Kipley Pereles

Capstone - Hanson

“HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE”

The generosity and passion of individuals committed to special causes is undeniably

making an impact in the world. By encouraging that spirit, we will continue to strengthen our

contribution and help foster a culture of giving. Our motivations for giving span from different

experiences or influences. In some cases, it could be a close family member or friend who has

experienced or suffered a loss due to an illness or disease. In other cases, someone may have

personally witnessed disasters or visited underdeveloped regions that trigger the motivation to

support that cause. Whether you give back as individuals or corporations, you can all make a

difference.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are 1.5 million non-profit

organizations in the U.S. with more than 30,000 new organizations registering in the last six

months. Over $1.5 trillion have been reported in total revenues and, of that figure, 22% has

come from contributions. Charitable contributions reached $300 billion last year. According to

the Foundation Center, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation raised $33 billion in the fiscal

year 2009, with the Ford Foundation and The Getty Trust coming in at $10 billion. Wouldn’t you

want some of these funds to go to something about which you care?

Many times we often find it difficult to relate to a certain cause if we have not personally

experienced hardship. However, there are many organizations that can cater to one’s personal

interests. For example, surfers donate to the SurfRider Foundation, which raises funds for the

coastline of California. Or, you may be interested in supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research

Foundation (JDRF), which raises funds for diabetes research.

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 JDRF hosts two major events a year including a Walk to Cure Diabetes and a Ride to

Cure Diabetes. In 2010, the Walk to Cure Diabetes raised $700,000, with the help of their major

sponsor Coca-Cola.

Approximately 30% of Americans over the age of 16 volunteered for an organization last

year, and this number is rising. Nevertheless, there are many other causes that may just simply

be of interest to you. For example, if you enjoy bike riding, walking or other outdoor activities,

you can consider benefiting the community and the children at the same time.

Let me just share with you where my inspiration came from. I was introduced to

corporate philanthropy, and charitable giving, by the leadership of a good friend, Lorraine Steihl.

Lorraine’s passion, her advocacy, and her decades of work in this area have proven to be

invaluable to many organizations. Her experience includes making a presentation in favor of

stem cell research to the California State Legislature. This was in support of the State’s

Proposition 71 Ballot Initiative. She’s been in the forefront of this major movement to support

diabetes research and, the most inspiring part of all of this, is the fact that her husband, Chris

Steihl, is a Type 1 diabetic living with the disease. He recently had a successful kidney

transplant. Today, Chris and Lorraine are prominent people in the business community and

have been tremendous role models in my life. They were my inspiration, and were the ones who

helped me recognize this passion to help others.

So, who has been an inspiration to you? It can be a life-changing opportunity for you

whether you are lucky enough to have someone motivate you, or, are able to develop a

curiosity. For example, in today’s economically challenging environment for companies

employees can find a way to make a difference for charities with a company’s tight dollars.

When attempting to approach your company about a new charitable contribution, one can use

some personal experiences and creativity to accomplish this goal. Here’s how I did it:

While working at Nicholas-Applegate, I was appointed to serve on the firm’s Charitable

Giving Committee. By serving on this committee, I gained a better understanding of the charity

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selection process, funding requirements, public relations, and philosophy of the corporation.

With some key contacts in the biotechnology field, I worked diligently to introduce the Juvenile

Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to the firm. However, the committee presented a

challenge by requiring focus within the local community.

Convinced that Nicholas-Applegate could make a difference in the lives of children with

diabetes, I set out to demonstrate to them how JDRF impacts the local community. Since its

founding in 1970 by parents of children with Type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than 1.5

billion dollars to diabetes’ research, including more than 107 million dollars in the fiscal year

2010. More than 80% of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related

education. And, while the organization is made up of 100 locations worldwide, it also has a very

active local chapter that contributes to the local community. I support the DiaBuddies Program,

founded as a student service organization at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD)

campus. It raises awareness about diabetes on campus and helps with events in the San Diego

community. Similarly, the Family Network Program helps to connect families suffering from

diabetes by hosting fun-filled activities for families to enjoy.

So, with all of this, I prepared and presented a proposal to my company for a sizeable

grant for JDRF. This effort required the gathering of critical data and the support from the

Director of the San Diego chapter of JDRF. I clearly demonstrated the benefits and value of

supporting JDRF. Nicholas-Applegate approved my proposal, adding this foundation to its highly

selective list of charitable organizations. The firm has also become an active sponsor in the

foundation’s numerous fundraising events.

Upon gaining the support from Nicholas-Applegate, I organized a group called the

AppleGators to participate in the first sponsored event, the Walk to Cure Diabetes, held on the

UCSD campus. I gathered volunteers ready to participate and then prepared them to represent

the firm in the walk. All were very proud of their collective contribution. That year’s event

welcomed more than 5,000 people and raised $700,000.

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 This experience allowed me to recognize the importance of social responsibility and

motivated me to become actively involved. I continue to serve as an advocate and hope that

my passion and commitment will lead others to follow and contribute to social causes.

I recently interviewed Mr. Wing Lam, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wahoo’s

Fish Restaurants. His restaurant locations are in California, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, and

Australia. He is also a Professor of Marketing Communications at Concordia University.

He explains his strategic approach and his theory that he uses to attract companies to

give back to the community. As Mr. Lam states, “You can run a successful business and still be

a part of your community. You don’t have to keep every penny that you make. It’s ok to give a

little back and participate in the community that has made you who you are. In fact, if more

companies would be more socially responsible in taking care of not only their employees, but of

the community, we’d all be in a better place.”

In this interview, Wing Lam shared his insight and experience with charitable giving and

how one person can shape the lives of others by following good sound business practices all

the while following their heart and their passion.

Here are the highlights of our discussion:

K. Pereles: “While it is an inherently good practice to give back, how might you

convince businesses to do it?”

Wing Lam: “Fund-raising activities will be most successful if a triangle approach is

employed, with an analysis of the Value Proposition for each:

1. Charity on one corner which receives the funding;

2. Participant on another corner, who is getting something for nothing, i.e. attending an

exclusive event or fulfilling his or her passion;

3. On the third corner, we have a Corporation, Celebrity, or Sponsor. These three entities

are visible to the community and have community involvement and direct marketing with

its targeted customers (The venue is interchangeable with the vendor).”

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 (Interview Continued…..)

Wing Lam: “This triangle approach works because the celebrity motivates everyone to show

up, and gets good public relations by endorsing the company. The celebrity gets attention from

the public and gets endorsement from the company. At the same time, the company looks

good because it’s doing well on one side, and getting endorsements from the other side. So,

the arrows are going every which way. The company is like The Toyota Corporation (Toyota),

for example. It looks good because it helps the diabetes foundation and then it has great photo

opportunities with celebrities, who help Toyota sell cars. Meanwhile, the public gets to donate

money for a charity, while they get to hang out with celebrities. So, it’s a win-win for everyone.

While we all might think, “yes”, it is an inherently good practice to give back to the

community, individuals and companies are really not motivated to do it. The cause alone isn’t

enough unless somebody they know has something related to it – for example, if their child is

diabetic; it’s easy to sell them on juvenile diabetes, and so on.

• Only 10-20% of people involved in any one charity are directly related;

• Another 30-40% are friends of them;

• And the rest have money, but they have no real reason to be there. The reason they’re

there is because, they’re going to have a little bit of fun.”

K. Pereles: “How do charities work and operate?”

Wing Lam: “#1. A few people pay and a lot of people get to attend for free. This is the case

with golf tournaments, gala dinners, and auctions. All of these things are designed to give

people a reason to come: They are going to have a lot of fun, and someone else is going to pay

for it.”

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 (Interview continued…)

Wing Lam: “#2. Everyone pays. An example of this is a 5K Walk/Run where most people who

participate are runners, and like to be physically fit. These events are easy, but they are a lot

harder to organize because there is only a little bit of money but a lot of people that attend. It’s

all about logistics and money.”

K. Pereles: “How did you first get involved with charitable giving?”

Wing Lam: “I had been asked to do so by customers, and to help out a friend, but once I really

started diving into charities, I found out they weren’t as efficient as they could be. So, I put my

best foot forward, and helped them see that there are better ways to ask for money – so that the

return on investment of sending out 100 letters would result in not just receiving one letter in

return, but 20-30 solely by the way you ask. The way you ask is the key to success. This is

where I started implementing these triangle approaches. It showed that you can’t just ask for

money, but, you have to give them a benefit. I turned a lot of non-profits into doing business for

profit: You don’t just sell people something for nothing; you sell them something for a benefit. It

is good for business if someone can show you the return on investment, and what one can get

for their efforts.

Charities have got to give you a good value proposition before you give away your hard-

earned money. But why it touches so many of us is because it is motivating to say that maybe,

we are not doing enough, and we’re not finding cures fast enough. This makes people like us

realize the sense of urgency. Education is the cornerstone of these causes. We all need to

become more educated about the research, the cause and the stories. By doing so, we can all

make better decisions for the future of those in need.”

(End of Interview highlights)

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 I challenge each of you to make a difference in someone’s life today. Whether it be

through storytelling, monetary donations, or through education. Listening, dreaming, and lending

an ear to someone can make all the difference. If you let your guard down, your life will be

transformed and so will theirs.

References:

http://www.nccs.urban.org/statistics/quickfacts.cfm

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases

http://www.keithferrazzi.com/relationship-development-skills

http://www.ehow.com/topic_2722_nonprofit-beginners.html