By Outreach and Communications Director Kristin Butler
For almost 40 years, SFBBO has been deeply rooted in our Bay Area community. We were founded by professors from San Jose State University, are fueled by citizen scientists from cities around the Bay, and are supported by local people who donate goods and money to our cause. During the past few years, Bay Area corporations have become increasingly engaged in our work as volunteers and donors, and this year we plan to grow this engagement through our 2019 Corporate Campaign.
Employee Volunteerism
More and more often these days, companies are encouraging their employees to serve as volunteers for local nonprofits, giving us the opportunity to share our mission with new people while accomplishing important work. In 2018, employees from Electronic Arts and Microsoft helped our Habitats Program team restore tidal marshes at Redwood City’s Bair Island, and employees from Cargill helped our Plover Program team create Snowy Plover habitat at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward.
Employee Giving, Corporate Matching, and Profit Sharing
A philanthropic strategy that has become really popular with companies lately is employee giving and corporate matching plans. Many companies have set up processes that allow employees to donate a certain amount from their paycheck each month, and often they give a matching gift to the charity their employee chose. SFBBO participates in several workplace giving programs, including Your Cause, Benevity, America’s Best Local Charities, and the California State Employees Giving at Work “Our Promise” Campaign.
In 2018 companies that donated matching gifts to SFBBO in this way included Adobe, Apple, Chevron, Genentech, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Synopsys, and TiVo. In variations on this theme, Apple and Microsoft also donated money to SFBBO to match time their employees spent volunteering for us, and Amazon.com donated a percentage of their profits to us when their customers chose us through their AmazonSmile program. These strategies raised almost $14,000 for SFBBO in 2018.
Corporate Sponsorships and Grants
In addition to these creative giving programs, the old school method of corporate sponsorship and grantmaking continues to be a powerful way companies can underwrite nonprofit work. In 2018, we received large donations from Cargill and Facebook to support our scientific research.
In Kind Giving
When companies donate technology and other items to SFBBO, it saves us money we would have had to spend to do business. In 2018 Columbia Sportswear, Patagonia, Vortex Optics, and Whole Foods donated clothing, sporting equipment, and food for our fundraising events.
More and more often these days, companies are encouraging their employees to serve as volunteers for local nonprofits, giving us the opportunity to share our mission with new people while accomplishing important work. In 2018, employees from Electronic Arts and Microsoft helped our Habitats Program team restore tidal marshes at Redwood City’s Bair Island, and employees from Cargill helped our Plover Program team create Snowy Plover habitat at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward.
Employee Giving, Corporate Matching, and Profit Sharing
A philanthropic strategy that has become really popular with companies lately is employee giving and corporate matching plans. Many companies have set up processes that allow employees to donate a certain amount from their paycheck each month, and often they give a matching gift to the charity their employee chose. SFBBO participates in several workplace giving programs, including Your Cause, Benevity, America’s Best Local Charities, and the California State Employees Giving at Work “Our Promise” Campaign.
In 2018 companies that donated matching gifts to SFBBO in this way included Adobe, Apple, Chevron, Genentech, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Synopsys, and TiVo. In variations on this theme, Apple and Microsoft also donated money to SFBBO to match time their employees spent volunteering for us, and Amazon.com donated a percentage of their profits to us when their customers chose us through their AmazonSmile program. These strategies raised almost $14,000 for SFBBO in 2018.
Corporate Sponsorships and Grants
In addition to these creative giving programs, the old school method of corporate sponsorship and grantmaking continues to be a powerful way companies can underwrite nonprofit work. In 2018, we received large donations from Cargill and Facebook to support our scientific research.
In Kind Giving
When companies donate technology and other items to SFBBO, it saves us money we would have had to spend to do business. In 2018 Columbia Sportswear, Patagonia, Vortex Optics, and Whole Foods donated clothing, sporting equipment, and food for our fundraising events.
How You Can Help
As we move into 2019, SFBBO will be growing our corporate giving program and we need your help.
For more information or to share your corporate giving ideas, please contact me at [email protected].
Kristin Butler is Outreach and Communications Director at SFBBO and has managed fundraising programs for youth serving and conservation nonprofits for 17 years.
As we move into 2019, SFBBO will be growing our corporate giving program and we need your help.
- If you work for a company and donate money or volunteer time to SFBBO, please check with your employer to find out if they match employee giving. You can see a list of companies that have participated with SFBBO in the past on our website.
- If your company takes sponsorship recommendations from their employees, please nominate SFBBO.
- Consider organizing a volunteer work day with your colleagues to help us restore tidal marsh, Snowy Plover, and Burrowing Owl habitat or maintain trails at our Coyote Creek Field Station.
- Check out our Wish List to see if your company might have technology or other items that it can donate to our programs.
- Invite one of our scientists to give a presentation about our work at your company or lead a bird walk for your department nearby.
- Apply to serve on our Board of Directors to build a bridge between our mission and your company’s brand.
- Work with me to write an article for your company newsletter or for our blog.
- Invite SFBBO to have a booth at one of your company events.
- Let us know if you have another creative idea about how to partner with SFBBO!
For more information or to share your corporate giving ideas, please contact me at [email protected].
Kristin Butler is Outreach and Communications Director at SFBBO and has managed fundraising programs for youth serving and conservation nonprofits for 17 years.