Growing corporate giving, one business at a time
The Denver Business Journal
www.bizjournals.com/denver
Friday, October 9, 2015
4:00 am MDT
By Emma Dell
edell@bizjournals.com
303-803-9235
It’s well-known that community brings people together — sometimes it’s an individual, sometimes it’s family, and sometimes it’s a group of philanthropic companies coming together under one organization.
Denver’s B:CIVIC is banking on that third way: An altruistic organization focusing the civic and philanthropic efforts of many businesses.
Formed from the skeleton of Denver’s original “2% Club” and fleshed out with a host of new members, Businesses Committed to Investing & Volunteering in the Community dedicates itself to promoting philanthropic efforts by local companies.
The organization, which has taken on the moniker B:CIVIC, has applied for classification as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. B:CIVIC will rely on member companies and their donations to keep itself running. After its founding in 2013 with 100 members, B:CIVIC’s membership has grown to 150 and leaders have high hopes for future growth.
“Certainly we want to expand the membership even further,” said B:CIVIC’s executive director and CEO, Su Hawk. “We’re so proud that we have 150 very forward-minded, civic-thinking companies.”
B:CIVIC’s members come from all parts of Colorado’s business community. More than 40 percent of B:CIVIC members are considered entrepreneurial companies, employing anywhere from 1 to 50 people. But it also counts Fortune 500 companies with more than 500 Colorado employees and everything else in between.
“Corporate philanthropy is for any company of any size of any industry,” Hawk said.
Each member is different. They all contribute in their own way, but are formed by the same basic principles: A desire to do good in the community, and an interest in fulfilling their corporate social responsibility.
Law firm Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, one of the organization’s founding members, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary with a “Year of 100 Good Deeds,” choosing 100 charitable causes to support over the course of the year. And their progress tracker is filling up, as 95 of 100 projects had been listed as complete as of mid-September.
Its motivation is unique, as not many companies can boast such longevity, but its execution is right in line with B:CIVIC’s goals: Helping member companies find compelling ways to engage their employees and give back to the community.
“So many of these companies are doing this for all of the right reasons, and so nobody knows that they’re doing it except for the people who were intended,” said Hawk.
B:CIVIC isn’t just a support group for do-gooders, though. Their reasons may be selfless, as Hawk contends, but the businesses also benefit.
One of the guiding principles of The 2% Club was that businesses can compete better with other businesses of equal quality when their customers see them supporting a cause. Joining the Club, or now B:CIVIC, gives companies an edge over their competitors while also helping the community they’re based in to grow stronger.
Participating in CSR can also give businesses an edge when it comes to hiring. Hawk argues that it is a common theme among B:CIVIC’s members that volunteering builds pride in company employees.
“They’re not there to show off, they’re not there to be recognized. They’re doing it because they want their employees to feel really good about the company,” she siad.
Employees are some of the biggest benefactors of company membership, because not only do they get to feel good about working for a philanthropic business, but they also get to participate in B:CIVIC’s many programs and discussion workshops based on sharing ideas, networking, and discussing strategies.
“We have different programs…one is called Academy and that’s all about really deep, thoughtful content. Then we have another program that’s called Sparks & Sips and the objective is to have a workshop to spark peoples’ interest, and then we have a social hour afterward so they can connect with each other and further the conversations,” said Hawk.
“We also have a peer-to-peer network that we’ve held that’s been very successful, and often times it’s because it’s held with other peers who are discussing the same issues.”
Resources such as these can be really great motivators for those who may want to get involved in their community, but aren’t really sure how to do it.
The increase in company contributions after companies become members of B:CIVIC is evident to Hawk, and she credits the increased association with other philanthropically minded companies for that change. Online discussion forums are set to be launched soon as well.
“I believe they will be very productive for people, because our in-present conversations have been very successful. I would hope that our online discussions would even further that,” Hawk said.
“Every single day I want to make sure that I’ve done more in our community,” said Hawk. “Now I get a chance to really help B:CIVIC strengthen how it’s a hub in our community.”
5 Key Ways to Boost Employee Philanthropy
1. Create a unique charity involvement project
2. Attend networking events and educational seminars
3. Team with similarly involved companies
4. Pick specific quarterly focus issues
5. Listen for great ideas or areas of interest
Source: B:CIVIC
edell@bizjournals.com, 303-803-9235
B:CIVIC Member Spotlight: Western Union
B:CIVIC members focus on helping causes worldwide, from supply drives for local schools to international campaigns that help battle health epidemics. Western Union Foundation recently led an international effort in response to the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa by coordinating a million dollar global business challenge, as well as a multi-faceted program in support of community relief efforts. Here’s a brief summary of the foundation’s generous activities:
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Provided $500,000 in grants to Save the Children and the International Medical corps to support the treatment centers, community outreach and education, as well as the training of health workers. Additionally, Western Union urged all agents and clients to match all charitable donations made to these organizations.
- Activated a no-fee money transfer transaction program for participating agent locations and created a no-fee Payments contribution account benefiting the American Red Cross. Consumers worldwide were invited to give online to help the cause..
“We are committed to helping the global communities we serve,” said Western Union President and Chief Executive 
Officer Hikmet Ersek in a press release. “Western Union encourages its Agents, Business Solutions clients, and other global business leaders to join us in supporting the people of West Africa during this time of need.”
Learn more about the Western Union Foundation and all of its efforts to help international causes here.
This Member Spotlight was provided by Western Union. Do you have a story you’d like featured in B:CIVIC’s Member Spotlight? Please fill out the Share Your Story form.
Young Philanthropists Foundation Appreciation Bash to Celebrate Alexis Owen
Join the Young Philanthropists Foundation (YPF) in recognizing Alexis Owen for her vision in creating YPF and bringing Penny Harvest, a free, school-based citizenship and leadership service-learning program, to Colorado! (Last year the program raised nearly $100,000 with the help of local students and teachers). This event will celebrate how far YPF has come in engaging youth in making a difference in their communities and showcase where this amazing organization is headed.
Join YPF in celebrating Alexis’ contributions at the event taking place at the following date, time and location:
Thursday, March 19
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Space Gallery
400 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
Congratulations to Alexis on this wonderful recognition! We’re extremely proud of her community impact and are excited to have her expertise as B:CIVIC continues to grow. Alexis currently represents First Western Trust as a Founding Board Member and also serves as Co-chair of the Outreach and Marketing Committee.
Register for the Appreciation Bash here and learn about the corporate sponsorship opportunities here.
B:CIVIC – Our Mission, Members and Opportunities
Welcome to For Goodness’ Sake, B:CIVIC’s blog that will offer new perspectives on business giving in Colorado. We’ll regularly serve up philanthropy and community outreach ideas, new ways your business can get involved and noticed for its good deeds, insights on Colorado’s business giving scene and updates on our organization.
As the spin-off of the 2% Club, Businesses Committed to Investing and Volunteering in the Community (B:CIVIC) was established to boost business philanthropy and community involvement across the state.
Simply put: we know that businesses doing good make communities great.
We might be new, but many of our Founding Board Members have given back to their communities for decades. The 14 businesses and organizations at the helm of B:CIVIC are leaders in business giving in Colorado, and they’re on a mission to help companies of all sizes and industries do the same. We’ve almost reached 100 Founding Members and are ready to get the good going.
So, What’s Next?
Starting in 2015, we will offer year-round, exclusive professional development opportunities, educational resources, networking events, service days and much more. Whether you prefer attending an engaging panel that discusses the best business philanthropy practices or picking the brain of a fellow business leader about their latest community outreach tactics at a hopping cocktail hour, we have you covered. Stay tuned for a formal calendar of member events, as well as opportunities for Colorado’s nonprofit community and the general public to get involved.
We also invite our members to get involved with B:CIVIC by joining one of the following committees:
- Membership: Get involved with recruiting the best and brightest businesses that are committed to their local communities.
- Outreach and Marketing: Help tell B:CIVIC’s story, establish beneficial community partnerships, elevate members in the public eye, drive chatter on social media and much more.
- Program: Guide the design and implementation of program activities, evaluate program effectiveness and ensure that the programing addresses the needs of the organization.
Members: sign up for a committee here!
B:CIVIC kicked off on November 18th with a party at Will Call in RiNo. More than 100 representatives of local business showed up to support B:CIVIC’s mission to promote business philanthropy and community involvement in the community. Check out the album here!