Charity & Culture: Keep "A" Players, Save Money, & Change The World

In another post, I shared my highlights from my Company Culture Playbook. #5 is called "Create A Movement," where I outline how to utilize a Charity to create positive connections and grow your culture exponentially.

Here is what we did. Please R&D (not 'research and develop'... 'rip off and duplicate' 🤣). For reference, my former company (which I sold for $ 7M) was called Rise Rehab. We had 5 brick & mortar locations)

Program Name: Rise Rehab's Charity Initiative

Purpose: To live our company's purpose of "being the light in the lives of others" externally to change the world.

Product: Starving children in Africa fed through our support of the Feed My Starving Children charity.

Key Stats: # of Starving Children Fed & ENPS Score

Sub Stats: Dollars Donated, Time Served Packing Food

Owner of Program: The Light & Hope Ambassador (This was a role in my company to someone who was in charge of all culture initiatives. I can post on that if you want. Just comment. GAME CHANGER)

Project 1: Clinic Fundraising.

Each clinic will raise money for Feed My Starving Children by recognizing actions of other team members, patients, or anyone else who is living our company's purpose of "being the light & hope in the lives of others."

When an action is noticed, that person will take a sticky note and write down how that person was acting as a light and Hope in the lives of another person and stick it on the clinic wall designated for this project. I'm not sticking out. The person's name and action will be written down and remain on the wall throughout the year. Patients are invited to participate as well.

At the end of the year, all the sticky notes will be collected and each note will represent one dollar that the clinic will donate to feed my starving children.

The total collected funds from each clinic will then be combined into one check, which will be presented formally at the December packing event held by Feed My Starting Children. The winning clinic will earn an extra two days of PTO.

Project 2: Packing Food

In conjunction with Feed My Starving Children, all clinics will be invited to come together on the second Saturday in December to help with a mass food packing event for children in Africa. This is where we will celebrate together the effort we need throughout the year of not just living our purpose, but each child that we help support as a company in coming out of starvation.

Results

Our employee satisfaction rating skyrocketed. This resulted in much higher retention and production, and helped us eliminate non-aligned players organically. Many self-selected.
We were able to feed thousands of children and donate tens of thousands of dollars over the years.
Significant tax savings

Bonus

Years later, I look back at that time and cherish those memories. It is hard to put into words the joy and longing I feel as I write this. I will have these memories to cherish for the rest of my life. Even though I started that initiative because I felt like it was the right thing to do, I had no idea I was investing in one of the most precious experiences of my professional career.

This program turned our culture into a movement. Each person knew that everything they did to build our company. Culture had something to do with saving a child's life.

We became connected as a team and the friendly competition each year started to escalate. By the time I sold the wall that was dedicated to the sticky notes, taking the form of dinosaurs, hearts, and other shapes.

Final Thought

I challenge each of you to start realizing one of the reasons why you own a business.

It's easy to get lost in the stress of the never-ending day-to-day. I still find myself guilty of that.

But if we can realize that our business is actually a gift so that we can bless the lives of others...our pain will have purpose and we will find greater joy and strength.

We are the stewards of this gift. It is we, as leaders, that God has entrusted to build other leaders, help provide financial stability for our team, and ultimately alleviate pain and suffering throughout the world.

God doesn't usually tell us how he wants us to use our businesses to end suffering.

Why? Because God is the ultimate leader and his purpose is just like ours… To build more leaders.

He wants us to take the initiative. He wants us to expand our thinking for the greater good of our brothers and sisters on this earth.

That is why our companies are so exciting. You can create whatever you want to help other people. If you do, God will bless your efforts and, in doing so, will also produce a company filled with people who love where they work and ultimately make more money.

May God bless you in your stewardship, and may your minds realize that your creative potential is unlimited.

Others are counting on you to do so.

1 comment