Grant for Good

As a business owner, I often consult with older, wiser, business owners when I'm not sure how to handle certain business-related matters. This has ranged from "How the hell does anyone make it through the Women Business Certification process" to "Can I write-off my Starbucks habit as a business expense?"

Not that long ago, I was talking to a fellow business owner about the pressures I was feeling regarding supporting friends + non-profits with donations of time/services. The problem is I want to help everyone. I feel like I have a talent and should use that talent for paid work and to support folks who need my help but can't pay for it. Unfortunately when un-paid work takes up a larger percentage of time than paid work, you no longer have a sustainable business you have, well, a non-profit without the 501c3 status!

The other challenge I was facing was that I didn't feel very helpful. The work that I do is best served over the course of months to a year, sometimes over a few years. My goal is to build brands and create momentum, if this comes in the form of an annual fundraiser, re-shaping said events to their optimum can be a 2-3 year process. By donating my services piecemeal, I didn't feel I was being as effective as I wanted to or could be.

As I started asking around I realized that most of my colleagues had established policies for their donations. Sounds simple right?! Sometimes the most obvious answers are the hardest to see.

I was dreaming up my ideal policy when I started talking to Firebelly Design. Dawn and her team decided their policy would be a year-long grant given to one lucky non-profit. Brilliant! I was going to write a grant up too; It's been working for Firebelly for years. They have a policy, a process, and produce substantial results that make a difference. That's when Firebelly had an idea...

I am pleased to announce that Pivotal now has a policy in regards to our donations.

1. We will continue to donate 10% of our profits to select charities
   
2. We will continue to serve on the Board of Directors for Woman Made Gallery + The Firebelly Foundation
3. We will continue to make cash donations in honor of any referrals that lead to contracts
4. HERE'S THE BIG ONE! We will be part of the amazing team that will be offering a year of our services to one amazing non-profit through the Grant For Good! www.GrantForGood.com

In 2011, the Grant for Good team will be giving one non-profit an enormous opportunity to completely reinvent themselves. From organizational development and strategy to branding, design, web development, marketing, photography, video, event production, social media planning, copywriting and even printing!

Visit the website to learn more and download an application.

Application deadline is December 3, 2010

Pivotal is absolutely thrilled to be able to be a part of this AMAZING team!