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Corporate Philanthropy This special advertising supplement did not involve the reporting or editing staff of the Los Angeles Business Journal. December 1, 2008 An Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Business Journal

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Page 1: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

CorporatePhilanthropy

This special advertising supplement did not involve the reporting or editing staff of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

December 1, 2008An Advertising Supplement to theLos Angeles Business Journal

Page 2: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

Philanthropy...For the Good of It

18 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL DECEMBER 1, 2008

Younger DonorsJust as Generous asOther GenerationsStudy Funded by Campbell & CompanyAnalyzes Generational Giving Trends

DONORS across all generations tendto give roughly the same amountto philanthropic causes, when

controlling for other factors such asincome, education and frequency ofattendance at religious services, accordingto a report by the Center on Philan-thropy at Indiana University in a studyfunded by Campbell & Company.

The study of more than 10,000 indi-viduals across five generations examinesdifferences in giving trends, includingmotivations for giving, types of causessupported and amount donated. Whilethose in the Millennial generation (bornafter 1981) are generally less likely to giveand tend to give less when they do make

a donation, the study found that thistrend is associated with income, educa-tion level and religious attendance, ratherthan generation. All other factors beingequal, the average giving level of Millen-nials was roughly equivalent to that ofother generations.

“There’s a perception in the nonprofitworld that young people aren’t as philan-thropic, so this is great news,” says ShaunKeister, Ph.D., annual giving consultantwith Campbell & Company. “A lot of themembers of the Millennial generation arestill in school or have lower salariesbecause they’re at the beginning of theircareers, so this suggests that their givingmay rise along with their earning power.”

Other key findings of the Center onPhilanthropy study included:• Members of the Millennial generationare more likely than any other generationto cite the “desire to make the world a bet-ter place to live” as a key motivation fortheir philanthropic giving.• Members of the Silent generation (bornbetween 1929 and 1945) are more likely

to cite “need to provide services that thegovernment can’t or won’t” as one oftheir most important motivations for giv-ing.• Individuals in all generations whoattend religious services at least once ayear are more likely than those whonever attend to support both religiousand secular organizations.

“Our previous research has shown thatBaby Boomers and younger donors giveless to religion than do older genera-tions,” said Patrick Rooney, Ph.D., direc-tor of research for the Center on Philan-thropy. “This new study, using differentdata, confirms those findings andextends our understanding by allowingus to look at differences in motivationsfor giving as well.”

The findings suggest that youngerindividuals will respond better to mes-sages that focus on the global impact ofan organization’s work, while olderdonors are more likely to give to groupsthat highlight services they provide that

the government does not. But the biggerimplication, Keister says, is that organiza-tions shouldn’t underestimate youngerdonors, as the study shows they are justas generous as other donors.

“A lot of nonprofits think youngerdonors just don’t make big gifts, so theyask for small amounts,” Keister says, not-ing that Millennials tend to value thedollar differently than older donors.“Young people are willing to give largeramounts, but they won’t if they’reunder-asked. A lot of Millennials can eas-ily give $100, but in our experience,organizations are only asking them for$25 or $50 gifts.”

Campbell & Company is a national con-sulting firm offering advancement planning,fundraising, marketing communications andexecutive search for nonprofit organizationsin education, health and medicine, arts andculture, environment, social service and pro-fessional societies.

By BOB GREENFIELD

Philanthropy is defined as “the effort or inclina-tion to increase the well-being of humankind, asby charitable aid or donations.” Many of us have

thoughtful views about supporting and engaging inphilanthropic efforts in our private lives. But how doand should our business organizations relate to phil-anthropy? Is philanthropy the province of the typicalorganization or should “increasing the well-being ofhumankind” be the individual employee’s pursuitand responsibility?

The concept of corporate giving, or organization-sponsored philanthropy, is well established, but it iscertainly not a requirement for companies. Compa-nies that choose to invest in philanthropic efforts arecommon, but not necessarily ubiquitous. So if youown or are part of the leadership of a company, doyou have an actual responsibility or obligation onbehalf of the company to be philanthropic? It’s up toyou! It depends on what you want your organizationto be and stand for. That said, I think there is a com-pelling business case to be made for the value of phil-anthropic giving to an organization. Philanthropy isobviously valuable to society, but I believe it providesextremely valuable benefits directly to the givingorganization as well. I want to highlight two distinctbenefits to a company, in the areas of public relationsvalue and employee motivation and retention value.

Public Relations ValueMany organizations invest considerable sums in

public relations, apart from their product advertisingor marketing, using their “PR” efforts to try to shapepublic perceptions about the company, and to culti-vate a particular and desired public image. This is welland good, but regardless of what a company’s PR firmsays, who and what a company is will almost alwaysshine through. PR firms are retained because they areskillful at shaping perceptions. But with 24-hour newscycles and consumers’ easy access to information, thepublic has a larger and clearer window into “reality”than ever before. The reality of what your company iswill be based on what it does more so than on whatyour PR firm says.

So, what do you want your company to do? Makelots of money? Great. But what else? Keep in mindthat your company is expected to be profitable. A“lots ‘o profit!” mission only impresses if your compa-ny does it so well that many external stakeholdersbecome very wealthy in the process. And even then,

there’s something noticeably missing. Somethingmore meaningful. Something that other people, bothemployees and the external stakeholders can connectto. Something that contributes. That something miss-ing can be a company-sponsored effort to increase thewell-being of humankind. Is there any better PR thanbeing observed doing good things for society? Doing

good things for society will always be held in higherregard than artfully spinning or exaggerating ordinarydeeds beyond their merit.

Employee Motivation and Retention ValueLet’s turn to employee motivation and retention,

critical issues for the performance and sustainabilityof any organization. I’ve already mentioned that aprofit-centered or profit-only mission rarely capturesthe imagination of a company’s workforce. It’s easy tounderstand, but when the profits are disproportion-ately allocated to the company’s owners and seniormanagers, that mission is neither inspiring nor moti-vating to a workforce. Yet the right philanthropicagenda woven into the company’s mission can beinspirational to a workforce. Regardless of what wemay choose to narrowly focus on in our career andhow narrowly our business may choose to define“success,” the human spirit knows it is connected to

everyone and everything. I think this may be why welike contributing to those in need and why we likebeing a part of something bigger than ourselves.

When a company provides a meaningful opportu-nity to serve a cause more noble than the bottomline, it can bring out the best in employees preciselybecause it so effectively engages our spirit.

Philanthropic efforts do not have to take the formof donating a portion of your revenues or profits,although some version of this “structured” giving isbecoming increasingly common. Alternatives includesponsoring charitable or community projects, allow-ing employees to volunteer on company time, donat-ing your product or service, allowing communityorganizations to use your facilities or other infrastruc-ture resources, adopting a single cause and invitingemployees to sign on, providing a company match toindividual employees’ gifts, etc.

There’s obviously nothing wrong with products orservices that generate profits; they are just not terriblymotivating to anyone not receiving gobs of stockoptions. Why not bolster the motivational horsepow-er of your organization (and your employee retentionefforts) by adding a philanthropic agenda to the com-pany’s mission?

A few final thoughts: I’ve offered two practical rea-sons why philanthropy makes sense for companies.But there is a better and more noble reason still. Phil-anthropy makes the world a better place. That worldin which the needy exist is your world too. Helping toincrease the well-being of one helps humankind,which by definition includes you too. In a sense, yourcompany doesn’t have to be remotely altruistic to bephilanthropic. When businesses compete and try tooutdo each other’s market share and bottom lines,incredible innovation can result. Imagine what wouldhappen if businesses unleashed that same competitivespirit on trying to outdo our competitors in terms ofbeneficial impact on a needy community or on a vex-ing societal problem?

Bob Greenfield is an organization development consultant,and is owner and principle consultant of Greenfield Man-agement Strategies (GMS). Established in 1999, GMShelps individuals and groups in the private, nonprofit, andpublic sectors become more effective at creating the resultsthey want. Bob can be contacted directly at 818-506-7100or via [email protected]. GMS’ website iswww.greenfieldmanagementstrategies.com.

There’s obviously nothing wrong

with products or services that

generate profits; they are just not

terribly motivating to anyone not

receiving gobs of stock options.

Why not bolster the motivational

horsepower of your organization

(and your employee retention

efforts) by adding a philanthropic

agenda to the company’s mission?

Page 3: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

DECEMBER 1, 2008 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 19

Supporting the Los Angeles Mission is a wonderrful act of corporate

philanthropy. But it’s not just about giving. Theree are many practical

benefi ts to your business as well. Besides the obbvious tax deduction,

you receive recognition that enhances your public image. You also

help strengthen our community by supporting prrograms that give

disadvantaged men and women a chance to beccome productive

s—such as Anne members of society again. Many of our residents

Johnnetta Tripplett—Douglas Center graduates Adrienne Taylor and J

their own.have even gone on to start small businesses of t

Support the Mission. Strengthen the community. Make a difference.

To learn how, call (213) 629-1227 or go to www.losangelesmission.org

Anne and Kirk Douglas at the rededication of the Anne Douglas

Center, summer 2008. The Center’s renovation was made possible

by a generous donation from Mr. & Mrs. Douglas.

“ Thannks to all of you who support

h Los Angeles Mission and the the L

e Douglas Center. You make Ann

ll possible.it al ”~ Johnnetta Tripplett

God’s Glorious Creations

““I III ththththaaaanannanannk kkkk GoGoGoGoGod d ddd ananananandd d dddddddd alalalalalalalalalll ll llllllll whwhwwhwhwhhhhhhhwhwhwhhwhhhhhhhhhhhhwhwhhhhwhhwwwwhhhhwwwhwwhwwhw oooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooo oooo oooo ooooooo ooooooo mamamammamamamaaamaamamammamaaamamammamamamamamamamamamaamamammamamamamamamaamammam kkekekekekekekekekekekkekekkekkk ttt tttttttt ttt t ttthhhhhhhihhhihihihihihihihhhihhhhhhhhihihhihh ssss ss sssss

plplpp acacacacce eeee whwhhatatt i iit t isiss......a a aaa mimimiimiiimimm ndndndndndndndndn -r-r-r-r-r-r-r-renenenenenenenennnnnnnennnnennnennnnnennewewewewewewewewewewewewwwwwwwewwewewewewwwwewewewweweweewewewewewewweweweewewwwwwweewiiininininininininininininininiiininininininiiininiininininininininiiinininiinininiinniininiiniininiing,g,gggggggggggggggggggggggg

spspspspsps iriririririririititititit-l-l-l-lliffifififififftittititiingngngngngngngg, , , lililililil fefefefeffff -c-c-c-chahahahangngngggggggginininininng gg ggggggg plplplplplplplplpppp acacacacacacccce.e.ee.e.e.ee ”””””””~ Adrienne Taylor

Taylor-Made Cakes & Catering

Supporting the Los Angeles Mission is good for your heart and for your business!

Page 4: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

By DAVID WHEELER NEWMAN

IN the current economic environment,many corporations are thinking abouttrimming their financial commitment

to charities serving the communities inwhich the corporations do business.Unfortunately, this same environment issimultaneously increasing the fundingrequirements of those charities. While theinitial reaction of corporate managementis understandable, an alternative to givingless may be to give the same amount butto give more effectively. A wave currentlysweeping through the nonprofit worldmay give corporate funders the tools tohelp them do just that.

That wave is increased encouragementof nonprofits to implement measures ofgood governance and transparency. Thisencouragement is coming from state regu-lators, federal tax authorities, the press andprofessional associations serving the non-profit world. The result is the availabilityof much more information to donors will-ing to look for it, to help them apply phil-anthropic resources more effectively. Tomake sure that limited philanthropicresources are put to the most effective use,corporate funders need to gather and ana-lyze this information, in the same waythat the purchasing department wouldevaluate the company’s vendors.

Sources of InformationOne high-profile source of activity in this

arena is the leadership of the Senate FinanceCommittee. For several years, its former

chair and current ranking member, CharlesGrassley, and his colleague, current commit-tee chair Max Baucus, have pursued mea-sures to make charities more accountable forthe considerable tax subsidies that areentrusted to them. This pursuit has includedpublic hearings on good governance fornonprofits, at which representatives ofgroups such as the Council on Foundationsand Independent Sector were invited to tes-tify. Senator Grassley has recently ques-tioned the relationship between large andgrowing university endowments and thehigh cost of tuition for students to attendthose same institutions.

Spurred on by the Senate Finance Com-mittee, the Internal Revenue Service hasrecently expanded its regulatory oversightof nonprofits beyond its traditional focuson compliance with federal tax law toinclude governance and transparency. TheIRS initiative in this area that will have thegreatest impact, both on charities andtheir supporters, is the first major redesignin thirty years of the information returnfiled by charities, the Form 990. This is animportant development for corporate phil-anthropy for two reasons.

First, unlike the tax returns filed byindividuals and companies, which areconsidered confidential, Form 990 is apublic document. Not only are charitiesrequired to make their Form 990 availableto anyone requesting a copy (many chari-ties post their Form 990 on their website),services such as Guidestar(www.guidestar.org) and Charity Naviga-tor (www.charitynavigator.org) compile

the forms and post them all on their sitesas the forms are made public by the IRS.

The second reason the revamp of theForm 990 is important for corporate philan-thropy is that the new form will containmuch more information relating to gover-nance as well as the effectiveness of the orga-nization’s programs. Some information relat-ing to effectiveness is solicited in the currentversion of Form 990, but is typically provid-ed by charities in narrative form with nouniform format, making it difficult to com-pare the results of one organization withthose of another organization serving thesame charitable purpose. The governmentwants much more detailed information, in auniform format, to enable regulators todetermine how effectively a nonprofit isusing its tax subsidies to achieve its charita-ble purpose, in comparison to its peers. Ofcourse, the data to make this type of com-parison can be extremely valuable to corpo-rations looking to ensure that their philan-thropic resources are being used most effec-tively. The new Form 990 will be used forthe first time for the 2008 filing season. Thenew form, and a draft of its very detailedinstructions, may be viewed at www.irs.org.

Due DiligenceIn addition to collecting and analyzingpublicly available data, corporate fundersneed to ask charities a lot of questions, inan organized way, to develop the informa-tion needed to evaluate those charities todetermine which will be most likely tohelp the company achieve its philanthrop-ic objectives. Award-winning author DougWhite, in his recent book “Charity onTrial,” provides a useful checklist fordonors to be more effective in their phil-anthropy by taking advantage of thisincreased transparency, including:• Ask to see the charity’s annual report• Ask about its programs• Ask how many years has it been operating• Ask about the members of its board oftrustees• Ask about the key staff• Ask about transparency policies• Ask about infrastructure• Ask about fundraising• Ask how the charity communicatesimportant news to the public• Ask about ethics policies

It is White’s view that involved donorsneed to help — really need to force – char-ities to a better job. He observes that “edu-cated, caring donors will do more to getcharities to be more honest and transpar-ent than anything else.” While his view isnot restricted to corporate donors, it isclear that corporations, with greaterresources than most individual philan-

thropists for gathering and analyzinginformation and having this type of duediligence as a core competence, are betterequipped to exercise this positive influ-ence on the charitable sector while accom-plishing their primary objective of makingsure that the finite resource of philan-thropic funding is used most effectively.

Social Investing and theImportance of Metrics

If a corporation is analyzing whether toinvest resources in expanding ProductLine A versus Product Line B, it uses toolsto measure a number of different out-comes to determine which investment ismost likely to produce the best result.Businesses have developed standardizedmeasurements so that results of dissimilarbusinesses can be systematically com-pared. The emerging field of social invest-ing seeks to apply the same approach tothe commitment of philanthropicresources among competing causes andorganizations, but instead of analyzingwhich investment will produce the great-est profit for the company, the question iswhat social investment will create thegreatest value for the people who dependon the services and programs of the chari-table sector.

The challenge in applying this analyticapproach is having widely accepted met-rics to empirically compare the results ofone organization to another, or differentprograms within the same organization.One organization, the Alliance for Effec-tive Social Investing, is currently develop-ing an assessment tool to be used in thisbusiness-like approach to charitable giv-ing. A draft of the assessment tool, and aguide to effective social investing, may befound at www.alleffective.org.

Other metrics of nonprofit performancehave been developed elsewhere in thesocial investing community, and undoubt-edly others will be as the concept of phil-anthropy as a different type of investing —for societal outcomes rather than for prof-its – becomes more widely accepted. Theseanalytical tools, along with the movementtoward greater transparency of the opera-tions of charitable organizations, shouldhelp corporations be more effective intheir philanthropy by giving them thedata and analytic tools to apply the deci-sion-making process of the business worldto charitable giving.

David Wheeler Newman chairs the CharitableSector Practice Group at the Los Angeles-basedlaw firm of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP,which also has offices in New York andWashington, D.C.

To meet the needs of all who are coming to us, UnionR Mi i t 2 500 l dRescue Mission must serve 2,500 meals a day. Please help us.Please help us. Each gift of $1.84 helps to provide aEach gift of $1.84 helps to provide ahot meal for someone who desperately needs it.

Enclosed is my gift of :� $27.60 to help feed 15 people�� $36 80 to help feed 20 people$36.80 to help feed 20 people� $92 to help feed 50 people�� $ h l l ibl$_____to help as many people as possible.Name___________________________________________________________Address_________________________________________________________City/State/ZipCity/State/Zip_________________________________________________E-mail________________________________________________________

Union Rescue Mission – H l i h i d iHelping those in need since 1891

Mail this coupon with your tax-deductible gift today to:p y g yUnion Rescue Mission • 545 San Pedro StreetLos Angeles CA 90013 • 213 347 6300Los Angeles, CA 90013 • 213-347-6300 Put your gift to work faster! Visit our secure donation page at www.urm.org

Helping those in need since 1891

$1.84 goes a long way at Union Rescue Mission

December 1953December 1953 November 2007

20 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL DECEMBER 1, 2008

Increasing Transparencyin Nonprofit Sector MakesCorporate Philanthropy More Effective

An alternative to

giving less may

be to give the

same amount

but to give

more effectively.

Page 5: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

$1 MILLION+AT&TBank of AmericaEdison International Enterprise Rent-A-CarGreater Los Angeles

Combined Federal CampaignsTennenbaum Capital PartnersUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUPSWells Fargo

$500,000-$999,999California State Employees’

Charitable CampaignDeloitteEast West Bank Kaiser PermanenteLos Angeles County EmployeesThe Los Angeles TimesNBC UniversalNorthrop Grumman CorporationPricewaterhouseCoopers LLPToyota Motor Sales USAValero Wilmington Refinery

$100,000-$499,99921st Century Insurance3MAblestik LaboratoriesACCO Engineered Systems, Inc.The Aerospace CorporationAIG SunAmericaAnheuser-Busch, Inc.Automobile Club of Southern CaliforniaAvery DennisonBiosense WebsterThe Boeing CompanyCalifornia Institute of TechnologyChevron CorporationCity National BankCity of Los AngelesCostco Wholesale CorporationErnst & Young LLPExxonMobil Oil CorporationFarmers InsuranceFedEx CorporationFirst Federal Bank of CaliforniaFrontier ToyotaThe Gas Company

General Electric CompanyGulfstream Aerospace CorporationJC Penney CorporationJet Propulsion LaboratoryKPMG LLPLockheed Martin CorporationLos Angeles City Fire DepartmentLos Angeles Unified School DistrictMacy’s WestManatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLPMerrill Lynch & Company, Inc.NeutrogenaNordstrom, Inc.Occidental Petroleum CorporationO’Melveny & Myers, LLPParsons CorporationPCL Construction Enterprises, IncPratt & Whitney RocketdyneRaytheon CompanyTargetTesoro OilTransamericaTrust Company of the WestUCLAUnion Bank of CaliforniaWachovia BankWashington MutualXerox Corporation

$50,000-$99,999AccentureAlbertsonsBain & CompanyBank of New York MellonBest Buy CompanyBobrick Washroom Equipment, Inc.Capital Group Companies, Inc.Cedars Sinai Community RelationsCitigroup FoundationCity of Long BeachCity of PasadenaComcast CorporationComerica BankGeneral MillsIBM CorporationIllinois Tool Works, Inc.Lawry’s Restaurants, Inc.Lowe Enterprises, Inc.Loyola Marymount UniversityMullin TBG

Nestle USAPayden & RygelPayless Shoe SourceRegency CentersRio Tinto Minerals, Boron OperationsRubin Postaer & AssociatesSilgan Containers CorporationSt Jude Medical - CRMDSuperior Industries International, Inc.

$25,000-$49,999Ameron International CorporationAramark Uniform Services, Inc.Avon Products, Inc.Bloomingdale’s, Inc.BNSF Railway CompanyCargill, Inc.Delta Air LinesDelta DentalDeluxe Small Business ServicesDillard’sFederal Reserve Bank of San FranciscoFraser CommunicationsGang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc.Gordon & Rees LLPThe Hon CompanyHSBC - North AmericaITT Aerospace ControlsJacobs Engineering Group, Inc.Korn/Ferry InternationalLA County Office of EducationLiberty Vegetable Oil CompanyMarsh USAMervyn’s CaliforniaMount Sinai Memorial ParkNationwide InsuranceNorthern Trust BankPalmdale School DistrictPfizer, Inc.Rain Bird CorporationState Farm Insurance CompanyTCI Precision MetalsThe TJX Companies, Inc.Unified Grocers, Inc.United Airlines CorporationUnivision Communications, Inc.US BankWal-Mart Stores, Inc.WellPoint Health Networks, Inc.

INVESTORS IN CHANGE

TOP CONTRIBUTORSCorporate and employee gifts of $500,000+ to United Way’s Creating Pathways Out of Poverty plan

www.unitedwayla.org

Great companies know that the best thing we can invest in is the future of our communities. United Way of Greater Los Angeles is proud to recognize the following organizations that have invested at least$25,000 to help improve the quality of life for all in this great region.* Your leadership is an inspiration to us all.

*Between July 2007 and June 2008.

Members of organized labor provide valuable support and leadership as United Way donors. Special thanks to the following labor organizations:

AFGE • ALADS • APWU • ATU • CAPE • CWA/NABET • District Council Carpenters • Firefighters • HARE • HERE • IAM • IBEW • IBT • IUE IUOE • Laundry Workers • LIUNA • MEBA • NALC • United Nurses/AFSCME • OPEIU • Operating Engineers • Plumbers • SEIU • SOFA • Steelworkers • TCU

Teamsters • TIU • UAW • UFCW • Utility Workers • UTLA/AFT • UTU and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.

DECEMBER 1, 2008 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 21

Page 6: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

PROFILE OF PHILANTHROPIC SUCCESS:

From the Streets toSmall Business Ownership

22 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL DECEMBER 1, 2008

By STEVE RUPPE

AT a time when many businesses arestruggling, two Los Angeles start-upsare looking at tough economic

times as just another one of life’s hurdlesto get over. Both proprietors have facedtough personal crises and ended upstronger from the experience. When youhave been down and out and living at ahomeless shelter, economic crisis seemslike a small bump in the road.

Catering an event for Kirk and AnneDouglas would be a career highlight formany. And while it was that for AdrienneTaylor, it was also an opportunity to provesomething more than her ability with apetit four. Taylor, proprietor of TaylorMade Cakes, was proving that a life couldbe totally changed from dependence ondrugs and alcohol to the independence ofbeing a successful small business owner.

Taylor started her business after gradu-ating from the long-term rehabilitationprogram at the Anne Douglas Center forWomen, part of the Los Angeles Mission’soutreach on Skid Row. Flowers for theevent were provided by God’s GloriousCreations, a floral design business startedby another Mission graduate, JohnnettaTripplett.

The event was the re-dedication of theAnne Douglas Center, the 20-year oldfacility for women at the Los Angeles Mis-sion. Financial support from the Douglasfamily made the facility possible, andfunded much of the renovation. Whilemany businesses have supported the Mis-sion and the Anne Douglas Center overthe years, Taylor and Tripplett’s endeavorsmay “give back” the most.

Who would have thought that the LosAngeles Mission would turn out to be asmall business incubator? The nonprofit

organization serving the homeless andpoor of Los Angeles’ Skid Row has beenaround for over 70 years. On a daily basisit provides emergency services such asmeals, clothing, personal hygiene andovernight shelter for hundreds of men andwomen. Last year alone the Mission pro-vided more than half a million meals toanyone who needed the food. Bible stud-ies courses and other Christian educationis also part of the Mission’s outreach tothe community. But the Mission’s mostimportant work is in life restoration.

That is evident in the job training andlife skills and other education opportuni-ties offered by the Mission. Taylor andTripplett both worked hard to get throughthe 13-month long program at the AnneDouglas Center. The families of bothwomen recommended that they enroll inthe program to deal with their out-of-con-trol lives. Both found sustenance andstrength in the Christian-based sessionsthey attended. As they gained more con-trol over their lives, they both were able tostudy and train for their bright futures.

Hundreds of men and women are cur-rently enrolled in long-term programs atthe Mission designed to help them breaktheir dependence on drugs and alcohol.The programs also assist them in learninglife skills that will help them transitionback into society as productive members.Following the 13 month program, manygraduates stay in supportive housing forup to another year, as they land jobs, gainexperience, and save money for housing.Many graduates find their way back to theMission as volunteers and occasionally asemployees, giving back to the institutionthat helped them. Both Tripplett and Tay-lor find time to support the women cur-rently in the Anne Douglas Center pro-gram, and maintain their relationships

with the staff members who helped themwhen they needed it.

Herbert L. Smith, president of the LosAngeles Mission points to Taylor and Trip-plett as examples of the potential of manyin the homeless community. “There is apopular saying about teaching a person tofish that reflects what we believe at theMission,” Smith says. “In providing anencouraging and nurturing atmospherewith strong education and training oppor-tunities, we are helping people step upfrom being a burden to society to beingfull members of society. Our goal is taxpaying citizens, working, paying their ownway, and even creating jobs for others.”

“Businesses in Los Angeles are vital toour operation,” says Smith. “We receivefinancial support and donation of goodsand services from businesses all over thearea. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit our financialwell-being is based on the support fromthe community and business support is alarge part of our operating budget. In addi-tion many of our graduates go on tobecome employees of businesses that sup-port us.”

Wells Fargo, named the top corporatedonor in Los Angeles County by the LosAngeles Business Journal last year, is a long-time financial supporter of the Mission.The bank will be sponsoring the Mission’sannual Thanksgiving event for the home-less for the second year in 2008. “SeveralWells Fargo team members have routinelyvolunteered at the L.A. Mission over theyears,” said Bryan Moeller, Wells FargoSVP and director of Small Business Bank-ing for L.A. Metro. “We had more than270 volunteers last year at the Thanksgiv-ing event. When we invited our team tocome help, we had more than 1,000RSVPs within a couple of hours,” saidMoeller. “We encourage team members to

continue to volunteer with the Los Ange-les Mission because the organization isalways in need of volunteers, every day ofthe year. In our L.A. Metro Region, ourteam members volunteered more than20,000 hours in 2007.”

“During these uncertain economictimes, we know many of our communitypartners and non-profit organizationshave had challenges with donations thisyear even as demand for basic services,food and shelter for the truly needy hassharply risen. I am very grateful to workfor such a great company as Wells Fargowhose commitment to helping our com-munity has not waivered. In greater LosAngeles, Wells Fargo, has donated morethan $10 million annually for the last sixconsecutive years, and we expect to givemore than $10 million this year.”

“At Wells Fargo, we believe we can onlybe as successful as the communities wherewe live and do business. With more than70,000 homeless people in Los Angeles,many of our families have been affectedby this terrible epidemic, including myown. Wells Fargo proudly supports organi-zations like the Los Angeles Mission thathelps those who need help the most.”

For both Triplett and Taylor, the Missionprogram wasn’t the end of their education.Taylor took a year of culinary trainingbefore opening Taylor Made Cakes. Trip-plett went to floral design school. Bothbring a special sensitivity to their new busi-nesses. Tripplett now provides flowerarrangements to restaurants, law offices andother businesses. “When I got clean andsober, flowers became a very important partof my life,” Tripplett said. “God gave mesomething no one can take away. I look atfloral design as a ministry.”

Steve Ruppe is with the Los Angeles Mission.

PAUL Newman passed away on Friday,September 26, 2008. Nearly 10 yearsago, Newman helped to found the

Committee Encouraging Corporate Phil-anthropy, a consortium of global CEOsin support of corporate giving. Newman inspired corporate leadersthrough his passion and perseverance inchanging the way business interacted withits communities. Part of his legacy hasbeen to rally senior executives to discussthe value of corporate philanthropy withtheir peers. As a result, he has helped toestablish a new definition of true leader-ship – encouraging CEOs to take an activerole as spokesperson and advocate for cor-

porate community investment.It was Newman’s sense of business

responsibility, civility, and passion for ahealthy society that guided his life andset the tone for the Committee. Mr. New-man was an inspiration to communityand business leaders alike, and his goodwork will live on through the continuedefforts of CECP members to realize thedual business and social value of corpo-rate philanthropy.

In his own words, Newman said, “Ihelped to start CECP with the belief thatcorporate America could be a force forgood in society.” The loss of Paul New-man will be felt not only by his family

and fans, but by the many corporate andnonprofit leaders who took his words toheart and created successful cross-sectorpartnerships, influencing the way busi-ness is conducted across the globe.

“Paul Newman was a person of uniqueaccomplishments, sensitivity, generosity,intellect, and abundant good humor, whotouched many lives,” said CECP ExecutiveDirector Charles Moore. “He worked tire-lessly to make companies more humane,urging executives to adopt philanthropicprograms into their businesses. We are sograteful to Paul’s commitment to CECPand his tremendous leadership in corpo-rate philanthropy.”

Information for this remembrance was pro-vided by the Committee Encouraging Cor-porate Philanthropy (CECP), the onlyinternational forum of business CEOs andchairpersons focused on raising the level andquality of corporate philanthropy. Member-ship includes more than 175 executives rep-resenting companies that account for over40% of reported corporate giving in the Unit-ed States. www.corporatephilanthropy.org

PROFILE OF A PHILANTHROPIST:

CECP Honors Co-Founder Paul Newman

FAR LEFT: Johnnetta Tripplet, owner of “God’s Glori-ous Creations,” started her floral design business afterher graduation from the Los Angeles Mission’s AnneDouglas Center for Women.CENTER: Los Angeles Mission president Herbert L.Smith is joined by Wells Fargo executives at the LosAngeles Mission Thanksgiving Event 2007. From left,Bryan Moeller, senior vice president and director ofsmall business banking L.A. Metro; Smith; ShelleyFreeman, regional president L.A. Metro CommunityBank; and Jonathan Weedman, regional vice presidentWells Fargo Foundation Greater Los Angeles.LEFT: Adrienne Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Cakesand a graduate of the Anne Douglas Center at the LosAngeles Mission; with Mary Erickson, long-time sup-porter of the Anne Douglas Center; at the recent re-dedication of the facility following renovation project.

Two Women and aNonprofitBuild New Lives

Page 7: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

DECEMBER 1, 2008 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 23

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Since 1991, Children’s Hunger Fund hasdistributed more than $800 million worth of food,

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Page 8: 17 24 philanthropy - CBJonline.com · ing that Millennials tend to value the dollar differently than older donors. “Young people are willing to give larger amounts, but they won’t

24 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL DECEMBER 1, 2008

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