HelpingHero

Charitable Ideas for Pet Co-ops

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:33:00 GMT

Selling t-shirts, tote bags, sweatshirts and other miscellaneous items through your own Café Press store is a great way for your pet co-op to raise money for charity. Through Café Press (http://www.cafepress.com/), you can place any images you'd like on t-shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, calendars and etc.. After you place the images on the merchandise you want to sell, enter a description of your store and the products. Next, Café Press will create a URL that you can use to promote your store on the Internet as well as to your local community. When shoppers buy the pet merchandise you have to offer, you'll earn money, and you can distribute the money you earn to one or more charities in your community. Just make sure there's a message on your store's page letting shoppers which charity you'll be giving the proceeds to.

By now you're probably wondering what type of images you can place on the merchandise. Basically, any image that you own the copyright to, but here are a few ideas just in case you need a starting point: Let shoppers know you can place an image of their pet on any of the merchandise they purchase from your Café Press store; just have them provide the image. Feel free to create a few sayings for the products as well. You could include sayings such as I love dogs, I'm the proud owner of a pomeranian, I support no-kill animal shelters and etc.

Creating and selling merchandise through your own Café Press store is just one charitable idea among many. However, this idea could earn quite a bit of money for your pet co-op, because if you promote your Café Press store correctly, you could gain many shoppers. Let's face it, in today's times, online shopping is becoming popular.

Do you have a Café Press store? Feel free to share any ideas on managing a Café Press store in the comments area. Also feel free to share ideas on pet-related images or sayings that a pet co-op could place on their merchandise.

Right Charitable Ideas for Gardening Co-ops

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:47:00 GMT

Is your gardening co-op in search of a few charitable ideas? Following is a list of a few right charitable ideas for gardening co-ops that your group might enjoy doing. Not only will you be doing something you love, but you'll also help others in your community.

Volunteer to Plant Flowers for the Elderly

Most of the elderly enjoy flowers but are unable to care for the plants themselves. Since your gardening co-op group is able and looking for a few charitable ideas, send members from your co-op to visit the assisted living facilities in your community. Once a member has arrived at the assisted living facility they were instructed to visit, have that co-op member speak with someone about volunteering to plant and care for a flower garden. If they give you a thumbs up to proceed, gather the rest of the members in your gardening co-op, head to the assisted living facilities that gave you the thumbs up and plant the flower gardens out front. Next, take turns visiting the facilities to care for the plants. Before you begin planting flowers in the garden, you can always talk to the residents at the facilities to find out what flowers they like, as well as what they'd like to see planted in the garden.

Feed the Hungry

Donate produce from your garden and/or greenhouse to homeless shelters and food pantries in your community.

Sell Fruits and Vegetables to Raise Money for a Good Cause

Each weekend, gather fruits and vegetables from your co-op's garden and set up a produce stand somewhere in your community to sell the fruits and vegetables you gathered. Hang a sign at your stand to let customers know that all the proceeds will go back into the community. If you like, you can name the charity that the proceeds from that weekend's sales will benefit.

Not sure what charity to donate to? If someone in your community lose their belongings in a house fire, donate the proceeds from a weekend or two of sales to the family who lost their belongings. Maybe there's a child in your area with a medical condition and your community is looking for ways to help them with travel and medical expenses, your gardening co-op could be generous enough to donate the proceeds from produce sales to the parents of that child.

Those are just a few of the right charitable ideas for your gardening co-op. Feel free to share other charitable ideas for gardening co-ops by leaving a comment.

Charitable Ideas for Winter Storm Victims

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:59:00 GMT

This past week a nasty winter storm hit Southern Illinois, Central Kentucky and several other states. The storm left many towns and roads covered in snow and ice. Due to the ice, thousands were left in the dark, and many still remain without power today. Being without power has many residents struggling to stay warm, and some lost food that they had stored in their refrigerators and freezers. Thankfully, there are ways you can help the winter storm victims. Here are a few charitable ideas for winter storm victims:

Donate Blankets

Some people who had electric heat are now looking for ways to keep their families warm. If you'd like to help, you could donate any extra blankets you have. While it may not seem like much, blankets do provide warmth.

Donate Kerosene and Kerosene Heaters

Many families have turned to kerosene heaters to keep their families warm, but they only have some much kerosene, and since most of the stores are closed and roads in some areas are still too treacherous to travel, they have no way of getting more kerosene. If you have any kerosene and/or kerosene heaters you don't mind parting with to help a family or two in need, donate your extra kerosene and/or kerosene heaters.

Donate Food and Water

If you'd really like to help but don't have extra blankets, kerosene or kerosene heaters, winter storm victims would also be grateful for any food and water donations that you could send their way.

Use HelpingHero to find winter storm victims in your town that are in need of assistance. Then once you find those winter storm victims through HelpingHero, find out how you can send your donations to them. Many of the towns have non-profit organizations out helping victims, so if all else fails, you can contact one of the non-profit organizations in the area you wish to help and find out how you can send in your donations, as well as if there's anything else you can do to help.

Lend a Helping Paw to Animal Shelters in San Diego

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:19:00 GMT

Do you remember my discussion about charitable ideas for pet lovers last week? At the end of that post, I promised to introduce you to animal shelters in San Diego, so without further ado, here are a few animal shelters for your list of charitable causes in San Diego that you'd like to help. I'm sure any of the following shelters would greatly appreciate your donation and/or any assistance you could give them.

The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA is located on 5500 Gaines Street in San Diego, CA. This charitable cause believes it's best to keep their animals in a more apartment-like environment. By housing the animals in an apartment-like atmosphere, the animals receive all the love and attention they deserve. Furthermore, anyone looking to adopt a puppy or cat from this animal shelter won't have to worry about house-breaking, because the staff and volunteers are able to train the animals since they're in a home-like setting.

Visit San Diego Humane Society and SPCA's official website for information on volunteering and/or donating. They're always looking for animal lovers to assist with grooming, feeding, socializing, animal rescue and much more.

Escondido Humane Society takes in stray animals and helps them find a home where pet lovers such as you will give the love, attention and care that the animals need. This private, non-profit animal shelter in San Diego depends on donations and volunteers, so help an animal shelter that provides a better life for animals without a home, as well as a shelter that doesn't euthanize.

Do you love cats? Would you like to help an animal shelter just for cats? I thought so, and that's why I'd like to encourage you to consider helping Friends of Cats. Friends of Cats not only shelters approximately 300 cats, but they also provide medical care to cats in need.

If you're good at organizing fundraisers, marketing, grooming cats, painting and/or carpentry, Friends of Cats would love your help.

These three animal shelters in San Diego should keep you busy for a while, but if you'd like some additional help from others in your community, you can always browse HelpingHero for other animal lovers in your area.

Charitable Ideas for Pet Lovers

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:18:00 GMT

This one's for all you pet lovers out there. If you love animals and are looking for a few charitable ideas to help all those cute and furry critters out there, then I urge you to keep reading.

Before I mention a few of my charitable ideas for pet lovers, let me begin with a little advice on how to get started. It's actually pretty simple. Just locate other pet lovers in your area and run these ideas by them. Other pet lovers would be delighted to join you in your quest to help the animals. Don't know any pet lovers in your area? HelpingHero can help you arrange a pet lover's co-op in your community or help you connect with pet lovers in your community.

Now I'll move on to the charitable ideas for pet lovers. See, I didn't keep you waiting too long for the good stuff, did I?

Volunteer at a Local Pet Shelter

Since you love animals so much, you could volunteer at a local pet shelter in your community. Some things you could assist with are cleaning cages, grooming and giving your attention to the animals so they're not so lonely.

Donate Food to Keep the Critters Happy and Healthy

Many pet shelters are non-profit, so they're always in need of food to help keep the critters they house happy and healthy. That said, if you'd really love to help a local pet shelter but don't have the time to volunteer, you could always purchase pet food and drop it off at the shelter. I guarantee the owner would appreciate it very much, and if you'd like, you can donate food once a month or week.

Offer Your Pet Sitting Services to a Local Animal Shelter in Need of Help

If you know of a shelter that has been flooded out recently, call the owner and offer to take in some of their pets in your home until the shelter gets back on its feet. In addition to offering them free pet sitting services, you could volunteer to help them clean up from the flood.

Donate Your Expertise in Exchange for Some Free Pampering for Your Beloved Pet

Do you have a pet in need of some pampering, as well as a special knack for house training dogs or cats, teaching parrots how to talk, training dogs to listen to their master or some other special ability with animals? Visit local shelters and pet shops in your area. Once there, ask to speak with the owner or manager and let him or her know your expertise. Next, tell them you'd be happy to volunteer your expertise in exchange for some free pampering for your beloved pet.

Now that you know of four charitable ideas for pet lovers, go ahead and get started helping those adorable critters in your area, but don't forget to join me here next week when I introduce you to a few animal shelters in San Diego that you could add to your list of organizations you'd like to help.

Right Charitable Ideas for Your Babysitting Co-op

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:33:00 GMT

Have you organized a babysitting co-op in your community and looking for a few charitable ideas? You've come to the right place, because today's post will feature two of the right charitable ideas that will make you feel good about yourself and build a reputable name for your volunteer organization.

How many times has your heart went out to someone who fell on hard times but you didn't know how to help him or her? Sure, you wanted to offer your assistance, but you didn't know what you could do to help. What follows are two ways you can help someone in need, so the next time you'll know exactly how to help.

Volunteer to Care for Someone's Child(ren)

Sometimes when someone loses a loved one to death, has a family emergency or falls on other hard times, they find themselves in a difficult situation if they have a child or children to take care of. If it's a family emergency that struck them, they may need to spend time at the hospital. However, children usually become restless in hospitals, so the person may not be able to spend as much time as they'd like in the hospital. No matter what the situation -- death or family emergency -- your babysitting co-op could be there to help by offering to babysit without charge.

Contact the colleagues in your babysitting co-op group and make plans to help anyone in your community who has children and is faced with a death or family emergency. Someone can volunteer to contact that person and offer their services free, or if it would require long hours, a few of you could get together and decide who will babysit at what times.

Send a press release to your local media and hang flyers in local stores to announce that your babysitting co-op group will offer these services without charge. Be sure to include your contact information and details about your organization in your press release and flyers.

Volunteer to Clean

Now the question is how can you offer your assistance to someone who doesn't have children? Simple, volunteer to clean their home. While you normally offer babysitting services, it doesn't hurt to volunteer another service and build a good name for your organization.

When you volunteer your time to someone in need, he or she will remember what you did. Furthermore, one day you may need assistance and the person you helped just might return the favor. That, my friends, is what they call good karma, and in one way or another, you'll be blessed for all your good deeds.

How to Raise Money for Your Child's School

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Schools are always in need of extra money for playground equipment, better books and more. Get together with parents in your area and discuss how you can come together as a group and implement the following ideas to raise money for your child's school.

Create and Sell Crafts

Gather the parents and children and devote a few days to creating simple crafts that everyone can sell to raise money for their child's school. Be sure to help the younger children out, but don't exclude them from the craft-making activities.

Bake and Sell Cakes and Cookies

Make a list of all the cakes and cookies everyone would like to sell. Next, write down who will bake what and organize a date, time and place to hold a bake sale. As you did with the crafts, let the children join in and help bake the goodies for your upcoming bake sale.

Gather the Children and Sell Lemonade

We may not run across as many lemonade stands as we use to, but a lemonade stand should still go over well when the children are behind it. All you really need to do is make the lemonade and assist the children with the money. As for the children, have them put on their best smile and the lemonade should sell its self.

Sell Candy

Purchase candy in bulk and have the children sell the candy in their community. You can find candy to buy by the bulk on the Internet. Search Google for one or more of these terms: "wholesale candy" or "candy distributors."

Any of the aforementioned ideas will bring in some extra cash for your child's school. Just remember this: When you go to sell the crafts, baked goodies, lemonade and/or candy, mention that all the proceeds will go to benefit your child's school (list the name of the school).

How do you raise money for your child's school? Discuss your ideas in the comments area.

Environmental Stewardship - Putting People and the Planet Ahead of Products

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:44:00 GMT

In my last few blogs I've discussed Starbucks (www.starbucks.com) as a model of corporate social responsibility, with their three-pronged Shared Planet plan that includes: ethical sourcing, community involvement, and environmental stewardship. I shared how Starbucks is committed to sourcing their products by ensuring farmers are paid a fair wage and helping build communities, in coffee growing regions around the globe. You've also learned about their commitment to the communities in which they do business, with a pledge of more than one million community service hours by 2015. These two facets alone put Starbucks head and shoulders above most of the world's corporations, but now add to it their third leg of their plan – environmental stewardship – and you can see how truly remarkable an organization Starbucks really is.

Since Starbucks' earliest beginnings, the company has been concerned for the environment. Their lifeblood – coffee – depends greatly on a healthy planet. For this reason, it's not surprising that their Shared Planet goals include ensuring that their organizational environmental footprint is as small as possible. In 2007, 70 percent of their stores recycled where commercial recycling programs were available. By 2015, Starbucks has committed to raising that number to 100 percent of their stores. Shrinking of this environmental footprint also includes energy and water conservation programs, as well as green construction, in their more than 15,000 stores globally.

Existing stores are being upgraded to use 25 percent less energy. Starbucks plans to double their green energy purchase by 2010. And, all new company-owned stores will be green certified from LEED or other third party environmental certifications.

Despite these efforts though, it's Starbucks disposable cups that are its greatest environmental challenge. In 2006, the company introduced the first hot beverage paper cup that contained 10 percent post-consumer paper fiber, in their U.S. and Canada stores. Since their introduction, these cups have saved approximately 200,000 trees. However, Starbucks refuses to settle for this and is exploring other even more environmentally friendly options for their cups, that will meet their environmental commitments as well as their customers' expectations.

This commitment to a healthier planet, when combined with their ethical sourcing and community involvement truly sets Starbucks apart, not only from other coffee shops, but from other corporations as well. The organization seems to truly understands how powerful their positive impact can be on our world. For that reason, I raise my cup of Christmas Blend and say ~ Job well done, Starbucks! Here's to hoping other corporations follow your lead in the new year!

Right Charitable Ideas for Daycare Centers

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:07:00 GMT

A great way to make a good name for your Daycare Center is to help others, and what better way to help others than by starting your own charity. Following are a few right charitable ideas for your daycare center, as well as some tips on how to spread the word about your new charity.

Three Charitable Ideas for Your Daycare Center

1. Start a clothing bank for low-income families. Collect clothes and donate them to low-income families. The best way to donate the clothes you collect would be to get a small storage building and allow low-income families to go in and pick out what they need for themselves and their children.

2. Start a food pantry for low-income families. With the economy the way it is today, many families are struggling to put food on their tables. However, with donations from those in your community, you can ease the burden for those struggling to put food on the table for their family. After all, every little bit helps.

3. Help bring a smile to children's faces at Christmas time. There are many parents who can't afford to put gifts under the Christmas tree for their children, but with your help, you can bring smiles to the faces of many children and tears to the eyes of the grateful parents who, without your help, could not have given their child(ren) Christmas.

Aside from organizing a fundraiser event to help give kids a Christmas, you could ask your community to donate any like-new toys that your children have out grown or no longer play with. Then, take those toys, clean them up and wrap them for the children you'll be giving them to. Create gift tags with the child's name and have the From line say "From: Santa."

Five Ways to Spread the Word About Your Charitable Cause

1. When parents visit your daycare center to drop off or pick up their child(ren), hand them a brochure that includes information about your new charity and how they can donate to the cause.

2. Send a press release to local newspapers and news stations announcing your new charity, and at the end of each year, send another press release with details on how much you raised and how many families you were able to help. If you need assistance creating a press release that will attract the attention of the media, many writers out there offer their freelance writing services at prices you can afford.

3. Log in to your HelpingHero account and send the announcement to everyone in your community.

4. Run a small ad in local newspapers.

5. Hang flyers about your charity in local grocery stores, department stores, doctor's offices, welfare offices and other stores and offices.

If you have any other charitable ideas for daycare centers that you'd like to share with our readers, please leave them in the comments area below.

Starbucks Shared Planet: Putting People and the Planet Ahead of Products – Community Involvement

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:24:00 GMT

In a recent blog, we talked about Starbucks and it's Shared Planet programs, and how it's putting people and the planet ahead of products.   This three-pronged approach to corporate social responsibility includes: ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. Once again, Starbucks should be serving as a role model for the rest of the corporate world, especially when looking at their efforts in community involvement and the positive impacts they are having!

Giving back to the communities where Starbucks does business and bringing people together is the basis of their Community Involvement program. By 2015, the company strives to contribute more than 1 million hours of community service, each year! In addition, they hope to spur 50,000 social entrepreneurs to create innovative programs to inspire another 100,000 individuals to act in their communities – a sort of compounding “pay it forward” type program. And, they're well on their way to meeting these goals!

In 2007, Starbucks' employees and customers contributed 320,000 community service hours. For each hour that was volunteered, Starbucks donated $10 to the non-profit agency involved, up to $1,000 per project. The company has also developed V2V – Volunteer to Volunteer – helping volunteers connect all over the world. In addition, in 2007, Starbucks donated more than $18 million in cash and in-kind donations, to communities all over the United States and Canada.   However, Starbucks didn't stop there. As mentioned, Starbucks doesn't just want to facilitate community service – they want to inspire others to facilitate community service. As such, the Starbucks Social Entrepreneurs Fund was created to help young people realize how they themselves can be a catalyst for change!

It is this combination of not only taking direct action in community service and also helping others to inspire even more people to take action, that creates a snowball effect of positive energy, in a community. Starbucks understands that although a healthy bottom line is important to a company, there is so much more to being successful than a profit percentage. Starbucks visionary Shared Planet programs see how interconnected we all are and understands that only by helping others do we truly prosper.

Organize a Food Drive to Support a Charitable Cause in San Diego

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:05:00 GMT

Are you searching for a legitimate charitable cause in San Diego to donate to this holiday season? Well, search no more. The San Diego Food Bank could really use some help, and you can support this charity this holiday season by organizing a food drive.

Since 1977 the San Diego Food Bank has supplied food to several families, individuals, churches, low-income daycare centers, soup kitchens, food pantries and many others. This year as you choose a charitable cause in San Diego to help spread holiday cheer become a host for the San Diego Food Bank Holiday Food Drive. Following are four ways to collect non-perishable food items for the food drive:

1. Use your HelpingHero account to contact others in your area. Let them know your name or the name of your business, state the name of the charity that you're helping, and then ask those you contact if they'd be generous enough to donate non-perishable food items.

2. If you're a daycare provider, create some flyers requesting food donations and give them to parents who pick up their children.

3. Go door-to-door in your community and ask for donations of non-perishable food items. Be sure to mention that their donation will go to San Diego Food Bank's annual Holiday Food Drive.

4. Place flyers in local stores and request that those willing to donate non-perishable food items for the San Diego Food Bank's Holiday Food Drive deliver their donation to your business or daycare center. Don't forget to include your address so they can locate you. You could also include your phone number in case they'd rather call and request that you pick up their donation instead.

For more information and/or to register your business as a host for the San Diego Food Bank Holiday Food Drive, visit the San Diego Food Bank website (www.sandiegofoodbank.org/).

Starbucks Shared Planet: Putting People and the Planet Ahead of Products – Ethical Sourcing

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:52:00 GMT

Starbucks. When you think of coffee shops, Starbucks is the name that most often comes to mind. With more than 11,000 stores worldwide, the company is easily the largest coffeehouse corporation, in the world. However, the company goes far beyond simply making a great cup of coffee, employing knowledgeable baristas, and providing a Wi-Fi hotspot for people needing to stay connected. Starbucks and their Starbucks Shared Planet can serve as an example of how corporations should do business. Putting people before their products has been a guiding principle of the company, since its beginning, and we see that philosophy demonstrated in Starbucks Shared Planet.

Starbucks Shared Planet is the company's commitment to business practices that are good for the Earth and for those we share it with. Every aspect of Starbucks' business - from the purchasing of their coffee beans to their involvement in their customers' communities - takes into account the effect they have on the planet and society, in general. To this end, Starbucks has set three goals:

100% of their coffee will be ethically grown and responsibly traded,
100% of their cups will be reusable and recyclable.
And, they will contribute more than 1 million community service hours every year.

And, these are all to be achieved by 2015!

Lofty goals, some would say. Yet, Starbucks is well on it's way of reaching those goals! Let's take a look at the progress they've made on their ethical sourcing goals alone.

Starbucks is one of the largest buyers of Fair Trade Certified Coffee, and by 2009, the company intends on doubling its purchases of these certified beans, to 40 million pounds, which will secure the top spot. In 2007, 65% of the beans Starbucks purchased met their Starbucks Shared Planet standards. They worked with 185,000 coffee farms, in 18 countries, and have spent the last decade working with Conservation International to encourage farmers in the use of sustainable farming practices. With the help of Conservation International, Starbucks has developed 120 standards for quality, social and economic standards, environmental practices, and price transparency to farmers, which they use when making their coffee bean purchases.

In addition, Starbucks opened a Farmer Support Center, in Costa Rica. This facility not only helps farmers in this area grow better coffee, but also instructs them in the utilization of sustainable farming methods, and helps them earn better prices. Starbucks has similar centers scheduled to open in both Ethiopia and Rwanda soon.

Lastly, Starbucks was instrumental in capitalizing Conservation International's Verde Ventures. This fund provides loans to small and medium-sized farms. It has had significant impact on reducing deforestation in Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, Guatemala, and Indonesia. Verde Ventures has positively impacted more than 7,600 people and 48,500 acres of land. This year, Starbucks nearly doubled its commitment to Verde Ventures, to $4.5 million.

Starbucks began with the understanding that people were far more important than products. This understanding helped in the creation of Starbucks Shared Planet - ideals in which the organization guides their business practices. By 2015, the company has established three primary goals in ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement. And, although some would marvel at these goals, as we can see, the company has already made significant strides to accomplish their goals in ethical sourcing. Starbucks truly is a model of what corporate social responsibility can be.

Charitable Ideas for Christmas

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:49:00 GMT

Would you like to practice the true meaning of Christmas? These five charitable ideas for Christmas will help you do just that.

Cook a Meal for a Neighbor

Although it's unfortunate, there are those around us who may lose a loved one during the holiday season. Losing a loved one, of course, is devastating, but it can be even more devastating when it occurs at Christmas time. It's during this time when the family is grieving and doesn't feel like cooking, cleaning or going about their normal daily activities -- especially when the person they lost is a spouse, child, mother or father. Fortunately, there are still good people in this world who care, and since you're reading this, you're one of them.

If you have a neighbor who just lost a loved one, prepare a holiday meal for him or her and deliver it to their door, along with your condolences. Again, they're not going to feel like cleaning up afterwards, so let them know you'll return in a few hours to clean up for them.

Volunteer Your Time to a Homeless Shelter

Contact homeless shelters in your area to see if they need volunteers to cook for the homeless and help serve them at Christmastime.

Invite a Friend or Neighbor to Christmas Dinner

Maybe you have a neighbor or friend who doesn't have anywhere to go for Christmas dinner. Call them up and invite them to Christmas dinner at your place. After all, no one should be alone for the holidays, wouldn't you agree?

Participate in a Holiday Event in Your Community

Check the local papers and call charity organizations in your area to see if anyone will be having walk, run or other holiday event where all the proceeds go to charity. If so, sign up to participate in the holiday event(s) for charity.

Assist the Elderly

Many elderly folks have medical conditions that limit their physical activities. For example, some elderly folks have arthritis in their hands, and the arthritis could be so bad that they're unable to write. Call him or her up and offer to write out and mail his or her Christmas cards. If your elderly neighbor can't get around very well, offer to wrap their gifts and decorate their tree and home, then volunteer to return after the holidays to take the tree and decorations down and put them back in storage.

Do you have any other charitable ideas for Christmas? Share them with us in the comments area below.

Triple Bottom Line: The Key to a Sustainable Society

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:33:00 GMT

Most everyone has heard the phrase "the bottom line". It's what companies are looking out for – their bottom line, which in that sense typically means profit. However, as society sees the effects of organizations hyper-focusing on "their bottom line", it's becoming incredibly clear that a single bottom line isn't going to work, in today's world. In enters the “triple bottom line”.

The triple bottom line does take into account the need for an organization to be concerned with profits. Without a profitable business, an organization's lifespan is short-lived. A business making a profit leads to economic growth in society, increased employment opportunities, and often improved living conditions for the organization's employees – so, companies making a profit isn't all bad. However, there needs to be a counterbalance   to this desire for profit, and that's where the other two legs of this new, more responsible bottom line come in – People and the Planet.

Green businesses, ecopreneurs, whatever pop culture nickname society wants to give them, the reality is an organization that is concerned with their triple bottom line measures their success not only in profit, but in their positive impact on our environment and the communities where they do business. A triple bottom line organization is committed to the idea that only by acting responsibly in their business activities can we create a truly sustainable society. These are not only industry visionaries, but societal visionaries as well, and their efforts are creating a ripple effect of positive changes in organizations all around the world.

Organizations with a triple bottom line, like other businesses, understand that their customers are their life blood. However, these organizations go one step further and further understand that more and more customers are not only appreciating a business that is concerned with their effects on this planet, but demanding it.   Whether it's using post-consumer waste in their products, planting trees, or the fair living wages are paid to their employees and the employees of their suppliers, triple bottom line companies are now using this commitment to social responsibility as a competitive advantage, differentiating themselves from their competition. And, in the end, we see a win-win situation emerging, organizations are able to still maintain that profit leg of their three-legged bottom line, and we are one step closer to a sustainable society.

Hess: An Example of Corporate Social Responsibility

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:20:00 GMT

Now, at first glance, you may ask, “Are you really using a petroleum company as an example of corporate social responsibility?!?!”

Yes, I really am.

It may seem like an oxymoron. Petroleum companies are notorious for just looking out for their own self-interest – their own profit bottom line. However, by the end of this blog article, I hope to demonstrate that it doesn't matter what industry an organization is involved in, corporate social responsibility can – and SHOULD – be a part of their business process.

Hess Corporation is global leader in the energy industry. Their primary business centers on the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. Complementary to this is Hess's refining and marketing or petroleum products, natural gas and electricity. In addition to a commitment to shareholder value and long-term organizational growth, just as is the goal of any other corporation, Hess is also committed to corporate citizenship, as is evidenced by their corporate social responsibly policy.

Hess not only has a commitment to providing a quality product and excellent service to their customers, but they also have a commitment to making a positive contribution to the communities where they do business. This commitment is demonstrated in Hess's corporate responsibility policy. This policy states that Hess will:

Maintain the highest standards of business and personal integrity as detailed in Hess's business practice guide.
Respect the law in the countries and communities where Hess operates and accept and uphold the principles contained in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Maintain their commitment to an Equal Employment Opportunity workforce and encourage diversity.
Build cooperative relationships with their customers, suppliers, host governments, other companies, and communities concerning these issues.
Identify and understand the potential social and cultural impacts of their operations in new areas prior to making major investments.
Identify and assess Hess's contributions to social and cultural changes in the areas where they operate and develop appropriate strategies to respect the rights and cultures of local communities.
Routinely monitor, assess and report on their conformity with their corporate social responsibility policy (http://www.hess.com/ehs/policies/csrpolicy.pdf).

Even an organization, like Hess, that does business in one of today's necessary evils – the production of petroleum products – can adopt policies of corporate social responsibility. By understanding and acknowledging that they can take action to minimize the cultural, social, and ecological harm their conducting business does, Hess is operating as responsibly as possible. With this sort of commitment in place, even petroleum companies can make a positive impact on the world.

How to Organize a Bake Sale for Charity

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Do you have a favorite charity you'd like to raise money for? If so, having a bake sale will help you raise money for your favorite charity or charities. Continue reading to learn how to organize a bake sale for charity.

Schedule a Meeting With Other Parents and/or Daycare Providers

Ask other parents and daycare providers in your area if they'd like to get together with you and others to raise money for a local charity. Let the parents and daycare providers who agree to join you know the date, time and place to meet, so everyone can work together to organize the bake sale. Make sure you write down the name and phone number of each parent and daycare provider who will be joining in. By writing down their names and phone numbers, you can call to remind them of the meeting date and discuss any other ideas you may have. In addition, give the parents or daycare providers that will participating in the fundraiser event your name and phone number, in case they have ideas they'd like to run by you before the meeting. You can have some business cards made up for this.

Don't forget, you can always login to your HelpingHero account to connect with parents and daycare providers in your area. You may even discover a great charity in your area to donate the money to.

Set a Date for the Bake Sale

Once everyone has arrived at the meeting, discuss a date and time for the bake sale. Set a date and time that will fit into everyone's schedule.

Make a List of Local Department Stores in Your Area

After everybody has decided on a date, discuss local department stores in your area where you could set up a bake sale. You could all set up the bake sale at one store or have one group set up at one local department store and another group can work the bake sale at another department store. Arranging a bake sale at more than one department store could increase the amount of money you raise for charity.

When you create your list of local department stores, put the stores with the highest priority at the top of your list. The reason for the list is in case some store managers say no. You may not have to visit every store on your list if the store or stores you visit first give you permission to proceed. For instance, if there will be two groups in two locations and the top two department stores on your list give you permission to set up in front of their stores, then you won't have to visit the other stores on your list.

Visit Local Department Stores in Your Area

Get together with another parent or daycare provider and begin the task of visiting the local department stores on your list; start with the first store and move on from there.

Once you arrive at the store, ask to speak with the manager. Explain to the manager that your group would like to set up a bake sale in the front of the store on X date at X time. Let the manager know what charity you'll be raising money for as well. Most stores are happy to help when the fundraiser is for charity, especially a local charity.

Prepare the Goodies for the Bake Sale

Now that you've set the date and time of the bake sale and made arrangements with a local department store or stores, your next step will be to schedule another meeting with all the parents and daycare providers participating in the fundraiser. At this meeting, everyone will make a list of the goodies he or she will bake for the sale.

On the day or evening before the bake sale, gather the children and let them help you bake the cookies, cakes, pies and/or etc. Kids love to help in the kitchen, and I'm sure you wouldn't mind a helping hand or two either.

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Retailer Giving Back to Children this Holiday Season

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:58:00 GMT

We talked a few weeks ago about the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in today's world. CSR is the basic understanding that businesses need to look beyond simple profit margins. They also have a moral obligation to consider the effects of their business on their shareholders, their employees, society in general, and the environment. The Finish Line, Inc. is an excellent example of a corporation that is making that CSR commitment this holiday season.

The Finish Line, Inc. (www.finishline.com) is one of America's largest mall-based, specialty retailers. Their Finish Line stores specialize in athletic shoes for men, women and children. The company's Man Alive stores offer hip hop clothing and accessories. With 697 Finish Line Stores and 93 Man Alive stores, the organization is well-positioned to do social good and it appears the company is up to the challenge!

From November 7th through December 31st, of this year, the corporation will be hosting a holiday fundraising drive, to benefit youth athletic programs supported by the Finish Line Youth Foundation. Last year, the corporation raised $1,044, 036. These funds were used to provide new and improved opportunities for children to take part in athletic programs, as well as attend camps emphasizing sports and active lifestyles. The Foundation particularly looks to support programs that serve special needs and disadvantaged kids.

According to Gary D. Cohen, Finish Line Youth Foudation president, "Our mission has always been to ensure that all kids have access to quality programs and resources that promote athletics and recreational activities. These opportunities are critical to the emotional, physical and social development of a child. With your help, we know that the funds raised from this campaign will positively impact the lives of many young people for years to come."

The hopes to raise over one million dollars again this year. For customers who donate, they will receive a coupon book with $50 in savings on future purchases. It is this type of CSR that will help children have happier, healthier and more active lives, something we should all support.

Organize a Fundraiser to Teach Kids the True Meaning of Christmas

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:02:00 GMT

All kids love Christmas because it means gifts under the tree, but do they know the true meaning of Christmas? Whether you're a daycare center, babysitter or parent, connect with other daycare centers, babysitters and/or parents in your HelpingHero community to plan a fundraiser to raise money for a Christmas shopping trip with your children.

By now you're probably wondering whom you'll be Christmas shopping for, why you should get the children involved and how to raise money for your Christmas shopping trip. We'll let me explain, beginning with whom you'll be Christmas shopping for.

Choose Angels from Angel Trees in Your Local Stores

Each year during the holiday season many stores in local communities have an angel tree. The ornaments on the angel trees are usually paper angels. Written on those paper angels are the names and ages of children whose parents can't afford to give their kids Christmas gifts. Shoppers who have a little extra to spare, pick angels from the tree and shop for the children on those angels. Once they've finished Christmas shopping for the kids they chose from the tree, they turn the paper angel in with the gift they bought for the child on that angel.

Let Your Children Select the Gifts

By involving the children, you'll teach them that giving and sharing is the true meaning of Christmas, and who better to know what a child might want for Christmas than another child around the same age. With that said, you can pick as many angels from the tree that you have the funds for. Then help your children shop for the kids on each angel. For example, if you have two angels with an 8-year-old girl on them and two 8-year-old girls in your group of kids, let your 8-year-old girls know they'll be shopping for another little girl who's the same age as she is. Tell the girls to pick out something they'd like to have for Christmas, but be sure to let them know what the budget is so they don't pick something too expensive.

Once the shopping trip is over, take the kids home and let them know that Christmas is about not only receiving gifts, but giving and sharing with those less fortunate as well. Make them feel good about themselves by letting them know that thanks to them another little boy or girl just like them will have a Christmas that they may not have had without their gift.

Plan a Bake Sale or Car Wash

Plan a day when all of the adults you connected with through HelpingHero can get together and have a bake sale or car wash. Or to raise even more money, schedule a day for a bake sale, and then schedule another day to have a car wash. At the end of each fundraiser event, split the money evenly. Remember, you'll only use the money to purchase Christmas gifts for those less fortunate.

Where will you setup? Choose a local business and speak with the manager about setting up your fundraiser event in front of their store. If you explain what you're raising money for, the majority of them will let you have your fundraiser event in front of their store. In fact, if the business you chose has an angel tree, you can let the manager know you'll do your shopping there. This way it benefits everyone.

Won't it feel good to help others and put a smile on the faces of many children? Of course it will, so have fun.

Tips for a Safe Halloween

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:11:00 GMT

As the stores fill with bags of candy and costumes ranging from the traditional vampire to superheroes, one thing becomes certain – Halloween is almost here! You can feel the excitement in the air, as children everywhere get ready to spend this one night of the year running door-to-door, before returning home, at the end of the evening, with their bags and buckets bursting with an assortment of sweet treats.

Here at HelpingHero.com, we'd like to help you make certain your little ghoul or goblin not only has a fun Halloween – but a safe one as well!

Tips for a Safe Halloween

When gathering your goodies and scaring your neighbors, stay on the sidewalks.
When it's time to spook your neighbors on the other side of the street, make sure to cross the street only at the corner, and look both ways before crossing – Frankenstein is not the best driver and he may not see you in the dark of the night.
Wear light-colored clothing, if possible – despite being able to use echo-location when he's transformed into a bat, Dracula often has difficulty seeing in the dark. If your costume is dark – reflective tape strategically placed or glow necklaces are an excellent way to make sure you're seen.
An adult should always go with younger monsters. Gather a group of neighborhood monsters to all go together for more fun and safety! If your ghoulies are old enough to Trick-or-Treat on their own, have them plan a route so you know where they'll be.
Although goblins have excellent night vision, be sure to take a flashlight with you, to light your way.
Face paint, instead of masks, will help keep your little creep's vision clear.
Consider not using props such as fake knives, guns or swords. If they must be used, be sure they that clearly do not appear to be real, and are soft and flexible enough to prevent injury.
Only Trick-or-Treat at houses with their porch light on. You don't want to disturb a witch right in the middle of brewing a dangerous potion.
Review with your goblin what is and what is NOT appropriate Halloween behavior.
As always, an adult should inspect each little spook's candy. Treats that are not in a package, or has had the package opened, should be discarded.
For the littlest ghosties, beware of small hard candies – as they can be a choking hazard.

HelpingHero wishes you a happy and safe Halloween!!

Corporate Social Responsibility – Personal Responsibility

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:48:00 GMT

Last Monday, I watched the Dow plummet more than 700 points, as slowly but surely the Bailout Bill failed in Congress. I watched it in split screen – half of my TV set to CSPAN, so I could watch the vote live – the other on MSNBC, with the sickly stock ticker whirling like a electric meter in Vegas. I have to say, as I watched the Dow slip more than 500 points in less than 10 minutes, I felt my heart slip into my stomach. The politicians were milling about like so many busy ants, trying to garner votes for whatever side they were on. It was compelling – in a train wreck sort of way. I couldn't tear my eyes off either side of the screen. It made me think, not “How did America get into such a mess?”, because I don't think playing Monday morning quarterback right now is the best use of our limited time, but rather, “What can we do to fix this – and ensure it doesn't happen again?” I came up with two answers – 1. Corporate Social Responsibility and 2. Personal Responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the basic theory that organizations should consider the impact of their doing business on others. From their customers to their employees, to their shareholders to the communities at large and the environment, organizations have an obligation to look beyond their immediate profit margin. They are morally bound to not simply operate within statutory regulations, but to consider the effect of their operations on society. It could be said that the banking industry has been significantly lacking in the Corporate Social Responsibility department. Their concern was about profit and taking advantage of low interest rates, millions of eager home owners looking to buy or refinance their home, and a strong housing market. They had little to no concern for the over-inflation of housing prices, that now that the bubble has burst and the economy weakened, has sent so many banks into a tailspin as homes all over the country are foreclosed upon. But, we're equally to blame for the economy as corporate America is. We have chosen to follow their mislead.

The buck stops at Personal Responsibility. I'll admit, I saw those interest-only mortgages for nearly half the price of a conventional mortgage and thought, “Wow! Wouldn't that be nice to have all that extra money to spend?” Or received in the mail multitudes of offers for home equity lines of credit up to a 110% of my home's value. I count myself lucky that I didn't succumb to either of these. They certainly were tempting. But, now that the new day has dawned, and we see how a decade of over-extending credit and an America bent on spending, with very little going towards saving for a rainy day, it's time for a change.

America's memory is short. A similar set of circumstances – America basing too much of its economy on credit – led to the Great Depression. And, here we are again. Let's learn from our mistakes this time. Let's take responsibility for our action – or inaction. Let's set a good example of fiscal responsibility, not only for our children, but for corporate America too. There was a time in America where we had to work for what we wanted – lately, we simply get we want and put it on a credit card. We need to get back to the basics. We need to remember what's truly important in life – our family, our kids, our community. Once we get these priorities correctly sorted out, I believe the rest will fall into place. And, corporate America will be forced to follow suit.