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Author: Carlin Johnson

5 Ways to Give More than a Check

5 Ways to Give More than a Check

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Financial donations are highly valued for nonprofits. They can keep their doors open, employees paid, and causes moving forward. However, there is an opportunity companies have to give more. I will highlight 5 ways companies can give back in ways other than financial contributions.

  1. In Kind Donations

Gifts in kind are contributions of goods or services. These donations provide benefit for both parties. If a company has extra resources that are still in good condition, donating them to a nonprofit is the next step. Often these donations can be written off as well.

  1. Employee Work Day

An employee work day is a great opportunity. I know of a construction company, that twice a year rallies their staff around donating a Saturday morning to help with a Habitat for Humanity project. The employees are able to leverage their expertise and give back to the community. Times like this provide a way to incorporate your staff with your charitable giving and is a team bonding activity.

  1. Sharing the Non-profits Mission with Customers

Involving your customers by sharing a nonprofits mission can be inviable. Leveraging your communication channels for the benefit of an organization is one way to accomplish this. Another way is to collaborate on collateral that involves both parties’ visions and give information on the partnership. I believe customers will see value in your efforts as a company and the organization will benefit from the PR.

  1. Job Training Resources//Education

Your company has a niche, something you excel in and use to draw your customers in. What about leveraging that knowledge and sharing it with an organization’s members? Taking a morning to share customer service tips, or holding a seminar to explain tracking SEO. These are just a few examples, but using the knowledge that your company and employees possess to equip a nonprofit could be an invaluable experience.

  1. Long-Term Commitment

In my opinion, identifying a key nonprofit you can invest in is crucial. You can then spend your time, resources, and money building a lasting relationship. It is vital for charitable organizations to have partners for the long haul. Like most business and personal relationships, investing in the future can change everything about the present.

The Middle Ground

The Middle Ground

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Technology does a lot of really amazing things. It has facilitated and created massive forward movements in our society. I think that often people view technology on either of two extremes. People love it, craft their life around it, and crave the next devise they can purchase. Others are scared of the negative consequences, screen addiction, or the simple truth that in many ways it makes us live in a virtual world. Like many things in life, the best use of technology lies somewhere in the middle. It is somewhere that cannot be perfectly defined, and is different for every individual.

Tim Cook, Apples CEO recently said, “For all of the beauty of technology and all the things we’ve helped facilitate over the years, nothing yet replaces human interaction, and I don’t think it will ever happen.” I think this is profound and in makes that middle ground a little clearer.

Technology has moved the business world forward in ways that were once unimaginable. Yet, it has not replaced trust between individuals entering a deal together, a friendly front desk interaction, or even the genuine words of a thank you email. I think it is best for us to live in that middle ground with technology. We should embrace the way it makes us, as humans, better. It challenges us and pushes us to levels we used to only dream of, yet, it doesn’t replace the beauty of genuine human interaction.

What are productive ways you leverage technology and still integrate human interaction?

Creating Buy In

Creating Buy In

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When bringing people onto a team, the term “buying in” is often used. “How will we get them to buy into our team/our mission/our vision for the future?” But how important is this? And how do we go about actually receiving the “buy in” our company leadership craves? 

Chip and I have often discussed that when hiring, it is more important to hire staff that aligns with your company’s vision than the talent they initially bring to the table. You can train an intelligent person to do nearly any task, but their drive and motivation is intrinsic to them. That is the clear differentiation when debating if someone will “buy in.” If they possess a heart that clearly aligns with yours and what you want your company to be, they will “buy in” to your company’s future.  

In my experience, the leaders I have worked overtime for, talked consistently well about outside of the office, and felt the most “bought in” for were the leaders whose visions my heart aligned with. This is one of the key reasons I am so passionate about working for Artistry Hotels. The vision we are working towards I will passionately chase alongside Chip and the team for as far as I can see.  

Interviewing and trying to figure out if someone would “buy in” to your company and leadership is no simple task. Discerning someone’s heart and passion in an interview is a gut feeling in many ways. Look for similarity in things you would say or desire for an employee of yours to say, then, trust your gut.

On Choosing and Being Chosen

On Choosing and Being Chosen

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One of the most valuable leadership traits I have been a part of is the act of “being chosen.”  I have had various people seek me out, bring me on their team, and give me responsibility. This leadership act of seeing what someone can become and calling them to it is invaluable. No one can do this except a leader. A leader must see what another cannot see in themselves. Through mentorship, guidance and direction I was able to grow in ways I never imagined. Everything in my life is different because one person saw something in me when I was 16.

 

Seek others out, bring people on your team who share your values and who you see tremendous potential for. Only you can make this happen. You never know whose life you could change.

The Importance of Social Responsibility

The Importance of Social Responsibility

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You have heard the term “social responsibility” used more and more over the past few years. Companies everywhere have begun to examine their carbon footprint and ways they can give back to communities. Every year more companies engage this in a new way. It is reported that Fortune 500 firms spend more than $15 billion a year on Corporate Social Responsibility. With so many engaged in this new way of thinking, the question begs to be asked: what makes social responsibility so important?

 

In regards to going green our need is to conserve our resources. Though it can seem like small steps, having lower powered light bulbs or recycling plastic bottles, really can make a difference. How we link arms and work together is a crucial part to this. It matters that we all take steps we can within our industry, few can argue that if we all did that, change would occur.

 

A newer approach to social responsibility is giving back to the community. In kind and financial donations can make incredible differences in lives of those that are impacted by organizations. One of the best ways I have seen this done is through nonprofit partnerships. Around the world there are organizations doing life changing work. It is exciting to see companies of any size come alongside these organizations, leveraging them to do even more of the important work they do.

 

As ChipHeadley.com develops, corporate social responsibility will be a focus point. We deeply care about the people and the environment around us. Our desire is for those values to be continually integrated into the business sector. Through our own experience and research, we are excited to share more of what we know and our passion it.