Choosing a charity

Coffee, Cokes and plenty of other caffeinated drinks aren't exactly what come to mind when discussing corporate contributions. Yet, throw in the creativity and commitment of 25 employees with Knupp & Watson Inc. and a more unique corporate-giving event occurs.

Known as Goodstock, the 24-hour event has been held for the past three years as a way to make an impact in the community by doing what the company does best: producing advertising, marketing and public relations materials.

Held in June, the event resulted in $350,000 worth of free media-related projects for 14 nonprofit organizations.

For those who've participated in the daylong workday, the pressure is intense; the rewards great.

"It's something all the employees look forward to every year," said Andy Wallman, the firm's creative director who helped start the annual event. "I love that rush of pushing toward the deadline. I feel like I have an anvil tied around each ankle and I'm carrying a bag of flour in each arm. I'm just running off adrenaline."

Like most area companies, the Madison-based firm believes it's beneficial to improve the community in which it conducts business. Yet, with some 300 nonprofit organizations throughout Dane County, picking which ones will benefit from corporate contributions is no easy task.

Guidelines for giving

To ease the process, many companies now employ staffers to handle philanthropic requests. Additionally, companies have streamlined the process by outlining criteria and detailed guidelines a nonprofit must follow in order to be eligible for corporate donations.

Companies further maximize their giving potential by utilizing products or services they produce.

In most cases, the objective is to ensure that volunteer efforts and financial gifts have optimum impacts within a community. Decisions are not made haphazardly.

"I know a lot of companies get bombarded throughout the year (for donations)," said Jennifer Savino, Knupp & Watson's public relations director. "This event helps us out by setting guidelines. We make our decisions based on need and what we know we can produce."

Making the match

Nearly every day, a phone call, e-mail or letter arrives at Kraft/Oscar Mayer in Madison from an organization with a grant or sponsorship request.

As an international company with a well-established local presence, Kraft/Oscar Mayer not only implements companywide initiatives, but has created other giving programs specifically for Madison.

To assist in the decision-making process, all contributions must first fit into one of the company's three corporate giving focuses: hunger, healthy lifestyles and civic engagement.

Still, being a nonprofit that distributes food to the needy or a civic organization that addresses social disparities isn't enough.

For example, under the Kraft Cares Madison "hunger focus" area, Kraft only will consider funding programs that focus on hunger and meet all of the following requirements:

• Provide food services to the hungry, such as programs operated by soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food pantries and food banks,
• Operate on a regular and ongoing basis, not one-time activities or holiday events, and
• Accommodate, when appropriate, the nutritional and/or cultural needs of special populations such as immigrants, the home-bound elderly, infants and children, or those with special medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS or diabetes.

"We believe that criteria help us select nonprofit organizations that will have an impact in our community while also aligning with our company values and mission," said Sydney Lindner, associate director of corporate affairs with Kraft Foods.

Some programs not eligible

The company also outlines the types of programs it will not fund.

For example, the company will not fund programs that take place in round-the-clock group homes or residential facilities, and it will not provide vouchers or gift certificates for food purchases or funds for emergency assistance such as money for rent, clothing or other nonfood related items.

Besides establishing corporate-giving guidelines, companies also find it is helpful to use their own products or services in a charitable manner.

This is the driving philosophy behind Knupp & Watson's Goodstock event, and it's among the reasons Kraft holds "food pack" days.

At such events, Kraft purchases food products, at cost, from other Kraft divisions throughout the country. The food is trucked to Madison, where employees then pack food boxes for local families in need.

"So many families have to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table," Lindner said. "This allows us to help out families so they don't have to make that difficult choice. It's a natural fit for us because we're a food company."

Helping the Red Cross

One of the natural fits for American Family Insurance is funding companies that help and assist people in times of need, such as the American Red Cross.

"They help people get back on their feet after natural disasters, just like we do every day in the insurance industry," said Judy Powell, American Family Insurance's community relations manager.

Like Kraft, American Family Insurance also divides its corporate giving into specific interest areas. In its case, the areas include: human services, youth and education, arts and culture, and health.

To be eligible for contributions, a nonprofit must operate in one of 18 states in which the insurance company conducts business. The company will not contribute to individuals, teams or political causes. Religious-related organizations also are not considered if the organization only serves those with similar beliefs.

Given those guidelines, Powell said the company receives thousands of requests a year and contributes roughly $3 million to worthy charities. A majority of the money stays in Madison.

"We believe that because we are based here, because we were founded here, that a larger portion of our financial commitments need to stay here," Powell said.

The company proved that point several years ago when it agreed to contribute $10 million toward the construction of the city's newest children's hospital. Since that time, another $5 million has been raised by American Family.

The hospital will be known as American Family Children's Hospital.

More than writing checks

For many companies, giving back means more than writing checks to charities.

At Webcrafters, a family-owned printing company in Madison, money and volunteer efforts goes hand-in-hand.

"Our goal is to strengthen the Madison area," said Christopher Frautschi, the company's vice president of marketing and planning. "We tend to give to organizations our employees are involved with. We help where we see the need."

For Frautschi, that effort includes the elementary school of his youth, Mendota. The school was able to make large improvements in recent years, in part due to the support it receives from funding and community partners. Webcrafters has become one such partner.

Company employees now donate countless hours to volunteer with the students.

Additionally, the company has forged a strong partnership with Meals on Wheels. The company now is the drop-off site for seven different program routes. Roughly 25 employees also volunteer and deliver meals five days a week to those in need.

In 2006, the Webcrafters-Frautschi Foundation, which is separate from the Frautschi family's foundation, donated roughly $245,000 to local charities. Roughly $220,000 has been donated so far this year. The main recipient: the United Way of Dane County.

Giving in action

Because the United Way acts as a sort of umbrella agency for the needs of many local nonprofits, roughly 1,100 local companies tap into its resources.

In 2006, the United Way received $15.4 million in contributions, with roughly $3.7 million coming from corporate contributions.

"We have a unique relationship with companies," said Todd McVey, the campaign director with United Way of Dane County. "We have the ability to go into companies and ask for that corporate gift."

Benefits run both ways. The relationship not only makes it easier for companies to give, but for company employees to volunteer. More volunteers, including local executives who serve on its committees and board, help the organization keep costs down.

Additionally, each year during its annual campaign drive from August through November, companies "loan" their employees to the United Way effort. This year, the United Way will have 30 loaned employees.

"We could not raise the money we raise if we had to pay those people," McVey said.

Steven Schooler, the executive director of Porchlight, a Madison-based nonprofit dedicated to finding solutions to homelessness, feels the same way about the free promotional tools it recently received at Goodstock.

That included a television and radio spot for Porchlight, a logo for the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and a poster advertisement for The Wisconsin Women's Network.

"Frankly, we never could have paid for what they did, never in a million years," Schooler said. "It (the television ad) gets your attention, and then really drives the point home."

And if there is one thing the various forms of corporate contributions all have in common, it's drawing attention to worthy community causes.