Competitive Advantage

There are more opportunities than ever before for SMEs to embrace CSR to improve profits, whilst playing a more productive role in their communities. Take social media for example, with an innovative and strategic approach to CSR combined with the audience exposure of platforms such as Facebook & Twitter the potential is incredible. This is further fuelled by the Generation Y demographic and rise (even through the economic crisis) of ethical consumerism.
Regulation is coming, slowly, but it is coming in one shape or another. The key is better regulation rather than more regulation as CSR should be integrated into core business anyway. We already have CSR legislation as part of UK Company Law, it’s not burdensome by any means but it already exists.
Progress at the global level is accelerating toward an even deeper embedding of the CSR / sustainability agenda for a multitude of unavoidable reasons such as climate change, resource depletion, energy security, biodiversity, population growth and water scarcity.
CSR is beginning to demand to be seen as a competitive advantage rather than a burden. It is like any other commercial pressure, you can ignore it, comply or embrace and excel.

Online Fundraising

Income in the Third Sector is disproportionately distributed – this also applies to online fundraising sites. The majority of these sites are dominated by larger charities. Larger charities are also on those sites that target the smaller charities and the smaller charities simply do not have the resources to compete. The majority of these sites charge set up or monthly fees and often a fee per transaction as well. This has a disproportionate impact on smaller charities.

Charities income sources can differ according to their size. Many of the smallest (50% have under £50k income) are reliant on cash donations and cheques from local community based forms of fundraising.

Generally amongst the smallest charities there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about online fundraising, also for some a lack of IT equipment and skill in their organisation. Many are run solely by volunteers. The majority of the Small Charities Coalition’s members say they have no experience or rate themselves as beginners in online fundraising. Of the 85% of them who ask for help with fundraising an increasing number are asking for help with online fundraising.

Advice to small charities:

• Do your research and find out about fees. Some provide additional support with the development of the charity’s page which might make the fee more reasonable.
• Do your sums – calculate whether a lower transaction cost will offset a higher set up fee or vice versa. Be realistic about how much you are likely to raise from this channel and assess whether it enough to outweigh the costs – don’t forget you also need to factor in the time to set up and maintain your web presence.
• Register for Gift Aid – until April 2011 you will get 28p extra for each £1 given if you do and the donor has completed a deliration. It is crucially important that you encourage all your donors to use Gift Aid, if they are eligible.

 Advice to donors:

•  Also do your research and sums – which site will pass on the best deal to your chosen charity
• Use Gift Aid and other forms of tax effective giving – payroll giving, CAF account

 

The frustration with meetings!

I get very frustrated when I go to meetings and find that the other people there aren’t really there at all. They spend an inordinate amount of time thinking their own thoughts. They are not prepared for the meeting and they think that by repeating a point already made they will show that they are contributing. However, by far the biggest frustration is the lack of listening. Although most business leaders will say that listening is extremely important, research indicates that we actually spend 75% of our time not listening and when we do listen we only recall about 25% – 50% of what is said, even when we really pay attention!

So what are we actually listening to when we listen? Only 10% of our message is communicated through words, while 50% is our body language and 40% is the tone of our voice. That is one of the reasons why communication via the telephone is fraught with misunderstanding.

Coming back to the problem of really attending meetings here are some points to consider;

• During the meeting be aware of how often you are not thinking about what others are saying rather thinking about your relationship to them and how valid their contribution is. Put this judgement to one side and concentrate without preconceptions,
• Be aware when your mind is drifting off on your inner conversation and make the effort to focus on the speaker’s body language, tone and words,
• Notice how your mind jumps to conclusions or want to “make a point” rather than listen and understand. Which is more interesting: understanding what the other person is trying to say or making your own point?
• Take note of yours and other people’s physical gestures, as this tells you a lot about their attitude and readiness to listen too.
• Notice when someone’s words say one thing and their tone of voice conveys a different message. Which message has a greater impact on you?
• Above all be curious, when appropriate, asking questions and probing to better understand and clarify what others are saying rather than trying to second guess them or jump in to make your point.

Mentoring for Success

Over the past year I’ve been working with Mentor-net. Mentor-net is the business mentoring scheme for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It is a confidential service provided by the not-for-profit Mentor-net program and volunteer Business Mentors, who are drawn from experienced members of the business community and the professions. I would like to extend my experience to people who are not part of this wonderful service.

My understanding of a mentor is essentially a ‘wise or trusted adviser or guide’. The word has its origins in Homer’s The Odyssey. Before leaving to fight the Trojan war, Odysseus leaves his son and estate in the care of his friend Mentor, who then guides the young Telemachus. I rather like this connection as Telemachus's name in Greek means "far from battle” and mentoring is most definitely a relationship of support .

To give it a more modern context, I see a mentor as someone with experience or wisdom, sharing and imparting their knowledge on to someone younger or less experienced. The concept works incredibly well in a business environment where an entrepreneur may have a great idea for a business but needs a bit of guidance turning it into a successful and profitable venture. Successful entrepreneurs will often attribute much of their achievement to the support and guidance they received from a mentor. Most notably, billionaire airline and entertainment industry mogul Richard Branson was mentored by the British airline entrepreneur Freddie Laker.

A business mentor is someone who can act as a sounding board for your ideas and plans. They bring their own unique experience of life and business and are willing to share their skills and knowhow with you. Having a business mentor can help you to focus, to look at your business from a different perspective. This is essential to identify strategies and opportunities for improvement and growth.

As a business mentor I am not a consultant, I will only mentor from my own experience. By acting as a sounding board for you, I walk alongside you as your business grows. My role as a business mentor is to support and develop, stimulate and challenge.

The way you choose to approach mentoring will be dependent on how much involvement you agree to, or request me to have with your business. I can work extremely closely with you, speaking or meeting most weeks or even days. However, in most cases I will have less of a day-to-day involvement. Instead I’ll provide help every few weeks or months which could take the form of phone calls, emails, face-to-face meetings or a combination of all of these.

Mentoring can be a very formal and structured process with regular meetings which follow a specific agenda and set of goals. It can also be quite a casual arrangement, where you as the mentee calls on me as and when problems or questions arise.

The main thing to remember about mentoring is that it’s not just a one-off meeting, or opportunity to pick my brains. It’s an ongoing relationship where both parties must be committed to achieving certain goals and willing to live up to their end of the bargain.

If you’d like to try it out please visit my mentoring site and we can arrange a taster session.

The Corporate Social Partnership

Building on my thoughts from my blog entry on Thursday, 25 March this year, I am in the process of developing an organisation to help solve the problem of CSR for SME’s. 

The Corporate Social Partnership ( CSP ) will be a non-membership partnership organisation, designed to ensure that local business can get the most out of their CSR whilst enhancing their bottom line. Working in collaboration with each other local businesses are able to develop their networks and pick the CSR that best suits their objectives. There will be benefits of shared best practice and the power of buying groups.

A brief outline

Comprising 500 locally based businesses and 50 charities from 6 disciplines the CSP brings companies and charities together ensuring a business to business partnership.

Initially business partners will each donate £500pa which will be distributed amongst the partner charities. Throughout the year there will be other opportunities for business partners to provide practical help to charities as well as funding. These opportunities will be designed to maximise commercial advantage.

Charities eligible to join the partnership will fall into the £50k - £3m turnover bracket. Charities below this threshold will be able to apply to a small support fund for operational costs. There will also be a start-up soft loan scheme.

Charities commit to share their events calendar thereby minimising clashes and finding opportunities for collaborative events.

Charities will also provide details of Trustee opportunities so that the participating businesses can encourage their staff to get involved. This is a great opportunity for both personal development and a practical demonstration of CSR.

The charities are divided in to 6 categories with 8 or 9 charities in each group;

• Children and Education

• Health

• Animal Welfare

• Faith

• Environmental

Each year on charity from each category will receive a donation of £10k as the “Charity of the Year”.

 

The Sums

• 500 companies x £500 = £250,000
• £10,000 charity of year donation x 5 categories = £ 50,000
• Small Charities grants ( for operational costs ) = £ 20,000
• Start-up loans ( carry over from previous year )
• Charity event sponsorship 50 charities x £8,000 = £160,000
• Administration = £ 20,000

Potential impact of events sponsorship: example £500 for Dragon Boat Racing generated £12,000

With a ratio of 24:1 charity sponsorship the CSP could enable £3,840,000

 

The Trustee Board
The board of Trustees will consist of skill sets such as finance, marketing, strategy, governance. The board will also have representation from both the charity and business community.

 

I would welcome comments and suggestions.

 

From a Gift Of Life to a Gift After Life

In my last entry I talked about organ donation and the gift of life that it may bring. I’d like you to think about another sort of gift that you can make upon your death.


It's a common myth that only the rich and famous leave money to charity when they die. This couldn't be any further from the truth. The reality is without the gifts left in wills many of the charities we know and support today wouldn't even exist. With the challenges facing us all in this difficult economic climate I think that legacies are going to become even more important to charities.

I’m always delighted by the generosity of our community, with 74% of the UK population supporting charities. When asked, 35% of people say they'd happily leave a gift in their will once family and friends had been provided for. The problem is only 7% actually do.

That's why, if we all leave some money in our wills for charity as well as our family, we can make a huge difference. In fact, if we can raise this figure to just 11% we would create an additional £1 billion for charities in the UK every year, which would ensure that their work lives on.

Legacies are the foundation for many of the charities in the UK. Some of the larger charities receive a third of their income this way. For the smaller charities it can be vital in making sure that all the good work they do can continue.

So, you don't have to be rich and famous to make a contribution that can make a difference. We can all do something amazing for the world just by leaving a gift in our wills to charity.

Organ Donation - A gift of life

Earlier this year I agreed to become the Non-Clinical Chairman for the Organ Donor Committee here in Southampton. I was appalled that currently only 28% of us are on the register, whilst 96% of us would take an organ if we needed one. The UK has one of the lowest rates of organ donation in Western Europe at 13 donors per million, whilst Spain has 35 donors per million.

Did you know that there are 23 organs in your body, provided your human. You can donate kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and small bowel. You can also donate corneas, skin, bone, tendons, cartilage and heart valves. I was also amazed that the simple act of registering could mean that I could help up to nine different people.

Many of us have an organ donor card from when we passed our driving test but simply carrying it does not mean you are on the register, you need to sign up to the online database. Anyone can register on the Organ Donor Register. Age isn't a barrier to being an organ / tissue donor, and most medical conditions don't stop you donating either.

This week has been designated “National Transplant Week”. I’m not looking for actual organs, no kidneys in a soggy envelope please! It is in fact for more than 10,000 people in the UK deadly serious as they are in need of a transplant. Of these, 1,000 each year ( that's three a day ) will die waiting as there are not enough organs available.

Most of us are guilty of putting off important conversations with a loved one, so why not spend some valuable time with family and friends during National Transplant Week to have a Heart to Heart.

It might be telling someone how important they are to you, reconnecting with an old friend or apologising to a partner, but have you thought about telling your loved ones what your wishes are about organ donation?

Take time this week to have one of the most important Heart to Hearts you can have and help spread your gift of life. If you need any more persuading watch the second or third video on the NHS Organ Donation website.