In The Beginning....

I guess you could say that I was always drawn to charitable causes and helping others. I credit my mother and grandmother with my passion for community service, as they were always putting the needs of others before their own. My mother, Jane, has always been a very giving person. I remember many times as a child hearing her say that you should perform random acts of kindness and lend a hand to those who need it most. My grandmother, Angelina, was a very religious woman. A Roman Catholic by birth, she attended Sunday mass every week and would spend most of her days reciting the rosary.

One of the fondest memories I have of my “Nonna” was when I found her reciting her prayers one day in her apartment. I asked her why she was always praying, because it seemed to me that she was never without her rosary beads. I remember joking with her that if she couldn’t get into Heaven with all the praying she’d done over the years, then surely there was no hope for the rest of us. She replied, “I’m not praying for myself, I’m praying for our family.” When I asked why, she said, “I know how busy everyone is with work and life, and that you may not have the time to pray. So I am doing it for you.” My grandmother passed away in 1993, and those words still resonate with me today. To me, it’s the perfect example of selflessness. That she would spend her entire day praying for the benefit of others and not herself amazed me.

Fast forward to 2004. I had been at my company for eight years. While we had always been a giving organization, our philanthropy was focused mainly on making charitable donations to a number of local nonprofits. Most of our donations were made out of our corporate headquarters. The leadership in our other locations oversaw charity donations to their local nonprofits, but no one owned the overall effort, and there wasn’t a strategy or plan around it.

In the midst of this donation program, a small group of employees at our headquarters was taking it upon themselves to coordinate events aimed at boosting employee morale. One day, the Senior VP of Human Resources, who was my manager at the time, asked us in a staff meeting if anyone would be interested in representing HR on this volunteer team. I raised my hand and with that became the HR representative.  

It was the beginning of an amazing and rewarding journey  -- from "A Million Dollars In Change:  How to Engage Your Employees, Attract Top Talent, and Make the World a Better Place" (January 2018 release)

Myth Busting

Myth: You need to invest a lot of money in a workplace giving program to do it right.

This is the biggest myth I’ve heard about starting a workplace giving program, and it's at the heart of why I wrote A Million Dollars In Change.   The perception that you need to make a significant dollar investment to launch a program that will make a difference is simply false. You can actually launch your program with little to no investment and still make an impact in your community. How do I know? Because that’s exactly what I did.  And now I want to pay it forward by showing you how you can do it, too.

Fundraisers and events like clothing and food drives cost your company nothing, and still benefit nonprofits and the people they serve.  Not to mention the good will it fosters among your employees.  Organizing a volunteer effort is also a no- or low-cost activity that drives engagement, generates happiness, and helps to make the world a better place.   Everyone wins! 

Repeat after me:  There is no such thing as “not good enough” when it comes to giving. 

So now that I've dispelled that myth, it’s time to start planning your reality: how you’ll help your company create a million dollars’ worth of change (without spending a million)!  Are you ready to engage your employees, attract top talent to your company, and make the world a better place?  Great!

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Make A Change

“If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change” – Michael Jackson

It’s been 8 years since we lost the King of Pop.   “Man in the Mirror” has always been one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs.  It speaks to the difference we all can make in the world.  We take for granted the little things that make a big impact.  Helping an elderly neighbor with some chores.  Donating clothes that no longer fit, or items that are in good condition that we don’t use anymore, to a local homeless shelter.   Taking an hour or two to volunteer serving or delivering meals to those in need.  Donating a bag of cat or dog food to an animal shelter.

Small gestures and acts of kindness add up to positive change if each of us does just one thing.   Channel your passion, whatever it may be, into making the world a more beautiful place. 

Here’s a link to “Man in the Mirror”.   Rest in peace, MJ.  Your music and message lives on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps

Every Effort Counts

Many smaller to mid-sized companies are dissuaded from starting giving programs and getting involved in their community because they incorrectly assume that they don’t have enough money and/or resources to make a meaningful impact.

The reality is that all companies have the power to make a social impact, and it doesn’t take an outsized amount of money or resources to do so. Organizations that address homelessness, poverty, hunger, and illiteracy, for instance, benefit not only from direct donations but from commitments of time and expertise. 

No effort is too small, but getting started can feel daunting. That’s why A Million Dollars in Change details how to create a corporate social responsibility program from square one. Establishing a program that’s impactful, lasting, and rewarding doesn’t take a million dollars, but embedding charitable activities and making “giving back” an essential part of your corporate culture takes commitment and a clear sense of mission.

With easy, actionable steps and jargon-free language, the book details:

• How to build a business-specific case for a corporate giving program
• How to craft the perfect pitch to persuade leadership to buy in to the program
• How to engage employees, work with nonprofits, and launch a program
• How to make CSR "stick" by embedding it into your corporate culture
• How to leverage CSR to drive engagement, recruitment, brand awareness, and organizational teamwork

Via case studies and my personal experience in creating my company’s corporate giving program, I demonstrate the various ways employees can participate in a giving program that will make them feel empowered and excited to make a difference.

Watch this website for details on the January 2018 release of A Million Dollars In Change or sign up for email updates.

A Million Dollars In Change

Human Resources professionals face the challenge of attracting and retaining talent in their organizations daily. Employees want to feel that their work is meaningful and that they have a good relationship with their manager and their colleagues. Studies show that employees will leave a company if they feel disconnected from their peers or if they don’t feel that their work has a purpose.

My upcoming book, A Million Dollars in Change, will explain how a corporate giving program builds camaraderie among employees, and strengthens their relationship with their managers. By working side by side with their employees, managers not only create opportunities for team building, they also spend quality time together outside the office. The book will illustrate how to create interdepartmental volunteer teams that allow employees to lead fundraising and community projects and develop skills such as leadership, project management, and communication, which are transferrable to their daily job functions. In addition, this book will explain how charitable giving and volunteerism boost employee pride and morale, which contributes to retention.

According to Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship, “employee volunteers are perhaps the greatest asset companies can leverage when trying to have a positive impact in the communities where they operate and do business.” As of 2014, there are 122,500 HR managers in the US according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. HR managers connect an organization and its employees, and today’s HR is a key component of a company’s strategic planning process. HR is not just about recruiting and benefits anymore. HR directors and executives are involved in organizational strategy development, driving employee engagement, change management, learning and development, and corporate communications. Like CEOs, this group is capable of creating a lasting impact in our communities by involving their organizations in partnerships with nonprofits to solve social issues and create lasting, impactful change.

Business leaders and owners strive to increase the productivity of their staff and attract top talent to their organization. A Million Dollars in Change explains the link between volunteerism and increased engagement and how this leads to higher productivity among employees. The book also sheds much-needed light on millennials and their expectations of a company’s involvement with philanthropy and volunteerism. It explains how volunteerism creates employee ambassadors of corporate culture, thereby raising a company’s visibility and awareness of its brand in the community. What business leaders and owners will find most interesting is the fact that you can launch a corporate giving program with a relatively small budget. In fact, much can be done without any expenditure.

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Remembering The Fallen

Wishing all of my followers in the USA a happy Memorial Day weekend.   As we gather with friends and family around the BBQ, let’s take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of this holiday.  Let us honor and remember the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.

God bless our armed forces and God bless the USA.

Works In Progress

We all have those days when we feel like we are “stuck”.  We set a goal for ourselves, start out with the best intentions, and then somewhere along the way we get sidetracked for whatever reason.  Maybe it’s a project that has stalled, or we hit a plateau on our fitness journey, or we slip back into an old habit that we are trying to break.   These “stallers” tend to have a negative effect on how we see ourselves.

Here’s what you need to remember:  it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  Transformation doesn’t happen overnight.  It’s a journey.  You are a work in progress.  So am I.  We all are.   From time to time we are going to falter.  It’s ok.  Don’t be so rough on yourself.    Get back on track the next day, and commit to doing your best every day.  Above all, adopt an attitude of gratitude.  Find one thing to be thankful for each day.  It will change your attitude and foster a positive mindset – which will help you get through the tougher days.

Creating A Healthy Environment In And Outside Of Work

With Earth Day around the corner, leaders have a great opportunity to spend some quality time with their employees.  Whether you are a manager or the CEO, if you want to create an activity that will foster team work and boost employee engagement, look no further than volunteerism.  Of course you don’t need to wait for Earth Day to get started, but there is something to be said about seeing senior leadership rolling up their sleeves and getting their manual labor on with the rest of the team.   Bonding at its best!

If you’re looking for volunteer events near you, check out Volunteermatch.org.   As a reminder, Earth Day is celebrated globally on April 22.    Check listings in your area for Earth Day events and activities in your city, or visit EarthDay.org for information on how you can help celebrate our planet and raise environmental awareness.