Here's a question for you: Is employee engagement your most valuable virtual asset? 🤔

There are two ways to find out.

First, today on my blog, Brittany Hill (affectionally known 🥰as Brit-Bit at Selfish Giving HQ) at Accelerist has penned a post on this very subject. She discusses the benefits of employee engagement and three ways to develop it. You can read it here….

Employee engagement with social issues has become a must-have requirement to most profit-purpose partnerships because it’s just good for business. From profitability to greater consumer satisfaction, the measured impact that engaged employees can have on a business bottom line is undeniable.

They include…

Two quick notes this week on COOL JOBS IN CAUSE (One of the most popular sections in my newsletter, especially these day!)

First, over the past few weeks, several readers have contacted me to advocate that I include salary information in my job postings. I think this is a good practice and reflects the larger trend of salary transparency that we're seeing around hiring.

Moving forward, I encourage you to submit positions with a salary or range of salary….

I'm taking a few days off this week so I'm keeping this week's newsletter shorter than usual.

Happy August ⛱☀️and see you next week.

Let's talk about the Read for Purpose Book Club 📚for a bit this week.

Whenever we announce our next book, hundreds of you click on the link to get the book. This is great, right? But when the day of the actual book club meeting arrives only a few of you show up.

This makes Megan and I sad - especially Megan. She openly wept at last week's book club meeting. It was really, really sad (and awkward). I even got a little weepy... 😉😂

Tomorrow is our next virtual book club meeting! Join Megan Strand and me at 4pm ET (1pm PT) to discus How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

Register via this Zoom link to be part of the discussion. Or, watch the Facebook Live stream in our Read With Purpose group.

This is going to be a great meeting! Even if you haven't read or finished the book, join us. I guarantee you'll enjoy the conversation.

See you then! 📚

That's how many people are attending today's webinar!

Join me, Brittany Hill of Accelerist and Brian Lim, of the MS Society of Canada at 3pm EDT TODAY for How to Build Partnerships in a Recession.

Plus, it's FREE! See you at 3pm….

Brittany Hill and the team at Accelerist did a little research and found that despite a devastating recession two-thirds of nonprofits plan to continue pursuing corporate partnership opportunities.

Does that include you?

If so, you'll want to join me, Brittany and Brian Lim, Director, Corporate Engagement, at MS Society of Canada at 3pm EDT on Wednesday, July 15th for How to Build Partnerships in a Recession….

Are you a corporate partnership professional that's out of work? I want to try to help in two ways.

1. Let me know that you are looking. I've heard from many of you already and have forwarded several jobs to people - usually in advance of publishing them in my newsletter. I'd be happy to do the same for you. Just hit reply and tell me what you are looking for and include a link to your LinkedIn page so I can see your background.

2. Write a blog post or host a webinar with me. In speaking with different people, I've been really impressed with people's skillsets. Usually, they are very strong in one area, like account management, sales or marketing. I would love for you to share your expertise with my community in either a blog post and/or webinar. Just think about the opportunity….

Two things this week!

1. The Social Impact Book Club members have voted and our next book is How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. While I've included the link to the book on Amazon, many readers wrote last week asking me to encourage people to buy the book from a local book shop. I couldn't agree more! I'm off to my local bookstore, Newtonville Books, to pick up my copy!

Want to join the book club? Here's the link to our Facebook group and info to when our next virtual meeting is being held!

2. My favorite corporate partnership attorney, Karen Wu of Perlman & Perlman, has completed the final part of a four-part series on the key legal issues you - my readers! - asked for in the Selfish Giving / Accelerist Partnership Law Survey you completed last year….

This is the final part of a four-part series on the four key legal issues you - my readers! - requested guidance on in the Selfish Giving / Accelerist Partnership Law Survey you completed last year.

1. Advertising Disclosures [Released 10/02/19]

2. Registration & Reporting Requirements [Released 12/4/19]

3. Contracts [Released 02/29/20]

4. UBIT [It’s here!]

Today, our legal expert, Karen Wu of Perlman & Perlman, is answering your questions on unrelated business income tax (UBIT)….

We had such a great book club meeting last week talking about the book Fanocracy! Did you miss it? You can watch the replay here.

Now it's time to pick our next book! 📚

We have three new books that nicely capture the zeitgeist of the moment. I'm looking forward to having a powerful conversation about one of them. My pick was White Fragility. I really encourage you to visit Amazon and read the descriptions for each book and a few reviews before making your pick….

I'm super-excited for our second book club 📘meeting tomorrow at 4pm ET. We'll be talking about the book Fanocracy by David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott. This was a really fun book to read with lots of actionable insights on how organizations can build a bigger, better fanbase.

As the Scotts note, "Fandom isn’t just for celebrities anymore! It can be rocket fuel for any business or nonprofit that chooses to focus on inspiring and nurturing true fans."

There are two ways to join us tomorrow….

I have to be honest with you. I don't much feel like talking about corporate partnerships this week. After the events of the past eight days, it seems insignificant.

What I want is to love and respect my country again.

Years ago I visited the Tower of London. The tour guide asked the crowd if there were any Americans in the group. A dozen people, including me and my wife, immediately raised their hands. The tour guy chuckled, "I love asking that question because Americans are always so proud to raise their hands!" Of course we are, I thought at the time. Why wouldn't we want to raise our hands?

No more….

Following last week's newsletter, I got several questions on point #2 in my introduction:

2.The biggest opportunity for corporate gifts is staring back at you in your individual donors. Even with unemployment surging, most people are still working. Think about it: every one of your donors either runs a business or works for one. Every nonprofit should be asking donors where they work. The challenge is you'll have to work their employer as hard for a gift as you worked the individual! This will require time, resources and staff. Still, you'll start with something you don't have with most companies: a connection.

Readers asked: "Can you explain a bit more about how you would capture this information and use it?" …

Three things I've been thinking about this week...🤔

1. Consumers are returning to nostalgic brands. Will the same be true for nonprofits? But even if you are a newer charity, how can your nonprofit tap into your supporters' longing for the good old days? BTW, I'm happy to clear my schedule to host a new Jerry Lewis Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. ⧓ 🎤

2. The biggest opportunity for corporate gifts is staring back at you in your individual donors. Even with unemployment surging, most people are still working. Think about it: every one of your donors either runs a business or works for one….

There are many things that are sinking my spirits this month: the loss of life to the virus, the economic disruption - both nationally and personally - the hassle and anxiety of trying to do anything outside the home. But there are some bright spots too 🌈...

1. I have a great community of readers to serve. The open rate for this newsletter continues to hover around 60% and people continue to sign-up for it every week. Thanks to all of YOU for sharing it with everyone you know!

2. I feel more connected to my readers. Last month, I had the chance to talk to some of you and I offered some helpful advice for moving forward. It felt good to be useful…

Two things this week...

1. I'm super-excited to announce the second book we'll be reading in our Social Impact Book Club. It's Fanocracy by David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott. Yep, we're reading a book on fandom - and with good reason. As the Scotts note, "Fandom isn’t just for celebrities anymore! It can be rocket fuel for any business or nonprofit that chooses to focus on inspiring and nurturing true fans."

This is the book we ALL NEED right now. Pick the book up here in either text or audio. Join the book club's Facebook group here. Finally, confirm you're coming to the next book club meeting on June 4th at 4pm ET….