing game comparable to Dungeons & Dragons with the same name.

As such, it’s a fitting name for one of the Infosys Foundation USA’s signature programs, the Pathfinders Institute. The foundation launched in the U.S. in 2015 as the company’s nonprofit.

For the past two summers, teachers from around the country, both elementary and high school, have spent a week on Indiana University-Bloomington’s campus immersed in computer science and maker education courses. So far, over 1,000 teachers have accepted the foundation’s offer, and have left the campus armed with practical knowledge and ideas for classroom lessons. In many school districts, they are truly the pathfinders.

Kate Maloney, the Infosys foundation’s executive director, joined the foundation’s team in February. This summer, she witnessed these teachers build their confidence.

“I watched teachers come in slightly trepidatious and excited on the first day, but more on the terrified end of the spectrum, and then they left a week later so empowered,” said Maloney. “They knew they needed to bring this inspiration into their classrooms.”

In informal conversations with teachers, she listened as they animatedly told her stories about what they were learning. She observed their growth in classes like those offered by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics (https://www.kipr.org).

“These teachers were using robots to do all sorts of things. It’s the arc of their journey — watching them start with a blank slate, all the way to developing the impassioned, confident teacher. I think that is the positive lesson. We hope that Pathfinder teachers go back and influence (students),” Maloney said.

Steve Goodman, Executive Director, The KISS Institute for Practical Robotics and a group of teachers showing Ravi Kumar S, Infosys Foundation USA Chairman, their work.

A key partner in this work has been Indiana University where the effort has been spearheaded by Laurie McRobbie, the wife of IU President Michael McRobbie. Both McRobbies have computer science backgrounds.

As a woman in the field, Laurie McRobbie, with 25 years experience, has seen the world of technology begin to address the gender gap.

“We’re seeing a concerted effort to address it, and a real, much deeper commitment on the part of a lot of organizations. I don’t think it’s moved the needle yet in any really significant way, but there are some bright spots to point to in the state of Indiana,” McRobbie said.

According to criteria compiled by the financial technology company SmartAsset, Indianapolis has been ranked as high as fourth in the country for women in tech. That 2017 ranking has since fallen to 14th in 2019, but remains in the top 25 percent of the country’s major cities.  In Indianapolis, the tech workforce is approximately 25 percent women, according to SmartAsset.

In 2016, the McRobbies were invited to attend parallel conferences sponsored by Infosys in San Francisco.

“I was invited to participate in the foundation’s conference, along with a couple of faculty members from the IU School of Education in Bloomington and a number of other computer science educators from around the country, including the founder of Code.org,” said McRobbie. “We talked about the importance of computer science education. We talked about a lot of what we need to do to address this problem is to address it as early as possible in terms of exposure and essentially mainstreaming this study of computer science in our schools.” 

After this conference, McRobbie and then-Infosys Foundation USA director, Kaustav Mitra, continued the conversation about the impact the foundation could achieve. Creating a professional development opportunity for teachers could be the key. The IU connection was hatched.  

“I remember, we just started talking about here we are in the middle of the country, and this is an area that is growing its tech sector. We don’t want the tech environment nationwide to be bicoastal with nothing in the middle,” McRobbie said.

Together, they decided that IU would host the Pathfinders Summer Institute and McRobbie said the university’s events team jumped in to provide a remarkable onsite experience.

“We all sort of viewed it as a bit of an experiment. It wasn’t clear that we would get the numbers that we had hoped,” she said. “There were all kinds of questions about how that might go, but it was incredibly successful. People got a lot out of it, and they loved being on the Bloomington campus in the summer. We’ve just gone on from there, and I’m thrilled that we’re going to be able to do it again in the summer of 2020.”

She said it’s been a wonderful opportunity for IU’s faculty, particularly for faculty who are looking at the evolution and development of curriculum and pedagogy and tools in the classroom. They are able to see what’s working.

Two members of IU’s faculty were in San Francisco with McRobbie at the outset, and according to her are national leaders in the area of maker education. Adam Maltese at the elementary level and Anne Leftwich have been prominent in education research circles.

“I think for them to have this, ready-made, practicum with working teachers, has got to be an incomparable opportunity to further what they’re doing and their understanding of what works,” said McRobbie.

In many school districts, teachers understand that the world is becoming more digital, and a strong understanding of computation, networking and systems interactions (hardware and software) is important to students’ future opportunities. Couple that with the fact that in Indiana, by 2021, implementing computer science curriculum is mandated by law (Senate Enrolled Act 172). So, it’s not surprising that this year, 25% of the teachers at the institute were from Indiana.

Zach McKeever, an engineering and technology teacher at Lafayette’s McCutcheon High School, was one. He attended both institutes to learn computer science principles and computer science discoveries. This summer, the institute offered 19 different courses offered by 15 professional development providers.  

“I was looking for some training with computer science in order to further my curriculum, and to better prepare my students for a world with computer science being at the forefront. I came back for a second year for a different class because of the experience I had the first summer,” said the sixth-year teacher. “I would definitely say it’s the best professional development that I’ve ever been to. Getting teachers who have the summer off, who’ve got kids, who’ve got other responsibilities, to take a week out of their summers to learn some new stuff for their students because they find value in it, is saying something,” he said.

McKeever said he didn’t learn computer science skills in college, but knows the importance for his students. He was among 92 returning teachers. The foundation offers 50 percent of the funding for tuition, airfare and accommodations, with school districts and DonorsChoose.org providing matching funds so teachers can attend at no cost. This summer, 177 of the more than 400 teachers requested funds through DonorsChoose.org. 

A byproduct for McKeever has been the community of learners he’s a part of. Starting out, he knew two area teachers who taught computer science. At the summer institute, he connected with a group of nearly 30 teachers who continue to talk to share lessons and teaching strategies via texts and emails. He said, they even share different Kahoots, which are teacher-made lesson quizzes.

McKeever’s classes are electives, and the foundation for his computer science classes is Code.org’s curriculum, which is free online. A Pathfinder partner, Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by women and underrepresented minorities.

What is encouraging is that according to McKeever, both genders were well represented. Many of the instructors were women. There was diversity, too.

“I think that has a lot of do with what you’re talking about that they’re trying to target people from those schools that are a higher need. Because the curriculum, specifically for code.org, is accessible to everybody. So they want people to know about that and buy into that. All you need is a computer and Internet access. Which is still a big ask, but you know, to me, income and where you come from should not determine what you can learn. All it takes is creativity. It takes creativity and a willingness to learn, and you can get that from any student,” said McKeever.

Melissa Babcock, a Providence, R.I., fifth-grade teacher, would agree. Her elementary school has 94 percent of its students living in poverty. While her school is behind in technology, the administration is supportive of her efforts. Last year, she and another teacher taught an after-school coding and robotics class. They were in Bloomington this summer to learn more, and both will attend Infosys Foundation USA’s Winter Institute, which will be held in Providence in February. At both McKeever’s and Babcock’s schools, every student has a Chrome book, but may not have Internet at home.

This summer, 272 teachers were from Title I schools and 134 were from rural schools. Teachers in attendance represented 45 states and the District of Columbia. IU worked too, to encourage rural teacher participation. Oftentimes, McRobbie said those are schools with just one teacher providing this coursework without a lot of colleagues.

McRobbie said IU is honored to be partners.

“I think it is a hopeful sign to see this kind of investment. Teachers have some knowledge about computer science and some knowledge about how to teach, but oftentimes they’re as much students as their own students,” she said.

“I think that is very much aligned with our mission as a research university and our commitment to educating Hoosiers and people outside the state as well. So we’re really seeing this as a wonderful alignment of our mission, Infosys’ mission, addressing a crucial social need and a crucial educational need. We’re honored to be doing it,” she said.

As the nonprofit arm of Infosys Limited, a multinational India-based information technology company, the foundation hopes to affect computer education through its professional development work with teachers, and ultimately ignite a spark for students. Here are some examples of its work.

A regional institute

In February, Infosys Foundation USA is offering its first ever Pathfinders Winter Institute. It will take place in Providence, Rhode Island from Feb. 16 to Feb. 20. Applications for K-12 public school teachers are open through Dec. 16 on the Infosys Foundation USA website.

Grants to nonprofits

Some examples of grant recipients are Code.org, the Hispanic Foundation to offer family coding nights in Spanish; Teach for America to build computational thinking capabilities with cohorts in particular cities and the Girl Scouts for a badge program called Coding for Good.

This year for Computer Science Education (CSE) week, Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, Infosys Foundation USA is supporting activities. Traditionally, it has given out micro-grants during this week, but this year are working with existing grantees to hold events during that week.

Some examples:

  • Dec. 10: Family Code Night in Providence, RI
  • Dec. 13: LOFT Coder Summit (with Hispanic Heritage Foundation) in Richardson, TX
  • Dec. 14-15: Girls For Tech Hackathon in Hartford, CT

Policy conference

Crossroads conference (May 2020). This signature event brings together thought leaders to explore ideas on increasing access to high quality education in computer science, coding and making, with a particular focus on equity and inclusion.

Infy Maker awards

Through the Infy Maker Awards program, it supports today’s makers at schools and in communities, encouraging them to become our next generation of inventors. This #InfyMakers awards program, launched in June 2015 to celebrate the White House’s “National Week of Making”, recognizes the Maker Movement and inventors.

Nov 11

How giving makes you greater

By Sponsor Insight

By Sandy McCarthy, Retirement Services President, OneAmerica

I still remember the first time I read the OneAmerica® annual report. As a 30-plus year veteran of the retirement industry, I’ve seen my share of them. But this one was different, and, in the midst of discussions and interviews during the summer of 2018, its annual report was a major factor in my decision to join the company as president of the retirement services division.

Detailed in those pages were, of course, the financials. But more than that, I saw a company that cared – for its associates, its valued partners, its customers and its community. I believe that it’s this genuine, selfless dedication to caring for others and contributing to the greater good that makes OneAmerica special.

Giving back as a company

OneAmerica takes seriously its role as a corporate citizen. From our involvement with the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, the Broad Ripple Art Fair and the Indiana Repertory Theatre, to investing in our community through grant programs and charitable giving, we aim to better the local communities where our employees and customers live and work. In 2018 alone, we:

  • Supported more than 80 organizations, by contributing $2.2 million and 5,000 volunteer hours
  • Gave more than $800,000 in support for organizations that provide people in need with emergency help, including hunger relief, emergency shelter and counseling services
  • Provided $50,000 in regional grants to nonprofits across the United States from OneAmerica and our sales and field teams across the country.

Giving back doesn’t end with monetary involvement or sponsorships. Our associates also pledge their time and skills as a team. During our annual Week of Caring, a weeklong “pay it forward” event started in 2014 by our Chairman, President and CEO Scott Davison, our associates devote time to volunteering for various causes. This September, approximately 1,100 associates took part, providing a collective 3,200 hours of compassion and companionship as they volunteered with nearly 30 nonprofit organizations throughout the country.

Individual associate contributions

No matter the corporate culture, an organization cannot truly give back without the support of its associates. At OneAmerica, I believe we have some of the best. Their passion and dedication to their local communities, through the United Way, the Red Cross, Dress for Success, Junior Achievement and more, is inspiring and makes me proud to work with such a selfless group.

I recently heard about one of our marketing associates, who spends Tuesday mornings helping Gleaners Food Bank deliver items to a neighborhood food pantry at 42nd Street and Boulevard. In addition to this physical labor, he is also devoting his time to help the food pantry start and maintain its first Facebook page.

Just as it is for so many of our associates, community involvement is personal for me as well. I sit on the board of the local chapter of the American Red Cross, and before coming to Indianapolis I served on the board of trustees for the Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (Massachusetts) and as a mentor for the Entrepreneurship for All program.

Serving the tax-exempt market

The OneAmerica commitment to caring also extends into the way we do business. One of our major focuses is the tax-exempt market. Not only do we understand the unique challenges for these plans, we are proud to serve these organizations which are so important for our communities.

At OneAmerica, tax-exempt business is in our DNA. Our work in this sector began in the mid 1960s, and many of our longest tenured clients are nonprofit organizations. Our seasoned team is experienced in serving tax-code neutral plans and delivering personalized solutions that allow these mission-oriented, client-focused organizations to help their participants on their paths to retirement.

The spirit of caring for others and giving back is essential to the OneAmerica culture and is brought to life each day through our associates – both at work and in their personal lives. I’m grateful and proud to work for a company that reflects my values and strives to improve the lives of our customers, participants and neighbors – and for the chance to see that caring spirit, described in the annual report, alive and flourishing at OneAmerica each day.  

OneAmerica is the marketing name for the companies of OneAmerica. Provided content is for overview and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be relied upon as individualized tax, legal, fiduciary, or investment advice.

As president of the retirement services division, Sandy McCarthy leads the OneAmerica® team offering defined contribution and defined benefits services with a strong focus on customized retirement plans through highly personalized administration and recordkeeping services. She brings more than 30 years of industry experience, including executive leadership roles at Mercer, ING (now Voya), CitiStreet and most recently, her own consulting firm SDM Strategic Solutions.

McCarthy graduated with honors from Tufts University, earning both her undergraduate in sociology/education and Master of Arts degree in education, then completing an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She served on the board of directors of the American Benefits Council, Spark Institute, Boys and Girls Club of Middlesex County Massachusetts and the Children’s Center for Communication Beverly School for the Deaf. She was also a founding member of the Superannuation Industry Leadership Group in Australia. She currently serves on the board of the Greater Indianapolis chapter of the American Red Cross and the Employee Benefits Research Institute, based in Washington, D.C., and is a mentor for the Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) program.