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Amazon’s Philanthropy Nearly Non-Existent In Seattle
Apr 9th
According to a report in The Seattle Times, the online retail giant has been a minor player in Seattle's philanthropic scene. The United Way of King County which, as The NonProfit Times reported, received a record $117,390,119 last year. Microsoft made a corporate donation of $4 million in 2011.
The list of Amazon's no-shows for its hometown is quite extensive. The Times reported that many nonprofit officials find it difficult to find someone at the company who will talk to them, and Chief Executive Jeff Bezos didn't attend a January 2011 luncheon meant to honor him as "Executive of the Year." Even more important for the city, Amazon has made no significant donations for Seattle-area causes.
Major companies are usually found on lists of major donors for local nonprofits, but that's not the case for Amazon. The Seattle Times found no record of Amazon donations to Seattle-based nonprofits like the Seattle Symphony, Washington's Special Olympics, or YMCA of Greater Seattle. Most of its financial support has gone to writers' groups. Since 2009, Amazon has supported 80 writers' groups in the U.S., including 19 in the Seattle area, with grants of about $25,000. It also gave the University of Washington $51,000 over a three-year period.
Bezos has defended his company by saying that its most important contributions come in the form of its core business activities. He also expressed skepticism, in a 2010 interview with PBS' Charlie Rose, that philanthropy was the best way to solve problems. He noted that the Kindle, the company's e-reader, could be seen as a low-cost way to distribute books to the needy.
Yet that is really the extent of Amazon's philanthropic activity in the area. What do you think of this story? Can you think of any reason why Amazon would be reluctant to engage in philanthropy in Seattle? Make sure to read the full story in The Seattle Times.
After Bankruptcy, Kodak’s Philanthropy At Risk
Jan 20th
Kodak, one of America's oldest film companies, recently filed for bankruptcy. It's unclear what's to come in the company's future, but one thing was made clear: Some difficult choices are in the cards for the company's philanthropic efforts.
Channel 13 WHAM in the Rochester area reported yesterday that because of the bankruptcy, Kodak was likely to scale down their corporate philanthropy. The company had written on its website that "in the near term … it is likely that we will have to make difficult choices about our philanthropic investments and activities."
Although Kodak's philanthropy has significantly dwindled since 1990, the company and its employees have still funded many groups. For example, the United Way of Greater Rochester has seen millions of dollars come into the organization from Kodak. In addition, Kodak founder George Eastman has financed some of Rochester's greatest institutions, such as the Eastman School of Music, the home of Kodak Hall (which the company recently helped renovate with a $10 million donation).
It's still possible for Kodak to continue donating money during the bankruptcy process, but it will more than likely have to scale back on a major scale while they deal with creditors. You can read more about this story on WHAM's website.
Channel 13 WHAM in the Rochester area reported yesterday that because of the bankruptcy, Kodak was likely to scale down their corporate philanthropy. The company had written on its website that "in the near term … it is likely that we will have to make difficult choices about our philanthropic investments and activities."
Although Kodak's philanthropy has significantly dwindled since 1990, the company and its employees have still funded many groups. For example, the United Way of Greater Rochester has seen millions of dollars come into the organization from Kodak. In addition, Kodak founder George Eastman has financed some of Rochester's greatest institutions, such as the Eastman School of Music, the home of Kodak Hall (which the company recently helped renovate with a $10 million donation).
It's still possible for Kodak to continue donating money during the bankruptcy process, but it will more than likely have to scale back on a major scale while they deal with creditors. You can read more about this story on WHAM's website.
NPTtv Summary: Reel Grrls Dumps Comcast
Jun 15th
Reel Grrls, a Seattle-based nonprofit that teaches film production and media literacy to teenagers, is parting ways with Comcast after a dispute over a tweet.
The trouble all started when the organization sent out a message on Twitter that questioned Comcast’s hiring of former FCC chairwoman Meridith Atwell Baker. The following day, a VP at the cable company told Reel Grrls they could no longer give them an $18,000 grant to support a summer film program. After some media backlash, Comcast publicly apologized. They said the executive was not acting under company policy and offered to continue their funding of Reel Grrls.
It would appear the apology came too late. The nonprofit has since rejected Comcast’s offer. So how will they cover the costs of their summer program? A little online fundraising. They recently e-mailed their supporters with a video asking them to donate to cover the cost of the program. Within two weeks, the campaign raised $24,000 from 600 individual donors. Nearly all of these were new donors.
The trouble all started when the organization sent out a message on Twitter that questioned Comcast’s hiring of former FCC chairwoman Meridith Atwell Baker. The following day, a VP at the cable company told Reel Grrls they could no longer give them an $18,000 grant to support a summer film program. After some media backlash, Comcast publicly apologized. They said the executive was not acting under company policy and offered to continue their funding of Reel Grrls.
It would appear the apology came too late. The nonprofit has since rejected Comcast’s offer. So how will they cover the costs of their summer program? A little online fundraising. They recently e-mailed their supporters with a video asking them to donate to cover the cost of the program. Within two weeks, the campaign raised $24,000 from 600 individual donors. Nearly all of these were new donors.
Orlando Charities Get Boost From Conventioneers
Apr 8th
It is true that the downward spiral that the economy has gone through in the last couple of years has hurt nonprofit organizations. With spending and lending down, nonprofits have had to struggle to survive; unless they are in Orlando, that is. According to a recent report in The Orlando Sentinel, nonprofits in the Florida city have had a major advantage over others because of one key fact: the 3 million visitors that go there yearly for corporate retreats, meetings, and conventions. While these companies visit in Orlando, according to the story, they are increasingly engaging in community service projects through charities and nonprofits in the city to boost their public image. Chris Allen, executive director at Hands On Orlando, says that his organization has recieved over 2,500 volunteers from many corporations, including French Telecom and G.E.
But it wasn't always like this. In fact, this trend didn't really start coming to fruition until last year, according to Visit Orlando CEO Gary Sain. Before that, convention business had seen a sharp drop, especially during 2009. But those days are gone now, and corporations want to make these community services a part of a larger effort to promote a "corporate social-responsibility platform." The article gives the example of Aaron's Inc, a lease-to-own retailer, had its employees do volunteer work for Boys & Girls of Central Florida. At the end of the day, their contributions added up to $200,000 in product and service donations, as well as a whopping 4,500 hours of volunteer time.
It's certainly good to hear that these quality organizations are getting a lot of contributions from corporations, and that they are remaining in business even in hard times. If you want to read the full article about these Orlando nonprofits, visit The Orlando Sentinel.
But it wasn't always like this. In fact, this trend didn't really start coming to fruition until last year, according to Visit Orlando CEO Gary Sain. Before that, convention business had seen a sharp drop, especially during 2009. But those days are gone now, and corporations want to make these community services a part of a larger effort to promote a "corporate social-responsibility platform." The article gives the example of Aaron's Inc, a lease-to-own retailer, had its employees do volunteer work for Boys & Girls of Central Florida. At the end of the day, their contributions added up to $200,000 in product and service donations, as well as a whopping 4,500 hours of volunteer time.
It's certainly good to hear that these quality organizations are getting a lot of contributions from corporations, and that they are remaining in business even in hard times. If you want to read the full article about these Orlando nonprofits, visit The Orlando Sentinel.
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