^ 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,
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