A North Dakota-based financial services company gave its 500-plus employees a gift that gives back at its annual Christmas party this week. State Bank and Trust will provide each staff member with a gift of up to $1000 on the condition staff "pay it forward" for local individuals or organizations in need. The announcement (complete with Oprah impersonator) generated a lot of buzz within the organization and has already attracted interest from other companies and media internationally.

The idea has merit on several levels:

• creates relationships and profile in the community (and beyond) for the organization
• raises awareness of community needs
• empowers staff (donors) in researching and selecting recipients
• connects staff (donors) with the impact of their gifts
• gives potential for longer term relationships as corporate or individual volunteers or donors
• creates opportunities for leveraging of gifts; some staff members are pooling their donations and seeking matching gifts from other funders
• is relatively simple from an administrative point of view
• opens the door for future PR

The company will publish a report after the deadline concludes in June 2008.

In honour of Halloween, today I share a story of a bizarre act of corporate generosity.  The Hampton Hotels chain based in Memphis, Tennessee recently swooped in to the town of Roland, Manitoba (population 350) to fix its hallowed monument, a 1,500 pound pumpkin. If this sounds odd, imagine how the chairman of the Roland Pumpkin Fair felt when he received a phone call offering assistance in sprucing up the pumpkin and the grounds it sits on: at first he thought it was a prank call and almost hung up. No word on how Hampton Hotels found out about the need, but according to newspaper reports, the Great Roland Pumpkin was the 34th monument it has helped restore in North America since it began the Save-A-Landmark program in 2000. It's worth mentioning, there is only one Hampton Hotel in the entire province of Manitoba, and it is not near the town. All that remains of the five Hampton staff from Memphis who flew in to save the pumpkin from graffiti and the elements is a small plaque that verifies Roland's pumpkin as the largest in the world. The hotel chain's marketing director states "it's about figuring out places that are quirky and fun" moreso that what communities can do for them. A random act of kindness isn't that mysterious after all... please add to my bizarre gifts collection by commenting here!

Endorsing and promoting a code of professional conduct sends a valuable message to your staff, volunteers, donors and clients. To work most effectively, it has to be linked to your vision, and must clearly set out what the organization stands for and how staff and board members uphold it. One of my clients takes theirs a step further and asks each new person using their non-profit services to sign a code of conduct that will guide their consumer-service provider relationship. I think this is a brilliant, yet simple, method of demonstrating commitment and vision in action.

I have had the fortunate experience of working with many organizations who understood the value of corporate social responsibility and were able to connect the dots between employee and professional expectations, regulatory compliance, customer service, governance, transparency and community involvement. While the cynics out there can find fault with motivations, the fact of the matter is that many consumers do consider these factors when making decisions. Like your donors, consumers have power.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals recently updated their Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice to recognize the role of businesses, like mine, that support fundraising and the non-profit sector. As a member and a consultant, I am pleased to be able to say that I follow this internationally accepted standard. I especially like the introduction - and am looking forward to seeing the yet-to-be-released guidelines:

Members of AFP are motivated by an inner drive to improve the quality of life through the causes they serve. They serve the ideal of philanthropy, are committed to the preservation and enhancement of volunteerism; and hold stewardship of these concepts as the overriding direction of their professional life.

Like many painstakingly-created policies, the best communications opportunity lies in the explaining! You can build an entire communications plan around how to introduce your policy and where it could be emphasized and reinforced. After spending so much time on establishing it, take the time to properly introduce and continually bring it to life. Your efforts will pay off.