PRINCIPLE 17

Give Back

I was going to make this chapter part of another one, but I think the underlying idea is too important.

As you go through life, you don’t merely want to be good—good at what you do for a living; good as a person; good to your family, friends, and community—you want to be great. And, part of being great is helping people.

You have to give back.

When I say that, some people wonder why they have to. They tell me they obey all laws, pay their taxes, and vote. They take care of their families and they’re good neighbors. Isn’t that enough, they ask.

No.

You really do want to treat people the way you would like them to treat you. If you needed some help, you would like someone to provide it. What naturally follows is that you should be willing to help others in need. What comes with success is a responsibility to help those who have not been as fortunate.

In fact, I believe that responsibility starts even before you’re truly successful. I encourage people to begin giving back as early as possible. With our kids, we tied the concept to their bar and bat mitzvahs; 10% of what they received in gifts, they donated to the charity of their choice. This is how engrained the idea is for Lois and me.

Now, you don’t have to start quite that early, but I do think you should be giving back the moment you have a job. Why? Well, one reason, I believe, is because this is an important thing to do. And for another, I don’t think this is something you can—or should—put off, to where you only give when things are going well for you. No, you want to get into the habit of helping people early on, and stay in this habit throughout your life.

I know younger people are going to object when I say they should be giving back from day one of their working life. After all, when you’re just starting out, money is tight. (It certainly was for me.)

If my suggestion, giving back from the day you receive your first paycheck, is going to make you cranky, then this is going to make you livid: I think everyone should give 10% of what they make—and they should be contributing that amount from day one as well.

In the Hebrew Torah there is a concept called Maaser. It’s a three-year cycle. In year 1, 10% was given to the high priests. In year 2, 10% was given to the Levite Group who performed religious acts. In year 3, 10% was given to the poor and orphans. And then the cycle was repeated. This concept in other religions is called tithing. Even if you’re not religious, I advise you do this.

Now, let me be quick to stress that the 10% does not have to be in cash. You can give your time, goods, or services in addition to (or instead of) cash. How you give is negotiable, but how much is not.

Where or to whom do you give? This is a personal decision. However, typically you’re going to feel better about giving to a charity you have a connection to.

Let me give you some quick examples.

I have always given to cancer research; but when I was diagnosed with cancer, giving back became more personal for me. I started working directly with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research, to help them with their fund-raising. I am very lucky to have received wonderful and effective care during my treatment, and I want to be a part of giving back to help others in similar circumstances.

Conversely, people who have taken their children to a local hospital and received good treatment and services may choose to fund the local children’s hospital.

You think your local religious facility should have a nursery so young parents can attend services, instead of being forced to stay home with their kids. Everyone agrees, but says there is no money, so you start a fund-raising effort on your own.

Do you feel you received a good college education that helped you to be successful? I donate to my alma maters, Harvard and Rutgers. I also contribute to Babson because I think the education Babson provides is stellar and so important. Money magazine and U.S. News & World Report have, for many years, named Babson the best college in America for entrepreneurship. It is a real privilege to have taught there for over fifteen years.

If you want to remember those who gave their lives on September 11, there are a number of charities you can contribute to, including one that my family supports, Jeremy’s Heroes.

Do something that makes sense for you.

Should you be strategic? If you do business with golfers, should you fund golf-related charities? Well, I’m neutral on this issue. Whether you like it or not, that is probably going to end up happening. If you serve as a senior manager for a company, and the CEO has a charity that he’s particularly fond of, you’re probably going to end up making a contribution. It’s just another example of funding something that’s important to you; that is, staying in the boss’s good graces.

It’s just human nature; most people find it easier to reach for their checkbook if they can relate to the charity.

That, by the way, is also the way you get people to give if you’re in charge of fund-raising. You need to connect the cause, issue, or project you are trying to raise money for to something that’s important to the people you’re asking to contribute. Sure, you can simply ask them for money, but if you tie your request to something they care about, your odds of receiving a donation go up substantially. (You can see how this easily ties to the top two layers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—esteem and self-actualization.)

Here’s an example. You’re trying to raise money for athletic facilities in your town. You could knock on doors at random and ask for a contribution. Or you could figure out who are the richest, most generous people in town, and try to determine what they will respond to.

Well, in this case, not surprisingly, people who care about sports are more likely to give. You find that one of the people in town is a fanatical follower of the local college football team. Could you arrange for him to have lunch, or, better yet, play a round of golf with the head coach in the off-season? If you could, your odds of receiving an extremely large check would go up dramatically.

If they have children who have played in school sports or are currently involved, they make great candidates as well.

My friend Pat Boyle is a very successful entrepreneur. After he sold one of his companies, he was able to spend more time at home with his kids. Like Pat, they were athletes. One problem, he found, was that the football and baseball fields did not have stadium lights, so this limited the use of the facilities.

Pat spent three years holding many fund-raisers and attending zoning meetings to work through any challenges they faced so the fields could have lights. They now enjoy evening games and practices, thanks to his efforts.

Cenveo chairman Bob Burton admits that he would not have gone to college unless he had received a football scholarship. So, he founded the Cenveo scholarship program for children of Cenveo employees. They’ve raised $2 million so far.

The connection makes all the difference.

OTHER EXAMPLES

Just as only you can decide what ethical standards you’re going to adopt, only you can decide how, if at all, you want to try to capitalize on your ethical behavior.

Target, for example, has a sign in every one of its stores saying it gives 5% of profits to local charities, going so far as to break down how much it’s given to each nearby town. At Blue Buffalo, we have the Buff Foundation that funds dog and cat cancer research. Our contributions are based on sales. You can see on our website that we give millions each year.

You need to do what feels right and comfortable for you. Ultimately, you’re the one who has to decide whether you are going to be a mensch or not.

PEER PRESSURE 101

Here’s something else I have learned about giving, and it struck me as counterintuitive. For the longest time, I was more than happy to give and to receive no credit for doing so. People would offer to put up a plaque in my honor, or name something after me, and every time I said no. “I’m just happy to give,” I said. “I don’t want any recognition.”

Well, President Len Schlesinger, who brought me to Babson when he was head of the college, told me, in no uncertain terms, that my modesty was a bad idea.

“If I can put your name on something, I can go to your wealthier friends and colleagues and say, ‘You see what Len Green contributed? You have a lot more money than he does, what are you going to fund?’ ”

It’s a very clever approach. People are naturally competitive and they’re going to want to outdo whatever their friends and colleagues have done. Of course, the charity benefits as a result.

A variation on this can work on a far smaller scale. For example, invariably our employees’ kids are involved in some sort of fund-raising venture. The local Girl Scout troop wants to go on a trip; the swim team needs money to be able to compete at a regional event.

I always tell the parents to put the cookies, wrapping paper, or magazine gift subscription the kids are selling on our receptionist’s desk so the other employees can see it when they walk in. I also suggest something else. I tell them to leave a contribution sheet there as well, so everyone can see who made the purchases (and can figure out who didn’t). I try to be the first person to sign up. You’d be amazed at how effective this approach is in increasing contributions.

I don’t care what it takes to get you to give. I only care that you do.

ONE FINAL NOTE: THE PROFITS FROM THIS BOOK

I sincerely hope you have taken from this book a few ideas that will make you more successful.

All profits from this book will be contributed to charity. It’s called putting my money where my mouth is.

Thank you for reading.