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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1998)
^ J n r t l a n b O ^ b s e r U f r ’B io o R ity Socially Responsible Businesses Give Back by C harles B. M aclean , P h D "D oing w ell by doing good” has becom e the m antra o f socially respon sible businesses. Pure altruism has been tem pered by the recognition that busi nesses give-back to the community needs to be targeted and accountable as in vesting in ones ow n business. Business g iv in g is b e in g tr e a te d as an investm ent.. .not just a nice thing to do. W hat if you operated your business as if com m unity give-back seeds and accelerates an upw ard spiral o f better em ployee m orale, better productivity, better com pany reputation, better re cruitm ent and retention, better profits, better com m unity and a better place to do your business? W hat if in the long haul, not giving- y o u don’t hav e the reso u rces to p ro d u ce it, can lead to disaster. It w ill lead back to p o o r q u ality , cu sto m ers w ill be upset, and y o u r im ag e in the m arket place (all things w e ’ve p rev i a deep know ing that som eone cares w ho is constant in their life. Tips From Tony A m erich 1. W hen interviewing potential em ployees, ask them about their volunteer ing experience. (Candidates w ho go the ex tra mile in volunteering o ff the job are m ore likely to volunteer to go the extra ously d iscu ssed ) w ill d eterio rate. T hen it’s ex trem ely d iffic u lt to b u ild back a good rep u tatio n , e v e n if you h a v e c o r r e c te d y o u r p r o b le m s . G row th should be co n ta in e d to no m ile on the job.) 2. Hire people w ho nurture others and themselves. (They are m ore likely your w ay...read on. W hy not develop and com m it to a “Give-Back Plan' ’ that inc ludes the same com ponents as those in your start-up o r existing “Business Plan” : m easurable breaks.. .grinning rather than griping.) 4. Encourage 1:1 m entoring rela tionships betw een em ployees and kids. (Em ployees w ho m entor o ff the jo b are good candidates to m entor on the jo b outcom es and budget. A m erich M assena & A ssociates is Portland’s quiet investm ent consulting firm (located in NE. Portland) with a heart and a w allet for com m unity give- back. In 1994, early in their business life, Tony A m erich and his partner Lisa M assena m ade a 10-year com m itm ent to support and track the sam e kids, many on the cusp o f trouble. N ow they “invest” 6-figures each year in dollars and help bring new em ployees up to speed m ore quickly.) 5. A llow “volunteering” to becom e part o f your culture that distinguishes yourbusiness from the rest. (It’sabond- o f the 35 em ployees volunteer regu larly, many as weekly tutors in the schools adopted by the firm. M any tutor in the m orning before they com e into work. They find that the “feel-good" o fco m - BE C A R E F U L H E R E , fo r trying to do everything for ev ery b o d y w hen more. The results for the kids...reading and m ath scores up, reduced drop out...and To discover how other businesses do their give-back and how you can do it and countless hours. A tA m erich M assena better than 99% C ontinued F rom P age C 8 m unity give back carries forward on the job. The G rant-M adison Business-to- School partnership has grown from tu toring, to m inority scholarships, math clubs, sum m er science and art cam p and to nurture your customers/clients too.) 3. M ake it easy to volunteer before w ork in the m orning. (The “volunteers high” will carry over onto the jo b and w ill b e talk ed ab o u t o v e r co ffee back to the com m unity that generates your profits.. .triggers a dow nw ard spi- Beginning And Successfully Operating A New Business m ore than 20% to 2 5 % m ax im u m per y e a r Y ou w o u ld b e b e st serv ed to Charles B. Maclean, co-author of “Philanthropy Now: Seeding The New Generation Of Entrepreneurial Givers ” k eep it at 15%. 7. F in a n c ia l M a n a g e m e n t: In b u sin ess, you m ust un d erstan d cash flow , things like d ebt to equity, and m an ag in g to the b a n k ’s covenants. L earning w hat d ifferen t financial ra tios tell you is ex trem ely im portant. I t’s then that you can ju d g e y o u r success, tell w hen to invest in m ore eq u ip m en t o r p eo p le, o r w hen d is a s fail i f y o u d o n ’t pay con stan t atten tion to every th in g you are doing. W e can easily get inflated ideas about w h at and how w ell w e are doing things, and if w e a re n ’t careful, w e can as easily lose everything. K irby Fox is the founder and chair m an o f E X C E L L (E xecutive L ead ersh ip E xchange) w ith three ch ap ters in P ortland, tw o in the M id ter is ju s t aro u n d the com er. 8. P a r k Y o u r E g o and rem em b er that there is alw ay s som ething to learn, that w h atev er you do can al w ays be d one b etter, and that you can Seaside Motel 6 #4062 giving first.” W here w ould your business show up on that map? So what can you do now ? Here are a few possibilities. Call Business For Social R esponsi bility at 503.725.5722 to get the inside track on com m unity give -back.Call Junior A chievem ent at 503.238.6430 to teach kids w hat m akes you successful Owner in business. Call the U rban League o fP ortland at 503.280.2600 to help build strong and 2369 S. Holladay Drive self-reliant families. C all se lf-E n h a n c e m e n t In c. at 503.249.1721 to make a difference one- on-one, day-after-day in the life o f a Seaside, OR 97138 “I can’t understand w hy m ore busi nesses d o n ’t budget the time and dollars from day one for com m unity give-back. M aybe w e can be a blueprint.” Debi Colem an, Chair & C EO o f youth at risk. Call U nited W ay at 503.226.9306 to O regon high-tech com pany M erix Cor poration, said, “I’d draw the m ap on w ho benefits from doing business in our state and ask how m uch do they give back. . .and to be credible in pointing the finger, I’d look at m y own com pany’s focus your give-back to your com m u ing thing that becom es even m ore es sential as you grow. )Says Tony Americ h, Office: 503-738-6269 Fax: 503-738-4276 For Reservations Call 1-800-4-MOTEL-6 nity o f choice. For information about the research a n d g iv in g su p p o rt tools, c a ll 5 0 3 .2 9 7 .1 4 9 0 or e-m ail: Charles, macleant&trillium-hollow. org A Licensee o f Mote! 6 Operating L.P. 915 ME Portland, (505)281-6388 1460 NE Portland, Week i
