CEOs call philanthropy central to their groups’ purpose

December 11, 2009

By Jonathan Hemmerdinger

The core mission of associations is to promote their corporate or individual members. And while fulfilling that goal involves advocacy, annual meetings and member education, association CEOs say helping the community, through both donations and volunteer work, is also critical to fulfilling their charters.

“It’s part of the culture of our industry,” said Jack Gerard, president of American Petroleum Institute, a group that, with its staff, donated $55,000 to charities in 2009. “Our industry leaders expect us to do nothing less than be good neighbors and corporate citizens.”

“We learned this from our [member] companies,” said Steve Bartlett, CEO of The Financial Services Roundtable, which coordinates members’ volunteer efforts through its Community Service initiative. FSR employees also volunteer time at community centers and donate goods to local charities.

Though associations and staff donate to all types of local charities—from soup kitchens to homeless shelters—many groups tailor giving to causes with a tie to their industries.

Patrick Natale, executive director of the American Society of Civil Engineers, told CEO Update his group donates yearly to the humanitarian group, Engineers Without Borders, because it reflects the “core purpose” of engineers, which he said is to build structures that benefit public welfare.

And Steve Anderson of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores said the prevalence of childhood obesity and diabetes led NACDS to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. “It fits into our mission and vision, which is to focus on the health and well-being of Americans,” Anderson said. 

Though associations as groups organize philanthropic events, CEOs say the real energy behind giving back originates with individual staffers.

“We poll the staff and ask them what they would like to do next quarter,” Bartlett told CEO Update. “Increasingly their top choice is volunteer activities. Employees love it.”

Gerard agreed, saying API staffers lead the volunteering charge. “Our people step up and rise to the occasion.”

And giving back to the community is contagious, some CEOs say.

“What happens is, some of your employees get so inspired that they volunteer on their own time,” said Bartlett.
“It gets in your blood,” said Natale.

Produce Marketing Association
Newark, Del. • 72 staffers

Produce Marketing Association staffers place bids at the silent auction to benefit the American Cancer Society.

For the last 10 years, the Produce Marketing Association has supported the American Cancer Society.In 2009 alone, the group sponsored eight different fundraising events.

A nine-member volunteer staff task force organized a silent auction, sold tickets to a special on-site luncheon and created an ongoing game where staffers purchased bingo cards for prizes such as half-days of vacation or premium parking spots and have bingo drawings twice a week. 

Duane Eaton, chief administrative officer, said the cause was chosen deliberately to reflect the role of fresh produce as a cancer-fighter, and because a number of staffers are touched by the disease personally. “ It means something to everyone here,” he said. 

Regular fundraising spans February to October. Additionally, at holiday time, staff members put together shoeboxes of gifts and supplies for Samaritan’s Purse, as part of the international relief group’s Operation Christmas Child Initiative. This year, PMA staffers compiled more than 20 boxes for needy children around the world.

National Association of Chain Drug Stores
Alexandria, Va. • 77 staffers

This year’s holiday party will be different for NACDS. Instead of holding the event at an area hotel, as the group did last year, the Dec. 17 celebration will be at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, where NACDS will be playing Santa to its charitable neighbor.

On the day of the party, staffers will deliver gifts to the nearby nonprofit, and spend the lunch hour stuffing stockings for roughly 160 children. The presents include candy, clothing and toys, as well as gift certificates for the kids’ families, many of them one-parent households. The children will empty the stockings the following day at BGCGW’s own holiday celebration.

NACDS CEO Steve Anderson told CEO Update the move is an effort by the group to focus more on helping the community in what has been a challenging year for many families.
NACDS has partnered with BGCGW on a range of projects for about a decade.

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Washington, D.C. • 14 staffers

One day in early December, the boardroom table at the Washington, D.C., headquarters

President Joseph McGuire (right) and other Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers staffers wrap holiday gift boxes for local charities.

of AHAM was piled with gloves, t-shirts, socks, razors, toy cars and other gifts. For the fifth consecutive year, the trade group is turning a good deed into a festive staff holiday occasion.

Throughout the year, AHAM staffers put aside their empty shoeboxes for the wrapping party, when 50 boxes—20 for men, 20 for women and 10 for children—are packed with items for Washington, D.C.’s least fortunate residents. Staffers gather to wrap them over pizza to the tune of seasonal songs. The boxes then go to So Others Might Eat, a Washington, D.C., charity providing services to the homeless.

Jill Notini, AHAM’s vice president of communications, told CEO Update that, in addition to supporting a worthy cause, the wrapping party is a “team building” activity and a rare opportunity for the entire AHAM staff to unite.

American Petroleum Institute
Washington, D.C. • 250 staffers

On Mondays, up to 25 API headquarters staffers spend their lunch break next door at Thompson Elementary School, where they read books to kids. It’s part of a mentoring program organized by literacy group Everyone Wins! to help low-income students improve reading skills.

“It’s a joy to read to these children and see their faces light up with interest,” said Jack Gerard, who reads to Jasmine nearly every week.

API employees also volunteered last spring at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School across town, where they repainted the school’s walls and landscaped the grounds, said Hazem Arafa, API’s director of statistics.
In addition to volunteer efforts, API encourages employees to donate to charities through automatic payroll deductions—ranging from $10 to $100—which are partially matched by the trade group.

Since last December API and its staff have donated some $55,000 to nonprofits including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Special Olympics, American Red Cross and—Jack Gerard’s favorites—the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and the Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council.

And last fall API hosted 10 charities for an onsite information session during which staffers learned about new volunteering opportunities.

National Confectioners Association
Washington, D.C. • 25 staffers

Because candy is a surefire way to make a child smile, NCA President Larry Graham said his group’s charitable efforts involve donating sweets to needy kids.

For the last 10 years, the trade group has partnered with the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health, which provides temporary housing for families of children undergoing treatment for pediatric AIDS and cancer. Around Halloween and Christmas the trade group brings piles of candy and chocolate to the 50 to 100 children at the Inn.

“The kids really appreciate it and it makes their long stay in a hospital a little more fun,” said Graham, adding that the group also donates candy to children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.

But Graham said the biggest candy drop of the year happens in May, when boxes labeled “charity” are passed among the some 450-exhibitors at the group’s annual Chicago trade show. The boxes, then filled with every confection imaginable, are loaded onto a truck and delivered to local charities chosen by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Last year’s candy recipients were homeless shelters and children’s groups, Graham said.

Edison Electric Institute
Washington, D.C. • 190 staffers

EEI plugs into its community with more than electricity. In April, the group hosted a staff blood drive at its Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters. Workers at the building next door were also invited, as were employees at the National Archives building across the street.

In August, EEI donated some 180 backpacks stuffed with crayons, dictionaries, paper and other school supplies to the AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation, a Washington, D.C., group that funds public charter schools.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, EEI staffers donated 29 food baskets for seniors through the charity So Others Might Eat.

And this month, the trade group will be part of a holiday sharing program, donating gifts to area families through the Alexandria, Va., Department of Human Services. In addition, as it has for two decades, EEI will raffle gifts at its holiday party, donating proceeds to The HSC Pediatric Center in Northeast D.C., which helps kids deal with chronic illness and disabilities. Last year’s donations totaled $3,500.

Also in 2009, EEI hosted “Bring Your Kids to Work Day.” Employees’ children decorated teddy bears and made a quilt to donate to a local organization.

EEI President Thomas Kuhn said, “We talked to the children about the importance of giving back and then gave them an opportunity to do so.”

American Society of Civil Engineers
Reston, Va. • 240 staffers

Staffers collect litter along a section of South  Lakes Drive in Reston, Va., part of ASCE  involvement in the Adopt-a-Highway program.

The 144,000-member ASCE opens its checkbook to Boulder, Colo.-based nonprofit Engineers Without Borders, whose 300-some chapters work with engineering students to design and construct building projects in developing communities overseas.

Most EWB donors ask to sponsor specific community projects, leaving general operational expenses wanting, so ASCE contributed $500,000 in each of the past two years to fund overhead and infrastructure costs.

ASCE also contributes close to home. In September, some 35 ASCE staffers in orange vests walked a stretch of South Lakes Drive, a highway near their headquarters, picking up trash as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program. ASCE CEO Patrick Natale said the experience was fun for staff as well as a bonding opportunity.
In addition, the group participates in a food drive every holiday season. Last year 300 pounds of groceries were collected—and some staffers knit caps to donate to children.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
Arlington, Va. • 550 staffers

For the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents cooperative electric utilities across the country, community service is a bedrock guiding principle, but headquarters staff “try to live it on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis,” said Adam Parnes, manager, employee communications. 

The group has a standing staff enrichment committee that promotes employee volunteering and in 2009, has helped NRECA host food, toy and blood drives.

Each November, the organization marks its Concern for Community Week. This year, fundraising included a baking contest and a chili bar. All proceeds go to NRECA’s International Foundation, which helps bring electricity to rural villages in developing countries like Sudan.

NRECA hosts Think Pink Week preceding the annual Komen National Race for the Cure, usually the first Saturday in June. This year’s theme, Extinguish Breast Cancer, saw staffers working in tandem with the Arlington County Fire Department. During the week, NRECA holds staff fundraisers like a spelling bee.  
            
Environmental Industry Associations
Washington, D.C. • 20 staffers

Though the EIA holiday raffle is a game of chance, staff participation is a sure thing.
Every year, the group chooses a charity to support and each staffer buys at least one dollar ticket. Many buy several and give tickets to coworkers as Secret Santa presents, since they can win prizes like gift cards. 

Raffle funds are matched by EIA, so, “it turns out to be a pretty decent-sized gift for people spending a few dollars here and there,” said Christine Hutcherson, director of membership services. 

Last year, the charity of choice was House of Ruth, the Washington, D.C., nonprofit that serves women and children who are victims of domestic violence. EIA is supporting House of Ruth again this winter.

“The D.C. metro area has been hit hard with unemployment,” Hutcherson said, “We try to concentrate what we do locally because it seems like a really great way to give back. The people we brush elbows with are the people we’re giving back to.”

Direct Selling Association
Washington, D.C. • 25 staffers

The member companies of DSA are donating toys again this season to the “Today” show Holiday Toy and Gift Drive, part of a foundation that donates gifts to needy families through charities in all 50 states.

DSA CEO Neil Offen, who learned of the effort six years ago while eating breakfast in front of the television, said the program is an opportunity for member companies to benefit the community while repurposing inventory that might otherwise be destroyed, such as past season toys.

In the first year, the DSA and its members donated $2 million worth of toys to the drive, doubling Offen’s year-one goal. And donations have increased since. 

This year, close to $16 million in cash and gifts—including cosmetics, clothing, backpacks and jewelry—were donated by the group and 25 of its 200 members.

“It’s a win-win-win as thousands of children and adults who are truly in need receive holiday gifts [and] companies save money on disposal costs and get a tax deduction,” Offen told CEO Update.

The program is also a public relations boost, Offen said. On Nov. 23, DSA Vice President of Communications and Media Relations Amy Robinson appeared on the “Today” show to announce the group’s gifts.

The Financial Services Roundtable
Washington, D.C. • 45 staffers

On May 1, nearly half of FSR headquarters employees volunteered at Dwelling Place, a day

George Forsberg, CFO at The Financial Services Roundtable,  was among some 25 volunteers at a tag sale for  Dwelling Place, a Washington, D.C., senior citizens’ center.

center for poor seniors in Southeast Washington, D.C., donating baked goods and household items and staffing tables for a yard sale that grossed $500 to fund senior trips.

Dwelling Place Volunteer Coordinator Jenna Jones said of the FSR staffers, “We had a fantastic experience with them. It was a lot of fun and a way for people to connect to the seniors that we serve.”

FSR CEO Steve Bartlett told CEO Update the group’s philanthropy continues this holiday season with a drive in December to collect clothing, books, food and other gifts from employees and member companies to donate to Martha’s Table, a local charity that assists at-risk children and families.

“We realize there are people that are left out and in need,” Bartlett said. “In this economy people need help.”

FSR also runs its Community Service initiative, an eight-year-old program that notifies its roughly 100 member companies of philanthropic opportunities nationwide. Bartlett said from January to September 2009 some 137,000 volunteers from member companies participated in close to 38,000 community service projects.

National Roofing Contractors Association
Rosemont, Ill. • 50 staffers

As it has for the last decade, in 2009 the 4,000-member NRCA partnered with nonprofit Rebuilding Together, which provides low-income Americans nationwide with free home repairs, such as roof replacements. 

William Good, NRCA’s executive vice president, told CEO Update his group’s role is one of coordination. The group connects its members—many of them eager to donate time and materials—with regional chapters of Rebuilding Together. 

“We are putting on hundreds of roofs a year,” said Good.

Additionally, in February NRCA sponsored RT’s Kickoff to Rebuild, a yearly event held on the Friday before the Super Bowl in the city hosting the game. For the 2009 Tampa event, NRCA donated $10,000 towards supplies to re-roof homes of some 20 area residents.

Project Management Institute
Newtown Square, Pa. • 260 staffers

PMI’s approach to helping others in need is in line with what members do professionally: manage multiple projects aimed at successfully achieving a larger objective. 

A 20-member staff team first identifies local community service opportunities, then swings into action.
Canned food, school supply and blood drives are some of the annual results as well as participation in Toys for Tots and Adopt a Soldier. All fit with the group’s preference of donating goods over money, said Elizabeth Mark, human resources manager, for a more immediate impact.

Last year, Operation First Response, which helps soldiers returning from overseas, requested funds, but PMI offered instead to sponsor a Christmas for one military family in need of help.

“They had never thought of that,” said Mark. “Now they ask other companies to do the same.”
This season, PMI is playing Santa to a struggling Texas family, including gifts to parents as well as children. 

OTHER GROUPS THAT GIVE BACK

American Gaming Association – Chipped in for Texas hold’em poker tournaments for veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The Soap and Detergent Association – Helped provide free cleaning service to women undergoing cancer treatment.

Food Marketing Institute – Drive to provide groceries to benefit needy Arlington, Va., residents.
International Bottled Water Association –  In September, rushed 289,400 water bottles to tsunami-stricken American Samoa.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America – Contributes to Habitat for Humanity, Food & Friends, St. Matthew’s Cathedral’s Adopt-a-Family program and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Salt Institute – Global effort to prevent malnutrition and mental impairment caused by iodine deficiency.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards – Hosts free financial planning clinics for residents in cities nationwide.

Healthcare Distribution Management Association – Supports Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America.

American Water Resources Association – Staffers participate in community clean-up efforts.

Business Software Alliance – Offers up to 16 hours annually of community service gift paid time off. Staffers worked at So Others Might Eat and IONA Senior Services.