“You don't have to write a check
to change the world.”
Part Three: Chapter 19
Change Without Cash
By Marc Kielburger
Think pro bono… and we don't mean U2
When the Great Recession hit in the late 2000s and early 2010s, giving back became secondary to keeping businesses afloat. Among the hardest hit corporate sectors was the North American auto industry. With people losing jobs and homes at unprecedented rates, buying a new car was the last thing many consumers considered as they weathered the financial storm.
Ford Motors, like its competitors, struggled for survival. Automakers were understandably very careful with their resources, especially when it came to “extras,” like donations to charity. Ford knew it had to be more inventive with its giving, so it looked at existing assets.
In addition to manufacturing cars and trucks, Ford also operates a national network of local dealers, which have body shops and huge warehouses to store cars. While that might not seem like an asset beyond the obvious land value, it was a gold mine for us, because we were a charity with a storage problem.
One of our most popular campaigns is WE Scare Hunger, a Halloween food drive that has participating kids collect canned goods along with candy while trick-or-treating. Neighbors are warned in advance with posters. Kids bring parents in tow to carry nonperishables in red wagons or wheelbarrows—a fine transportation solution for one or two families. This isn't a scalable solution for the hundreds of thousands of kids across North America who participate, many as part of schoolwide efforts. Cavernous spaces are necessary to store the millions of pounds of packaged goods collected. The campaign was taking over school gyms for weeks on end, disrupting classes and assemblies. It's hard to play basketball in between stacked boxes of canned goods. And, once stored, some bulk items needed to be unpacked, sorted based on need, and reboxed for distribution to food banks, taking up additional space. It is a massive undertaking, and though the kids do most of the hard work, raiding pantries dressed as superheroes, we couldn't solve the space constraints across hundreds of communities.
To learn more about standing up to hunger watch the WE Scare Hunger campaign video: Click for video
Ford saw an opportunity. They made car lots available to campaigning kids and offered empty warehouses as drop-off points. Ford flatbeds picked up and dropped off supplies at local food banks, taking over for the red wagons. It became a team effort, as employees joined in to help load, sort, and unload boxes and cans. Many were inspired by the kids and brought in their own donations.
Today, more than 250 Ford dealerships participate across North America.1 The partnership didn't cost Ford a dime, beyond standard operations and perhaps some work hours—and was repaid with boosted staff morale. Dollars do matter. Still, this was an investment of time and space that was much more reasonable for the company's financial circumstances at that moment. Ford donates cars often; this was the first time the company had used its dealer network of warehouses for a social cause. When a cash donation was off the table, the company didn't give up on finding a cause. They prioritized Purpose enough to get creative, and it paid off.
“The only true test of values, either of men or of things, is that of their ability to make the world a better place in which to live.”
—Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
You may be thinking, “That's great for a billion-dollar enterprise like Ford, but how can this be applied to my small business or organization that doesn't have millions in assets to pick and choose from?” The lesson of rethinking your assets can apply to organizations of all sizes, and even to individuals.
What's Pro Bono, Anyway?
The term pro bono is derived from the Latin “pro bono publica,” which means “for the public good.” Historically, it's referred to legal work provided for free to those who couldn't afford it. But it's taken on a broader usage over time and encompasses all sorts of “in-kind” donations—like free services from companies or people with specific skills or assets.
I was once offered pro bono “integrated media planning” and immediately accepted. When asked if I understood the full meaning of this specialized planning approach, I admitted I did not. But I did understand that “pro bono” meant “free,” so I was all in. Latin or English, “free” is a universal language for charities.
Most companies think only about products as in-kind donations to charity, overlooking the wider definition of “product.” I don't just mean the things you sell. Think of a product as whatever you have to offer that a charity is lacking, be it time, space, use of your technology, or corporate discounts. Engage in more creative purpose partnerships by assessing a charity's needs, then matching those needs to your assets. Offer mentorship to groups looking for guidance, or infrastructure to groups needing capacity. Think about supply chains and distribution systems, mailing and transport solutions, staff volunteer potential, a donation of office space—the list goes on! A well-aligned partnership can take some of the work out of drumming up a purpose plan from scratch if you're not quite ready for that yet. And, by giving much-needed resources to charity, you or your company is still helping to scale social impact by leveraging core competencies. In fact, you may be able to offer more than you first realize when you expand thinking into partnership opportunities that draw on resources outside of CSR departments or traditional donation budgets. When purpose is ingrained into the whole business, the entire system is working for good.
On this note, pay close attention to requests. If you're not able to make a cash donation, reconsider the charity's pitch to determine other needs. And if you are a charity, rethink your pitch to include more than cash. (Holly talked about tips for the pitch in her previous chapter.)
No matter who you are or what your role, you can do good at your workplace.
Trust me, WE has asked for free stuff from everyone. It is thanks in part to our corporate partners that WE maintains an administration rate under 10 percent. On average, more than 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to youth-serving programs.
I give a lot of speeches to corporate teams about infusing purpose into the workplace. Every time, someone approaches me with the desire to do something positive at the company. This is usually followed by, but … I can't right now. Pick a reason—they had a bad quarter, tough margins, not enough cash on hand to make a difference (for individuals, substitute I'm too busy, I still have a mortgage, I'm not the CEO and don't have the authority to write a check). I always reply that no matter who you are or what your role, you can do good at your workplace. This can range from the obvious—getting your team together to race for a cause, an internal recycling program—to maximizing your resources by lending them out. Think more carefully about what you and your company have to offer. Chances are, it's more than cash, and not everything requires the CEO's sign-off.
You don't have to write a check to change the world.
Become a Professional at Pro Bono: A Snapshot of WE's In-Kind Offers
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Twitter designed a WE emoji |
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GoodLife Fitness offers staff free memberships to help WE add an HR incentive |
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The Keg restaurant hosts our charity events |
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Freshii caters staff lunches during team retreats |
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WestJet provides free flights for kids and staff to attend WE Day events Some guests fly to the show. Others travel by golf cart. See singer Kelly Clarkson and actor Gaten Matarazzo en route to the WE Day stage: Click for video |
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Cinemark & Cineplex run WE videos during the previews before movie screenings in their theaters Watch a video on the impact of our partnership with Cinemark: Click for video |
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Facebook donates ad credits |
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Tether and Leo Burnett offer pro bono creative design services |
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Microsoft gives us free hardware and software |
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TELUS provides free phones and telecommunications services |
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Kinetic Worldwide and PATTISON Onestop offer free billboard space |
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Accenture offers pro bono consulting services |
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Nelson Education lends warehouse space to store our WE Schools educational material |
Want to Give Back? Head to the Mall
When you think about charity, a shiny shopping mall is not the first thing that comes to mind. Malls are consumer magnets where handbags are encased in glass, multiplex theaters screen blockbusters, food courts fry up funnel cakes, and public restrooms display ads. But in fact, your disposable spending at the mall can go a long way toward doing good, and I don't just mean retail therapy.
A Partnership on the Move
International courier DHL Express offers free shipping for our Artisans products—from Africa and Ecuador, no less! Since the partnership began in 2012, DHL has shipped more than 5 million Artisans products, helping to connect Maasai mamas in Kenya to a greater market for their traditional beadwork. And the company moves more than just product. DHL employees travel on service trips to Kenya and Ecuador to meet with the mamas empowered by new employment opportunities.
For our part, the mall offers evidence of charity partnerships helping companies give back and helping customers buy the change they want to see in the world.
Let's take a hypothetical tour of the big mall on Main Street, in Anytown. On one floor, you'll find teenagers checking out the display windows at Boathouse and PacSun, popular retailers featuring ME to WE's co-branded clothing options. Over at the Cineplex and Cinemark movie theaters, a couple on their third Tinder date—let's call them Chris and Ella—are taking in WE promos on the big screen, which the chains run in their commercial reels before the main feature. Both theater companies also host Community Days, where audiences watch free films with proceeds from concession sales going to support WE Charity. Just as the opening credits are set to roll, Chris decides to run out for popcorn. As he's checking out topping options, he notices they also sell artisan Rafikis and picks one up for Ella.
In the food court, cubicle workers on lunch break are enjoying the Warrior Bowl from Freshii, with partial proceeds from the quinoa, corn, and black-bean dish going to fund school lunch programs in Kenya. Jack from accounting pops over to the restroom to freshen up, and while standing at the urinal takes in an ad about WE's latest service campaign, courtesy of Kinetic Worldwide or PATTISON Onestop, who each loan us billboard space, including in public urinals. You're standing there anyway; may as well have something to read.
Big Brands Get Kind with in-Kind Giving
Google Ad Grants awards registered charities up to $10,000 per month in free online ads.
Home Depot's “Framing Hope” program diverts excess merchandise from its stores away from landfills and into local homes in need of rebuilding or refurbishment.
IKEA Canada donated $180,000 in furniture and housewares when the country resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees into new homes in 2016.
While in the mall, swing by the WE Store. Cadillac Fairview is one of the largest owners of office and retail space in Canada and its crown jewel, the Eaton Centre, a Toronto shopping mall, welcomes 50 million visitors a year.2 Cadillac Fairview understands the tremendous value of its storefronts in the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, and it knows an organization like WE could never afford to operate there. You guessed it: the company gave us a free space for WE's flagship outlet, lending us its biggest asset to make the most impact. Visitors can learn more about our programs, sign up for service campaigns, and pick up a WE Schools or WE Family action kit.
Virtually every tap of a credit card at the mall is an opportunity to give something back because the companies mentioned got creative with philanthropy. These corporate–charity partnerships delved into the entire business, drawing more of the company's networks and resources into the cause and affecting greater social change. They did more than cut a check for charity, investing in original solutions that leveraged assets. This, in turn, gives consumers the opportunity to increase the value of their purchases. You were going to spend the money anyway, so why not infuse purpose into those purchases by buying from companies that care? Why just write a check to charity once a year at tax time when you can also support a cause through your daily shopping choices? (Side note: Charities still like checks. Keep writing them, but also consider the multitude of additional options.)
Don't Show Me the Money
Just like speed dating for singles, there is speed dating for companies looking to match with charities. The process is considerably less romantic, but the time-bound conversation that leaves a permanent first impression is the same. One of those sessions is run by the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship and held at Oxford University. There, WE had five-minute dates with a rotating roster of companies, including the up-market watchmaker and accessories retailer Fossil. WE's “date” with Janiece Evans-Page, Global Head of the Fossil Foundation, was an instant love connection. She was impressed with our sustainable development model overseas and was ready to make a donation. Our team loved her enthusiasm and commitment to efficient philanthropy, and saw incredible potential in the company's long-term intentions for social impact.
Before we walked down the aisle of partnership, we realized we could have more than a hasty Las Vegas wedding. Evans-Page knew that Fossil could offer something much more valuable than a one-time donation. She saw that our artisan program needed a retailer with a designer's eye, a marketing strategy, and distribution channels—a true partner. This took some finessing. Fossil sold products and its corporate foundation funded causes, but one had no direct business with the other. This is a common philosophy for many companies who want to keep purpose projects out of the spotlight. With skeptical consumers wary of the kind of cause washing we talked about earlier—those less altruistic companies looking to fake it—I don't blame them.
Together we realized that Fossil's greatest asset isn't money; it's people. In fact, this is true of most every company. Fossil offered us its marketing, design, and e-commerce experts to consult with our artisan teams in Kenya and Ecuador. They hosted workshops for our teams at Fossil headquarters in Dallas to show us how artisans could add leatherwork to their handbags. Glass beads from the Maasai Mara could adorn Fossil's watch straps. Artisans design collaborations now sit in Fossil's storefront windows, another asset leveraged. Thanks to this partnership and the prime marketing real estate of a front display, our co-branded products are a top seller. ME to WE styles are consistently among Fossil's weekly top 10 performers in the jewelry category. What does this all mean for change without cash? At the end of 2016, just one year into the partnership, Fossil had provided more than 97,000 social impacts in the form of clean water and food delivered to communities overseas. Each product sale provided a unique and specific social impact, like a baby chick for a woman in Ecuador that will lay eggs for her family to eat and to sell. Furthermore, a more robust, capacity-building partnership employed more artisans around the world, lifting the participants and their families out of poverty.
Change without cash can pay off: in-kind donations are often tax-deductible
In the end, Fossil did make a monetary donation to WE Charity, and we're very grateful. By also providing human capital, Fossil grew its social impact exponentially—creating change on an even bigger scale by using every arm of the company for the cause. Fossil helped the women employed by Artisans and their families, as well as the local economy in our partner countries. The team helped to empower the women economically in a sustainable way that will offer benefits beyond a single corporate donation.
Good Housekeeping: Our Deal with a Seal
Print publishers are still navigating the new digital world, in which ad revenue has fallen off a cliff since classifieds went online. Adjusting to new advertising models and reader habits, publications like Hearst Magazines' Good Housekeeping are forced to get creative with charitable giving. The magazine looked inward and realized its biggest asset beyond cash was a sterling reputation.
Good Housekeeping, in print since 1885, is best known for its Good Housekeeping Seal, created in 1909. More than a gimmick, the seal is branded on products that pass rigorous testing standards carried out by its renowned Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI). Earning the label from the GHI is no small feat and no small promise. Good Housekeeping stands by its Seal with a two-year product guarantee. The magazine will refund or replace a product carrying its seal if the item is found to be defective within two years of purchase.3
Watch a sneak peek behind the scenes of the Seal: Click for video
What does this have to do with WE?
After working with the magazine as our title sponsor at the first WE Day in New York City in 2017, Good Housekeeping saw an opportunity to expand the partnership. Not with money, but by scrutinizing our charity just like they would a new flat screen TV or shampoo. They studied our financials, legal background, organizational structure, workforce, and our state and federal filings in the U.S. Once they completed their due diligence, the deal was, well, … sealed.
Good Housekeeping granted WE Charity its first-ever Good Housekeeping Humanitarian Seal, developed to give people a sense of confidence when choosing to support a charitable organization.
For a brand to lend us its reputation is a very big deal, especially one that has such a profound resonance with consumers. The original Good Housekeeping Seal boasts a legacy that is over 100 years old and is among America's most trusted shopping standards; 90 percent of consumers say the seal would influence their purchasing decision.4 The launch of the Humanitarian Seal received by WE Charity helps build that same trust in the organization, giving donors the knowledge that it holds up to business standards. It's not a cash transaction, it's a priceless testimonial.
So You're not the CEO: How Middle Managers Can Do Good at Work
If you don't control the checkbook, don't worry.
Here are some creative ideas for managers or even entry-level staff to make change without cash. Some ideas still need to be pitched to the boss, but all are low-commitment options for the company.
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The takeaway here is simple: you, your workplace, or your small business have more to offer charities than a check. Each of your unique assets can be leveraged to help make an impact in the world.
How can you make change without cash?