SOURCE:Major League Baseball Players Trust

DESCRIPTION:

NEW YORK, August 8, 2016 /3BL Media/ - The Major League Baseball Players Trust today announced that the 2017 Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies application is now available for submission through Monday, November 7, 2016.  

The Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies application can be accessed through www.PlayersTrust.org or directly by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1LWx5pe

In July of 2014, Major League baseball players, through the Major League Baseball Players Trust, created this scholarship program to honor the life of former MLBPA Executive Director, Michael Weiner. The scholarship seeks to recognize and support the efforts of individuals dedicated to improving the lives of workers.  The Players Trust awards up to five $10,000 scholarships annually as part of the scholarship program.

In its first two years, more than 120 applications from over 85 colleges and universities were received; and there have been 10 Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies recipients representing such schools as Columbia Law School, CUNY School of Law, Fordham University School of Law, Howard University School of Law, Northeastern University School of Law, UCLA School of Law and UMass Amherst. 

Weiner spent 25 years, nearly his entire professional career, with the MLBPA working in support of the Players – past, present and future. Despite being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in August of 2012, Weiner waged an inspiring battle against his disease as he continued to work on behalf of the Players right up to the time of his passing in November 2013, at the age of 51.

To be eligible for an award, individuals must be Graduate or Law Students enrolled in an accredited educational institution in the United States or Canada and must have a demonstrated interest in, and wish to make a career out of, working in the labor movement and on behalf of workers’ rights.  To receive an award, eligible candidates must meet a combination of criteria identified below:

• A strong academic record
• Demonstrated commitment to the labor movement
• A strong recommendation from an academic or a labor/workers’ rights practitioner
• Strong written and oral communication skills

Preference will be given to those who can demonstrate financial need through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) scores or otherwise.

For more information, please visit http://playerstrust.org/programs/michael-weiner-scholarship-labor-studies/

About the Major League Baseball Players Trust

Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities.  Each year the Players Trust distributes more than $1.5 million in annual grants and programs, and inspires hundreds of thousands of high school students to volunteer in their communities through the Action Team national youth volunteer program.  For additional information, please visit www.PlayersTrust.org and visit the Players Trust channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MLBPlayersTrust.  Follow the Trust on Twitter (@MLBPlayersTrust) and Instagram (mlbplayerstrust).

Media Contacts:  Greg Bouris MLBPA Director of Communications, 212/826-0808; gbouris@mlbpa.org;  Chris Dahl, MLBPA Assistant Director of Communications, 212/826-0808; cdahl@mlbpa.org

Tweet me:.@MLBPlayersTrust #MichaelWeiner Scholarship for Labor Studies application now available! Apply: bit.ly/1LWx5pe

KEYWORDS: Education, Philanthropy, Major League Baseball Players Trust, Michael Weiner Scholarship, labor movemen

SOURCE:AT&T

DESCRIPTION:

Tweet me:.@ConnectToGood "Big Ideas Come From Growing Minds at SHAPE Maker Camp" http://soc.att.com/2aPL1TB #ATTimpact

KEYWORDS: Events, Conferences & Webinars, AT&T, AT&T Aspire, Maker Camp, Children, Education, computer science, crafting, Tech Expo, shape, developers, app

SOURCE:Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

DESCRIPTION:

DUBLIN, Ohio, August 9, 2016 /3BL Media/ -- Here's a ride that lets you pay it forward. Today, Wendy's® announces the launch of a partnership with Uber, a technology platform that is evolving the way the world moves, which will raise funds to help find homes for children waiting in foster care. From now until the end of the promotion, Uber will give first-time riders who register with the code '4Adoption' their first ride free (up to $15), and Wendy's will donate $5 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®. They say nothing in life is free, but we respectfully disagree.

"When it comes to the issue of adoption, Wendy's commitment doesn't stop at the doors of our restaurants," said Liz Geraghty, Wendy's vice president of marketing. "With more than 100,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States, this partnership gives people an easy way to make a difference in their community and beyond. We're proud to team up with Uber on this initiative."

It's through programs like this that Wendy's is able to support the Foundation in its commitment to finding permanent and loving homes for children waiting in foster care. As an adopted child himself, Wendy's Founder Dave Thomas knew first-hand the importance of family. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption was born from Dave's firmly held belief that children in foster care "aren't someone else's responsibility, they are our responsibility." Today, Wendy's remains committed to that belief and mission, and supports the organization through in-restaurant activations, partnerships and donations.

Already have an Uber account? You can still help us find forever families for children in foster care. Visit our donation page.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 130,000 children waiting in North America's foster care systems. Created by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national signature programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grant making. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org, or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.

About The Wendy's Company
The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ: WEN) is the world's third largest quick-service hamburger restaurant chain. The Wendy's system includes more than 6,500 restaurants in 28 countries and U.S. territories. For more information, visit www.aboutwendys.com.

Tweet me:.@Wendys & @Uber partnership offers first-time riders free ride up to $15. $5 to be donated to #DTFA http://bit.ly/2aJG6bz

Contact Info:

Frank Vamos
+1 (614) 764-8477
frank.vamos@wendys.com

Steven Coulombe
+1 (404) 879-9292
steven.coulombe@ketchum.com

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Wendy's, Uber, Dave Thomas, foster care, adoption, Recruiter, forever family, Donations

SOURCE:Keep America Beautiful

DESCRIPTION:

STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 9, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Keep America Beautiful, the national nonprofit that envisions a country in which every community is a clean, green and beautiful place to live, and Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD), today announced the recipients of the 2016 Keep America Beautiful/Anheuser-Busch Community Restoration Grants program.

The Keep America Beautiful/Anheuser-Busch Community Restoration Grants program, now in its second year, is awarding four $10,000 grants to Keep America Beautiful affiliates – Keep Texas Beautiful in Austin, Texas; Shreveport Green in Shreveport, Louisiana; Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful in Tampa, Florida; and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – for high impact public space restoration projects that help remedy property damaged or destroyed by a recent natural disaster.

“Anheuser-Busch takes environmental sustainability seriously. Not only are our beers made with less water, energy, packaging, and emissions than ever before, we are fully committed to making a positive impact on our communities,” said Peggy Jacober, Director, CSR & Better World at Anheuser-Busch. “As such, we are thrilled to continue our longstanding ongoing efforts with the recent Keep America Beautiful/Anheuser-Busch Community Restoration Grants program."

Highlights of initiatives supported by the Anheuser-Busch Community Restoration Grants in 2016 include:

Keep Oklahoma Beautiful– Keep Oklahoma Beautiful’s Fresh Paint Days is a program designed to encourage Oklahoma volunteers to seek out blighted community structures and renovate them. Keep Oklahoma Beautiful will utilize the grant to provide supplies that will help transform areas that have been blighted because of recent storms.

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful– Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful will replenish three sand dune areas along the Courtney Campbell Causeway near Ben T. Davis Beach that have been decimated by storms and hurricanes. The project will also include planting natives such as Sea Oats, Muhly Grass, Dune Sunflower, Gaillardia, Sea Grapes, Beach Morning Glory and Coral Bean to provide for future shoreline stabilization.

Keep Texas Beautiful– Keep Texas Beautiful will provide three pass-through mini-grants to help local affiliates in state-declared disaster areas restore public spaces affected by severe weather.

Shreveport Green– Shreveport’s landmark downtown Riverview Park was devastated by the record-breaking flooding of the Red River in spring 2015. Shreveport Green will use its grant award to help revitalize the park to its former glory.

“With sudden, devastating weather events occurring in greater frequency throughout the country, these targeted grants from our longtime partner Anheuser-Busch are well-positioned to provide some relief to communities in need,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful. “Thanks to the Anheuser-Busch Community Restoration Grants, we’ll help more affiliate communities restore and revitalize the environmental, economic and social health of their communities.”

About Keep America Beautiful
At Keep America Beautiful, we want to ensure that beauty is our lasting signature. A leading national nonprofit, Keep America Beautiful inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. We envision a country where every community is a clean, green, and beautiful place to live. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful provides the expertise, programs and resources to help people End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America's Communities. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 620 state and community-based Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. To learn how you can donate or take action, visit kab.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.

About Anheuser-Busch
For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch and its world-class brewmasters have carried on a legacy of brewing America’s most-popular beers. Starting with the finest ingredients sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s family of growers, every batch is crafted using the same exacting standards and time-honored traditions passed down through generations of proud Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and employees. Best known for its fine American-style lagers, Budweiser and Bud Light, the company’s beers lead numerous beer segments. Budweiser and Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita were named Brands of the Year for the Beer and the Spirits, Malt Beverages and Wine categories, respectively, by Ace Metrix® in 2014. Anheuser-Busch is the U.S. arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev and operates 18 local breweries, 21 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities across the United States. The company committed to investing more than $1.5 billion in its U.S. brewing, agriculture, packaging and distributing operations by 2018. Its flagship brewery remains in St. Louis, Mo., and is among the global company’s largest and most technologically-capable breweries. Visitor and special beermaster tours are available at its St. Louis and five other Anheuser-Busch breweries. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

###

Tweet me:.@kabtweet, #Anheuser-Busch provide #community restoration grants to #KeepAmericaBeautiful affiliates. http://bit.ly/2b8Ajt5

Contact Info:

Mike Rosen
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-3008
mrosen@kab.org
http://www.twitter.com/kabtweet
http://www.facebook.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.instagram.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.youtube.com/kabnetwork

Larry Kaufman
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-3014
lkaufman@kab.org

KEYWORDS: Volunteerism & Community Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility, Keep America Beautiful, Anheuser-Busch, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Shreveport Green, community restoration

An e-Book by MicroEdge

SOURCE:MicroEdge + Blackbaud

DESCRIPTION:

Why Should You Care About Employee Engagement?

In truth, the answer is quite simple: engaged employees are more loyal, work harder, and stay longer. It would stand to reason that companies with higher levels of employee engagement perform better. Data taken from the 2012 Global Workforce Study conducted by Towers Watson supports this theory. By comparing employee engagement levels in 50 companies around the world, it found that companies with high levels of employee engagement reported a same-year operating margin nearly three times higher than companies with low levels of engagement. Furthermore, a recent study by Dale Carnegie Training found that US businesses lose $11 billion annually due to employee turnover —that alone is strong motivation to ensure your employees are engaged.

What's more is that there are a myriad factors that determine levels of employee engagement. A 2012 study by Aon Hewitt revealed six major categories—along with 22 organizational antecedents—of employee engagement drivers. These are all factors that can potentially increase (or decrease) an individual’s engagement within a company, but the key is determining a way to leverage these drivers to increase engagement—and one of the very best ways, evidence shows, is through employee volunteer programs.

Check out the full eBook here to learn what these driving forces are and how you can enjoy these benefits at your company!

To learn more about this and other topics, visit our resource hub. 

Tweet me:Employee engagement is key to overall company performance. Learn frm @MicroEdgeLLC how to boost participation #CSR http://bit.ly/2aUl4Ux

KEYWORDS: Business & Trade, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employee Engagement, MicroEdge

SOURCE:America's Charities

DESCRIPTION:

This past February, I presented a case study of a company’s relationship with a nonprofit around employee volunteer engagement. A quick recap:

• A well-meaning company wanted to do a group volunteer activity with a nonprofit they financially supported
• The nonprofit didn’t have a readily structured and meaningful group volunteer project for the company…but they did something anyways
• While the company got its volunteer activity, the experience was less than inspirational for the employees and didn’t deliver great value for the nonprofit

Sound familiar?  In fact, you’ve probably lived it – from the perspective of the company, the nonprofit or the employee volunteer.  Our Snapshot research conducted in 2014 and 2015 confirms and amplifies this still ongoing struggle to meaningfully engage employees as volunteers.

In the last post, I outlined four concrete strategies to dramatically improve the interaction and results for employee volunteer engagement:

1. Work with trusted partners. 

2. Describe success.

3. Leverage technology. 

4. Follow up.

Let’s apply these time-tested tactics to our case study and rewrite it: 

S&B, a multi-national pharmaceutical company, is a large supporter of Emergency Relief, a national nonprofit.  Maria, S&B’s Community Relations Director, wanted to organize a volunteer activity to team build and make a difference in the community.  Maria searched on their company’s online employee engagement and workplace giving platform to see what opportunities might be available with Emergency Relief.  Maria didn’t see anything that would accommodate the number of employees who were going to volunteer, but she did see an opportunity that might fit if Emergency Relief was amenable.  Essentially, it involved distributing disaster readiness kits in low-income neighborhoods.

Maria reached out to her contact at Emergency Relief – Kathy, the Development Director – and outlined her need and potential solution.  Kathy got Ryan, the Volunteer Director, and Amy, the Program and Services Director, on the line with Maria.  Maria outlined her needs and suggested doing a readiness kit distribution in two weeks.  Amy loved the idea of a larger group volunteering for a need Emergency Relief had, though Ryan expressed some logistical challenges that would need to be addressed.  In addition, Amy pushed back on doing it in two weeks, as other activities were already scheduled.  She suggested four weeks out which was workable for Maria.  By the end of the call, they had mapped out shared objectives, covered the logistical needs and confirmed the date and location for the activity.

Maria then created a new volunteer opportunity on S&B’s employee engagement platform and promoted it within the company.  Interested employees signed up on the platform, providing Maria and Emergency Relief a roster, including contact information.  In the days leading up to the event, Ryan provided Maria some content on the impact her employees will have by distributing the readiness kits.  Maria posted this on the platform so that it was shared with the employees.

The volunteer activity was a great success with the volunteers feeling a sense of satisfaction and impact, the nonprofit having an important need met and the company having its objectives met.  Emergency Relief sent personal thank-you notes to the employee volunteers inviting them to continue to be a part of the Emergency Relief family.  Three of the twenty volunteers made a financial contribution as a result and five more signed up for other volunteer opportunities with them.

So what was different?

Well, the end result – and most importantly, those impacted by Emergency Relief were better served.  Examples of the four tactics include:

1. Work with trusted partners.

• Maria felt comfortable reaching out directly to Kathy.  And Amy and Ryan felt comfortable pushing back on the timeframe and expressing some logistical concerns about Maria’s idea.

2. Describe success.

• Maria articulated her objectives.  Amy confirmed the value of the proposed idea.

3. Leverage technology.

• S&B uses an employee engagement and workplace giving platform to post volunteer opportunities.  Emergency Relief provided S&B with some relevant content.

4. Follow up.

• Emergency Relief stewarded their volunteers and thanked them.  As a result, they secured continued support.

In closing, the solutions are not complicated nor difficult.  But the challenge lies in the execution – just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s simply done.  Successful volunteer programs and partnerships between a company and nonprofit are the result of diligent and purposeful interaction – a relationship built upon trust and transparency. In order for a volunteer effort to have impact, it must be organized and executed in a way that accomplishes “success” as defined by your company and the nonprofit from the onset. If you can do that, then you will form truly strategic relationships that bring value to everyone involved.

Tweet me:.@AmerCharities: Time-tested tactics for making employee #volunteerism matter http://bit.ly/2aKriWd #EmployeeEngagement

KEYWORDS: Volunteerism & Community Engagement, Philanthropy, best practices in employee volunteering, employee giving, America's Charities, Employee Engagement, Fundraising, cause marketing, corporate philanthropy, workplace giving, social responsibility, csr

SOURCE:Booz Allen Hamilton

DESCRIPTION:

The following post is part of a series of stories written by Booz Allen Hamilton’s Summer Games interns. The opinions and views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the views of Booz Allen.

Written by Abby Lemert

The firm doesn’t choose the adventure for us, they choose us for the adventure.

“We assign you to a project, yes. But we don’t assign you randomly…We want to hear about your interests, passions, and skillsets and what you want to learn and where you want to grow…Your projects are crowd-sourced from current Booz Allen employees, then put to a firm-wide vote, and the winning challenges are assigned to teams. We work to put you on a project that matches your interests.” That was my introduction to Booz Allen Hamilton’s Summer Games Internship Program, given by the Games’ organizer.

My team is working on the Supplying Emergency Water to Disaster Zones project. One of the greatest challenges following a man-made or natural disaster is getting clean water to affected populations. Disasters oftentimes impair critical infrastructure that prevent water supplies from getting into damaged areas.

Natural disasters alone have caused the deaths of 8 million people since the turn of the 20^th century. Lack of drinkable water causes approximately 12% of those deaths.  That means that, on average, 23 people die every day from lack of clean water following a disaster.

My team is not full of disaster relief experts, but rather an amalgamation of mechanical engineering students, businessmen, and sustainability majors – so we are able to analyze the problem from a unique angle.

Several weeks into our project, we broke the problem down into key categories that we are solving and strategically taking steps to address:

• How do you get the right technologies to affected populations?
• How can water treatment technologies be combined more efficiently?
• How can we better take into consideration local factors and behaviors?
• How can we utilize case studies from organizations like FEMA and the Red Cross?

Through all of this we’ve made progress on solutions such as a decision-making tool to aid NGOs following a disaster, and a filter design that more effectively combines existing technologies to make sure it can be used by those who need it.

Sometimes, after a long and exhausting day of debating ideas and action plans, I sit back and look at our team and think – if anyone can help solve this challenge, it’s this multidisciplinary group of problem solvers.

Abby Lemert is an undergraduate student studying mechanical engineering at Purdue University and a Booz Allen intern in Washington, D.C.

Tweet me:.@BoozAllen interns are helping create better disaster relief tools. Here's their story http://bit.ly/2aJ9uz3 #SummerofBooz

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Booz Allen Hamilton, Interns, Internships, millennials, Innovation, disaster, water

The New Leaders in Silicon Valley

SOURCE:GreenMoney Journal

DESCRIPTION:

by Nancy E. Pfund, founder and managing partner, DBL (Double Bottom Line) Partners and one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business 2016

By 2050, the world will consume 61 percent more energy than it does today. This should be good news, for, as access to reliable, affordable energy increases, so does the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people. Energy keeps schools and businesses running, computers working, cities shining, and cars moving. Without the availability of energy, the global poverty rate could not have dropped by more than half since 1990, allowing the opportunity to improve lives across a wide sphere. And yet, in a skewed parallel, 1.3 billion people lack access to the most basic energy services and the economic, environmental and health benefits they provide. Furthermore, many are at a disproportionate risk to the world’s most pressing climate change threats. For example, The Carteret Islanders of Papua New Guinea have become the world’s first entire community to be displaced by climate change, recently packing up their lives to move out of the way of ever-rising waters that threaten to overtake their homes, their crops, and their history. 

Extending Progress to the Developing World

The developed world has seen great progress in renewable energy. Today, in the United States, virtually all new additions to power capacity come from sustainable sources. However, much of the future energy demand in the world will come from developing countries as they continue to grow and add more citizens to the middle class. This is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges that we face today. How can we ensure that the most threatening climate change consequences are avoided, but also ensure equitable access to energy? The answer, of course, is renewable energy, and the attendant electrification of products and services once serviced by fossil fuels.

Affordable and clean renewable energy would help millions of people escape poverty and become more self-sufficient. It would ease international tensions and increase global security by making more countries less dependent on oil. It would unlock new economic opportunities in a growing trillion-dollar industry. It would attract more foreign investment to the regions that need it most. It would lessen the problems caused by the expensive and sometimes dangerous work of extracting fossil fuels. It would reduce air pollution, which kills millions of people every year. And it would stabilize energy prices by eliminating the volatility of natural gas and oil, which will have an even bigger impact on the global economy as more people come to rely on energy in their daily lives.

The question that remains, however, is how do we economically provide clean energy to the billions of those who need it? In 11 countries, all in Africa, more than 90 percent of people go without electricity. In six of these countries, only three to five percent of people can readily obtain electric power.

Fortunately, there is good news. The price of solar panels has decreased dramatically in the last decade by 70 percent. Solar installations have also grown exponentially, accounting for more than one percent of global electricity demand in 2015 and 22.5 percent of all new generation sources in the same year. Advances in storage and software have allowed us to push the boundaries on creating a smarter and cleaner grid. From streetlights to kitchen-top appliances, more devices and services are being connected in previously unimaginable ways; allowing a more sophisticated and efficient approach to managing demand and grid operations. With the growth of renewables, — some 13 percent of electricity consumption in the US in 2015, — and the increase in electrified fleets of cars entering the transportation sector, the traditional use and distribution are changing before our eyes. We are moving from a centralized energy system to one that integrates distributed energy resources, creative microgrid solutions, and, soon, vehicle to grid energy flows. It is truly staggering to see how much progress has been made in the energy industry in the last decade. Electric vehicle growth presents one of the most robust statistics in this regard, globally, from below 30,000 in 2010, to 720,000 in 2015, to one million today.

Read Nancy full blog post & her Bio at-  http://bit.ly/29ygFY9

Tweet me:Women Using Venture Capital to Change the World - http://bit.ly/2aCiUMn | #womeninstem #womeninfinance #africa #solar #climate #invest

Contact Info:

Cliff Feigenbaum, founder and managing editor
GreenMoney Journal and GreenMoney.com
+1 (505) 577-1563
cliff@greenmoney.com

KEYWORDS: Finance & Socially Responsible Investment, Business & Trade, Developing World, africa, venture capital, Solar, climate change, sustainability, clean renewable energy, Poverty, fossil fuels, women, Silicon Valley, electric power, solar panels, electric vehicles, infrastructure, Breakthrough Energy Coalition, entrepreneurs, Off Grid Electric, LED lighting, SolarCity, Tesla, Microgrid, Fast Company magazine, Green Money Journal

Meet Erin Hogeboom, One of the Speakers Behind this Upcoming VM Summit 16 Session

SOURCE:VolunteerMatch

DESCRIPTION:

Name: Erin Hogeboom

Title: Community Development and Network Strategy Manager

Company: National Girls Collaborative

VM Summit 16 Session: The STEM Trifecta: How Time Warner Cable, The Connectory, and VolunteerMatch Collaborated for Mutually Beneficial Results

What is your session about? And what do you hope attendees will get out of it?

Our session is about how to effectively identify a need that impacts multiple sectors, and then brainstorm, organize, and activate the stakeholders necessary to make effective progress toward meeting that need.

We hope that attendees will leave with tactical examples of how to work collaboratively with both corporate and nonprofit partners to create and implement a project that is win-win-win. We also hope that attendees can learn from our process what worked and didn’t work, and be able to implement better practices in their engaging with volunteers.

What is the biggest misconception people have about the nonprofit sector?

First of all, people misconceive that National Girls Collaborative itself offers STEM programming to youth, when in fact, we are a network of over 20,000 youth-serving STEM programs. This means any experience or exemplary practice we reference comes from a collective body, not just one organization.

As a nonprofit, there is a misconception that we only partner with other nonprofits, when in fact, some of our greatest collaborations are with industry leaders, including former Time Warner Cable, Google, and Microsoft.

What are you most looking forward to about VM Summit 16?

I am looking forward to the questions participants will have during our session on the partnership between National Girls Collaborative, VolunteerMatch, and formerly Time Warner Cable. I’m interested to hear what the takeaways are from them, and I’m excited to continue to learn from this project, through what I’m sure will be a very lively discussion. I am also eager to see what future partnerships might arise from the connections made at the Summit.

To learn more about Erin, check out her bio on our Summit speakers’ page. And if you haven’t yet, register today for VM Summit 16!

Tweet me:At #VMSummit16, Erin of @ngcproject will talk #STEM collaboration: http://bit.ly/2aKuxvg via @VM_Solutions

KEYWORDS: Volunteerism & Community Engagement, Diversity & Human Resources, vm summit 16, collaboration, nonprofit

SOURCE:Carnival Corporation & plc

DESCRIPTION:

In 2016, the cruise line AIDA Cruises once again offers its support to the democracy initiative “WIR. Erfolg braucht Vielfalt” (“WE. Success needs diversity”) by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with a donation of 5,000 euros. With this, AIDA Cruises takes a stand against right-wing extremism. 

On June 2, 2016, Sylvia Bretschneider, President of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Parliament, and Martin Scriba, the initiator of the initiative, presented AIDA Cruises with a symbolic share in democracy.

“Cultural diversity is an essential part of our corporate culture,” said Hansjörg Kunze, Vice President Communication & Sustainability at AIDA Cruises. “AIDA Cruises currently employs personnel from more than 40 nations. Open-mindedness, respect and teamwork among people from different countries of the world are values that are firmly anchored in our company and that our employees bring to life. For us it goes without saying that we are committed to social diversity.”

Cultural diversity is not only an important cornerstone of a democratic and livable society, but it is also essential for the economic growth of the region. AIDA Cruises, a successful multinational corporation and the largest employer in the region, offers its support to the "WE" initiative’s commitment for an open-minded and democratic Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Tweet me:.@CarnivalPLC's @aida_de supports cultural diversity initiative "WE. Success needs diversity" http://bit.ly/2bbyqvS

Contact Info:

Claire West
LDWWgroup
claire@ldwwgroup.com

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Business & Trade, cultural diversity, diversity, corporate culture, AIDA Cruises, cruise, cruise initiative, Carnival Corporation & plc

Detect IT: Fish, MentorME, Worth 2.0 and All For Good to help millions of people and accelerate opportunity

SOURCE:Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

DESCRIPTION:

Revolutionizing volunteerism, helping high school students find the mentors they need, expanding financial inclusion, and cracking down on illegal fishing—what would you do to help change the world and accelerate opportunity for millions of people around the world using software and digital services?

Hundreds of people answered that call in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Living Progress Challenge that launched in December of 2015. On August 3, the company announced the four winners, selected from 10 finalists during the Living Progress Challenge Finals, held live in Brooklyn, New York.

With a goal to improve the lives of 1 million people by 2020, the Living Progress Challenge combines information technology, with HPE expertise and the wisdom of the crowd to accelerate opportunity for people around the world.

Founder and CEO of AngelHack, Sabeen Ali, keynote speaker at the event said, “Today we’ve learned what can happen when revolutionaries partner with innovation giants – we can make the impossible, possible.” 

World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC were among the winners for their solution: Detect IT: Fish, which uses trade data to fight illegal fishing. The world’s most heavily traded food commodity,  global estimates suggest that more than 30 percent of all fish caught globally is done so illegally. Their prototype is a web-based tool leveraging HPE Vertica analytics technology to identify the potential trade flows of illegal products. The tool analyzes the data reported through trade reports between different countries and tracks discrepancies, making it possible to identify illegal products at a global scale and start investigations.

“…Today our oceans and the creatures that live in the sea are in crisis. Immense amount of fish are being stolen from the sea. A conservative estimate is 26 million tons of fish are illegally caught each year,” said Michele Kuruc of WWF during her presentation. “The ocean simply can’t sustain this level of wrongdoing and the World Wildlife Fund, with the help of HPE and Topcoder, is in the process of building a web-based application to try and help and identify these bad guys because right now it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

The three other winners included: HPE Business Process Improvement Team Guadalajara for MentorME, which connects high school and college students to mentors; Points of Light for a solution to transform how people find volunteer opportunities online; and Pact for WORTH 2.0, a tool to enable community savings groups to simplify group record-keeping and increase economic advancement. 

“It was a day full of inspiration, creativity and emotion,” said Chris Wellise, senior director of social innovation and sustainability at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. 

Nearly 400 ideas and more than 130 proposals were submitted from around the world. The ideas were crowdsourced from the global community. Teams then prepared proposals that detailed how ideas could be built and deployed. Proposal and idea submissions were narrowed by a board of HPE and external reviewers. The four winning solutions will be built and deployed with the assistance of HPE.

“(The Living Progress Challenge) goes beyond social good,” Wellise said. “The Living Progress Challenge is a way for HPE to actively participate in the idea economy in a manner that effects people and the environment in a positive way. The thinking behind the challenge is to generate ideas from the crowd. We are not experts in social impact, we’re technology experts.”

Learn more about the winners of the Living Progress Challenge from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Tweet me:The Power of #DigitalInclusion to accelerate opportunity + help millions http://bit.ly/2aOhZJo #innovation @HPE_LivingProg #LivingProgress

KEYWORDS: Technology, Education, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Living Progress Challenge, All For Good. MentorMe, Detect It: Fish, worth

SOURCE:Kimberly-Clark Corporation

DESCRIPTION:

Growing international research points to the importance of hugs in babies’ development, with benefits such as lowering their heart rate, helping them relax and encouraging brain development, while also creating a bond between mums and dads and their babies. This is the power of hugs that Huggies Nappies and Plunket, New Zealand’s largest provider of services to support the health and development of children under five, believe in.

Huggies has partnered with Plunket to bring a simple yet important message to New Zealanders to Make Time for Hugs.  Capturing the everyday moving emotional connections between mum, dad, grandparent, sibling, aunt, and baby of real New Zealand families, the campaign highlights the deep and lasting benefits of hugs to a child’s development and wellbeing.

Plunket nurse Katrina Coleman, who is featured in the campaign, explains that there are about 167 babies born every day in New Zealand and Plunket nurses see over 90% of them. Along with many other Plunket nurses, Katrina observes that young parents’ lives are busy these days, so it is important for families to intentionally ‘make time’ to ensure the natural part of bonding from a hug is taking place in the family home.

“It’s important to hug your baby and to remind parents that it’s okay, in this busy world, to stop and just enjoy hugging and holding your baby, that it’s of real worth and value.

“I think this message is really positive because nobody can dispute, regardless of what your parenting philosophy might be, the fact that hugs are really important to your children,” says Katrina.

Plunket says that hugs and loving touch are a vital support for babies’ healthy brain development.“Hugs are a powerful way to let babies and children know they are safe and protected. They help them learn they are valued and loved and that someone is there for them. This is a great way to help them adjust and adapt to the world in which they are born," says Brigid Wilkinson, National Advisor Parenting Development for Plunket.

For more than a century Plunket has been dedicated to working with parents and communities to ensure children in New Zealand get the best start in life. Huggies has been Plunket’s sponsor partner for almost 25 years, sharing the same belief in providing the best care for baby. Huggies products are the only brand to receive Plunket’s endorsement.

Tweet me:Make Time for Hugs- important message to New Zealanders from @Huggies, @PlunketNZ @KCCorp Asia Pacific http://bit.ly/2aOjfMq

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Kimberly-Clark Asia Pacific, Huggies, make time for hugs, families, New Zealand Families, plunket

SOURCE:Republic Services

DESCRIPTION:

Marlborough – Mayor Arthur Vigeant July 27 accepted a generous Marlborough Labor Day Parade sponsorship presented by Republic Services’ Municipal Services Manager Terry Grady. This year’s parade will be held Monday, Sept. 5, at 12 p.m.

Continue reading on Community Advocate.

Tweet me:.@RepublicService makes $1,500 donation to Marlborough's Labor Day Parade http://bit.ly/2bcCmzx #csr #community

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Events, Conferences & Webinars, Republic Services, Marlborough, Labor Day Parade, Massachusetts, Donation

Celebrating Families Who Volunteer Together in Honor of Family Volunteer Day, November 19, 2016

SOURCE:Points of Light

DESCRIPTION:

ATLANTA, August 11, 2016 /3BL Media/ - Points of Light and The Walt Disney Company will celebrate the impact of family volunteering across the nation by honoring exemplary family volunteers with a Daily Point of Light Award. The award recognizes their commitment to volunteering as a family. The call for nominations opens today and nominations will be reviewed on an ongoing basis through October 7. Awards will be presented during the months and days leading up to Family Volunteer Day on November 19. Disney, a proud supporter of the Daily Point of Light Award and Family Volunteer Day, has worked with Points of Light for more than 20 years to help mobilize the nation into action through volunteerism and service.

The Daily Point of Light award celebrates the power of people to spark change and improve the world.

Honored families will be featured on pointsoflight.org, receive media support and a certificate signed by President George H. W. Bush, who started the award 25 years ago. These honorees will join previous Daily Point of Light Award honorees, like a family of eight that was honored for their collective efforts to revitalize a community center and a husband and wife who received their Daily Point of Light Award at the White House in honor of their work fighting hunger.

“We believe the more Daily Point of Light Award stories we are able to share about the different ways people can be a Point of Light, the closer we get to everyone seeing themselves in these stories so they, too, can become inspired and equipped to take action that changes the world,” said Delores Morton, President of Programs, Points of Light. “Together, we will realize the Points of Light vision – one day, every person will discover their power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies.”                                                                            

Family Volunteer Day is powered by generationOn, the youth service division of Points of Light.

The Day encourages families to volunteer together to help strengthen their neighborhoods, communities and the world. Each year, thousands of families use the day to teach children valuable real-life lessons about compassion and caring. The families that we will select to receive the Daily Point of Light Award will offer inspiration and concrete ideas for other families who want to make a difference in their communities.

“Service is a great way to help bring families together while taking action to make the world a better place,” said Kathy Saulitis, SVP, generationOn. “Research shows that volunteering benefits kids, families and communities and is a powerful way to teach youth valuable real-life lessons about empathy and caring. We are excited to recognize the power of families who volunteer together with these special Daily Point of Light Awards.”

Award nominations for family volunteers can be submitted online through Friday, October 7, 2016, at pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination. To be eligible, family members must be U.S. citizens or residents and engage in nonpaid volunteer service for at least six consecutive months, except in the case of disaster or crisis services. Nominees will be evaluated based upon their impact on a community need and their potential to serve as a model for other families interested in volunteering together. For complete details about award criteria and to learn about previous honorees, visit pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol.

About Points of Light:
Points of Light – the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it matters most.  For more information, go to pointsoflight.org.

About generationOn:
generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, is dedicated to providing programs and resources that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens, through service, empowering them to become change makers in their communities and the world. For more information, visit generationon.org.

Tweet me:Know a phenomenal family that volunteers? Nominate them for #DailyPointofLight! @PointsofLight accepting thru 10/7 http://bit.ly/1rXhJFO

KEYWORDS: Volunteerism & Community Engagement, Awards & Recognition, Points of Light, generationOn

By Courtney Angeles

SOURCE:Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

DESCRIPTION:

Courtney Angeles is a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter and works each day to find loving permanent homes for children in foster care.

The strength and resiliency of children in foster care is awe inspiring and the families that open their hearts and homes to our kids give me hope for the future. The story that highlights the joys and challenges for me the most is my first case as a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter. It happened six years ago.

Reading through “Paul's” file I started to panic. He had more than 15 placements and was only nine years old. He was residing at a group home for children with significant behavioral issues. Paul had a horrific early childhood experience filled with neglect, physical and sexual abuse. As a result, he came into care and began physically and sexually acting out himself. How on Earth would I ever find a family for him? …read the full blog here.

The Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program is the signature child-focused recruitment model of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 130,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence- based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.

Tweet me:"Strength and resiliency of children in #fostercare is awe inspiring" says Courtney, #adoption recruiter http://bit.ly/1UQNoXQ @DTFA

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Dave Thomas, foster care, adoption, forever family, Recruiter, Wendy's, superhero

SOURCE:Versaic

DESCRIPTION:

Dear Andy: We have a Corporate Giving Program but our process is totally manual (about 16 different spreadsheets, hundreds of emails) and things are falling through the cracks. I want to move to something automated but am nervous about the transition and losing critical data. What do you recommend to make the transition easier? - Trapped Under Paperwork

Dear Trapped: I feel your pain. The patchwork process is difficult and time consuming to manage. Luckily, there is a better way.

Moving to an automated system will allow you to spend significantly less time focusing on the details, giving you more time to accomplish your program objectives and build your company’s brand. However, like with any habit you’ve become accustomed to, the idea of change can be daunting. The good news is you most certainly do not need to start from scratch. The implementation can mirror your existing processes and thus make the transition straightforward and painless.

To alleviate some of your fears, let’s look at the pros of making the switch to an automated system that works the way you work. The advantages of SaaS and the Cloud are that you don’t have to worry about having the latest software or losing your data. It’s all handled by the state-of-the-art cloud. That flood of requests you receive can easily be tracked and routed to the right person.

Choosing the right automated solution depends on proper research. Just like you do with any other purchase, big or small, you’re better off if you know your ‘stuff’ up front. In order to make the transition easier, research what the software provider’s current clients say about their implementation experience. Our advice is to avoid systems that include hidden fees for changes. These systems require refinement and changes at the outset, and so you need to take that into account when you consider pricing.

Ideally the solution vendor will do a deep dive to understand your processes and consult with you to design your system. Look for a company who is proactive in making recommendations based on the best practices from experience with other clients. Check out how the company handles ongoing customer service. Will you have a dedicated team who understands your business and requirements? Are there additional costs associated with this support? What happens if you need to make a change?

Make sure you know the answers to these questions before you sign on with a new vendor. Many software companies will set you up with their product, provide a minimal amount of training and then leave you on your own. When the program goes live and changes need to be made, the company charges significant fees to incorporate the changes or add additional features.

The truth is, companies and Corporate Giving programs constantly change, and your contract needs to include support to build out an online platform that evolves with these changes. Look for an expert client success team that can advise you on best practices and incorporate product improvement based on your feedback. This may seem more costly at the outset, but if this is included you’ll save time and money.

Hope that helps!

Andy has worked with hundreds of clients on how to get the best out of their philanthropy management system. Do you have a request or project management work issue? Ask Andy! Email your question to:info@versaic.com. Anonymity included.

Tweet me:#CorporateGiving: How to Ease the Transition from a Manual to Automated System @Versaic http://bit.ly/2biRjwE #cloud #CSR

KEYWORDS: Technology, Business & Trade, Versaic

SOURCE:Eastman Chemical Company

DESCRIPTION:

Eastman China continues to cooperate with Junior Achievement China (JA China) this year to advance educational efforts for future generations, following the initial success of “Job Shadow Day” and “Dialogue with Business Leaders” events in 2015.

From March to May this year, Eastman China joined hands with JA China, the world's largest NGO dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. This is done through experiential, hands-on programs, to participate in the “Career Go!” program in Shanghai. Designed for university students, this program stimulates and encourages students to think about career management from different perspectives; not only skills necessary in finding a job but also a thinking process that would help them to be a well-rounded and effective individual at managing careers. Volunteers from the business sector share career development experiences and advices to help students develop interpersonal effectiveness, problem solving strategies, and professional attitudes.

Six employees from the Eastman Shanghai office volunteered for this program by sharing their career development experiences and insights for university students at Tongji University, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai University, Shanghai Maritime University and Shanghai Finance University respectively. University students are guided to understand themselves better, expand their views of career possibilities, develop interpersonal effectiveness and effectively prepare for a job interview.

“Based on last year’s success, we have taken further steps this year to equip young talent with career experience,” said Lu Lu, Eastman China Government Affairs Manager, who organized this event and was also one of the volunteers.

Li Jian, Eastman China Manufacturing Director, who was another volunteer, is glad to be part of the JA program for two consecutive years: “I feel honored to provide guidance to help local university students to plan their future careers and it is also a meaningful experience for Eastman employees as well.”

“I learned from Eastman volunteer that I shouldn’t just apply for a job because everyone else is applying,” said a participant from Tongji University. “We need to think calmly and carefully, and reflect deeply on our experiences, skills, personality, and interests before making decision.”

Through Eastman’s Corporate Responsibility lens, we look for unique educational opportunities that help further prepare tomorrow’s workforce locally and globally. This partnership is a great example of how business and education work together to prepare and inspire the next generation as they plot out a path towards their career aspirations.

To read more about Eastman’s Corporate Responsibility efforts, visit responsibility.eastman.com.

Tweet me:.@eastmanchemco Eastman’s partnership with Junior Achievement China continues to advance educational efforts. http://bit.ly/2bj1QrS

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Volunteerism & Community Engagement, Eastman Chemical Company

SOURCE:LIVESTRONG

DESCRIPTION:

I was told that RAGBRAI was hard to put into words, that it was just something you needed to experience in order to understand. I don’t think you can fully grasp the magnitude of 35,000 people riding 420 miles on their bikes across the state of Iowa for 7 days until you see it in person. This week was full of firsts for me … my first time sleeping in a tent, my first time in Iowa, my first RAGBRAI, and my first time with our extended Team LIVESTRONG family.

This was the 10th year of Team LIVESTRONG participating in RAGBRAI and some members have been there from the start. RAGBRAI is the largest multi-day cycling event in the world, celebrating its 44th year of riders traveling from west to east across the great state of Iowa. This year our amazing group of riders has raised over $150,000 for LIVESTRONG’s free programs and services. While most people in the group have their own cancer connection and reason for joining the team, some just wanted the challenge of cycling across the state of Iowa. A few people on our own team even said they had signed up years ago for RAGBRAI, intending it to be a “one and done” event, but many of them have been back time and time again. When asked one evening during a team meeting, “why do you RAGBRAI …” the unanimous answer was simple, that this team had become a family.

Thursday was our Tribute Jersey day and this year the team rode for Katie. Katie is our teammate, Tina’s, daughter who passed away from an inoperable brain tumor (DIPG) in 2007 at the age of thirteen. Each year Katie’s birthday falls during the week of RAGBRAI and this year she would have been 22. Many other riders that day asked Team LIVESTRONG members the significance of the “Katie” jersey and they were able to share Katie’s story. Thursday morning also had another special moment when brain cancer survivor Jack rode 15 miles on a custom tandem bike in his first RAGBRAI. Several members of the team got to “ride with Jack” making those miles even more special. The entire team stayed with Jack cheering him on for 15 miles as he smiled and waved the entire time. Jack’s momentous ride was even captured on the local news as he shared his message of never giving up and getting out of his hospital bed to now biking in RAGBRAI. Hope, fight, never giving up … those are the kind of moments that RAGBRAI brings.

The week was filled with far too many highlights that our riders experienced during their time in Iowa. My favorite part of the day was our team meetings each evening at camp as the sun was setting and the group gathered together. Each night people could share their story or even just their favorite highlight from the day. The first few days I stood by and just listened, and at times tears filled my eyes or a smile came across my face. I also have a personal connection to cancer and at camp I fought through the tears and shared my mom’s courageous battle with cancer. I told the group how I wished she would have been able to experience this week with them because I know she would have loved every minute of it.

You see RAGBRAI is hard to put into words—how do you describe a week that re-fills your heart and soul, lifts you up when you feel like giving up, and forms lifelong friendships? I’ve always believed the truth in the quote “friends are the family we chose ourselves”. This week I extended my family by almost 70 incredible individuals from all over the US and I’m already counting down the weeks until we can laugh, cry, and hug all over again.

Tweet me:Hear about Team LIVESTRONG's 10th year at RAGBRAI http://bit.ly/2aOLFWQ

KEYWORDS: Events, Conferences & Webinars, Event, Cancer, LIVESTRONG, RAGBRAI, cycling

More than one thousand women (and a handful of good men) gathered at MGM Grand Las Vegas for the annual two-day event, which featured a accliamed keynote speakers, workshops and more

SOURCE:MGM Resorts International

DESCRIPTION:

For the 10th consecutive year, empowered women (and a few good men!) gathered for the MGM Resorts Foundation Women's Leadership Conference. They came from around the city and around the country.

The two-day conference – which sold-out for the third year in a row with the largest crowd in the event’s history – featured a robust lineup of dynamic speakers, including Donna Brazile, the first African American woman to serve as campaign manager for a major party presidential campaign, Adrianne Haslet, a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing and Alison Levine an acclaimed mountain climber who served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition. 

Emmy-winning broadcast journalist for CNN, NBC and CNBC Natalie Allen returned to host the highly-anticipated event, which also offered career-oriented workshops that provided personalized, hands-on professional development training for attendees.

The tenth annual event was presented by The MGM Resorts Foundation and The Foundation all proceeds, after costs, will be donated to a nonprofit organization in the Las Vegas community that specifically focuses on helping women or girls.

Related links:

• The ‘Why’ Behind Women’s Leadership Conference
• 10th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference Sells Out Earlier Than Ever Due to Top National Speakers, Reaches Capacity with 1,000 Registrations
• #WomenLead

Tweet me:ICYMI: Over 1,000 women (& a few good men!) gathered at @MGMGrand for the 10th annual @WLCLV #WLC2016 #WomenLead – http://bit.ly/2bjoiBd

KEYWORDS: Events, Conferences & Webinars, Conference, MGM Resorts, Women's Leadership Conference, #WomenLead, Donna Brazile, Adrianne Haslet, Alison Levine

How can something as simple as a dog park make a difference for survivors of domestic violence?

SOURCE:Nestlé in the U.S.

DESCRIPTION:

How can something as simple as a dog park make a difference for survivors of domestic violence?

Faced with the prospect of having to abandon a much-loved pet, domestic violence victims may be forced to stay in perilous circumstance rather than seek safety elsewhere. Purina is working with the Urban Resource Institute to provide spaces to shelter beloved pets.

Read the full story.

Tweet me:.@NestleUSA @Purina working to help make domestic violence shelters a safe haven for people and their pets http://bit.ly/2bj5sdl

KEYWORDS: Philanthropy, Nestle, Purina, pets, domestic violence shelters, safe haven for people and pets, creating shared value