1% for Good 2008 Donation Wrap-up

The charity auctions have ended and we made cash donations today. In total, the 1% for Good program provided over $600 to non profit organizations.

We had so many great suggestions that it was hard to choose which charities to support. We researched possibilities and made our selections on the efficiency of the organizations and how their mission aligned with ours.

Here are the 2008 supported charities:

UNICEF
Capital Area Humane Society (membership and Second Chance Fund)
Nature Conservancy
National Audubon Society
4Paws4Ability for Ryan
Mid-Ohio Food Bank
School for Young Children scholarship fund
Turning Point domestic abuse shelter

Thanks for your support and purchases, without which we could not have this program.

Day Two of Green Gifts and Tips: Wallets and Charity

Today we feature a classic gift updated for the green generation: wallets. Green Guru Gear makes these fantastic wallets from reclaimed billboard material and bike tire innertubes. Both have two bill pockets and 6 sleeves for IDs and credit cards made of 100% recycled PETE. They make great gifts for the hipster or cyclist in your life. $24.25 each.




Our tip of the day: Consider charities in your gift giving. In this economy, non profits are needed more than ever, yet have fewer resources to manage the growing need. Maybe you can afford to give part of a holiday bonus to your local food bank or animal shelter. Perhaps someone on your gift list is passionate about a cause and you could give to the cause instead of buying a physical present. Or, get a great gift and benefit nonprofits by bidding on our charity auctions going on now.

2008 1% for Good charities announced

Thanks for all the nominations. We selected 6 charities to benefit from our customer's purchases this year:

Capital Area Humane Society - local Columbus OH shelter that housed our two hounds before we adopted them
UNICEF Children's Fund
Nature Conservancy
4 Paws 4 Amelia - nonprofit organized to provide a trained mixed breed dog for local Ohio girl with autism
Mid-Ohio Food Bank
School for Young Children scholarship fund - nationally accredited preschool in Columbus OH

Some of these charities will benefit from eBay Giving Works auctions listed in our eBay store. Bid and you can get some fantastic green gear while benefiting great charities. We will start more auctions on Thursday of this week.

Last Day to Nominate a Charity!

Readers, there are 10 hours left until we choose our charity recipients for this year! Please contribute your ideas to our previous thread where our 1% for Good program is detailed.

We are busily working on writing up listings for auctions to benefit these charities. We will make them live on Monday the 24th ending Monday December 1st.

Our viewpoint on Charity Add-ons

I just read a post about Charity Add-ons by Tim Berry over at Small Business Trends. It got me thinking about why we give 1% of sales to charity. Here's what I wrote about our donation program:

"

I own an online retail store that gives 1% of sales (that’s all incoming revenue, not just profit) to charity. We believe that giving 1% of profits isn’t enough because that number can so easily be manipulated.

We do this to potentially add value in the eyes of the customer and because we believe that success is meant to be shared. We attempt to engage our customer and charities by asking non profit nominations and allowing customers to guide our giving. (We’re actually accepting nominations now, if anyone wants to wander over to http://bayinghound.blogspot.com/2008/11/nominate-your-favorite-charity-for-1.html)

As a micro-business, supporting nonprofits through community leadership or volunteer hours is something I aspire to, but can’t do yet. I just don’t have the time, manpower, or physical resources to donate. As our business grows, I see potential for supporting charities in these ways.

Measuring the ROI of our charity donations is difficult, but I don’t necessarily need to know that number. I operate my business like I operate my life, which is to give back as much and as often as I can."

Nominate your Favorite Charity for 1% for Good

We are accepting nominations for charities to benefit from our annual donation program. All you have to do is Email Rachel or leave a comment below for nominations with your suggestion by November 21!

Because this year we will be using eBay Giving Works, your nomination must be on this list of MissionFish eligible nonprofits. If your favorite charity isn't listed, ask them to register.

Choosing Green as Poverty Solution : Blog Action Day 2008

People choose to buy green products for many reasons. Many are concerned about their personal health and choose bisphenol-a free bottles and safe plastics to prevent toxins. Some are concerned about saving earth resources. Others are attracted to the celebrities promoting conscious consumerism.

Whatever the reason, choosing green may have the added benefit of reducing poverty.
Poverty is worsened by consumption of virgin material goods. When deforestation and commercial development happen, locals rarely profit. Instead they are left with lower water and air quality, which leads to health problems, lost working time, and more poverty (2006 United Nations Human Development Report). Eco-friendly products often use recycled or reclaimed materials, keeping materials in the use cycle and relying less on virgin materials.

Poverty in the US is often the result of health problems bankrupting families. In fact, in 2001 alone, 50% of Americans filing for bankruptcy, or 1.9 - 2.2 million people, cited medical reasons (Policy Journal of the Health Sphere). While there are many factors causing health emergencies, environmental pollution and toxins are surely high on the list. Research keeps confirming that serious health problems are caused by toxins like bisphenol-a, phthalates, and more in everyday products. Earth friendly products eliminate pollutants in the manufacturing process and final materials. As consumers demand and use eco-friendly non-toxic items, I remain hopeful that heart disease and cancers will decline, with the poverty rate following.

Poverty is diminished when workers are paid fairly, have access to health care, and are not exposed to risk at work (World Bank). Most manufacturers of green goods use fair employment practices as a way to increase their trust with consumers and maintain quality. At BayingHound, we ask tough questions of our manufacturers and demand to know where and how their products are made. If a manufacturer can not answer, or is not concerned about fair employment, we do not carry their items.

Poverty is a complex problem, to be sure. Purchasing green gear is one solution among many.

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This post is part of Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty

Rest In Peace, Paul Newman, champion of socially responsible business

We share sadness at the news this morning that Paul Newman passed away.



Paul Newman was an inspiration to us. He not only believed in quality foods, but he sold and promoted them before all-natural foods were a trend in grocery stores. Further, he used his food business, Newman's Own, to create a philanthropic empire. The company reports generating over $250 million to support thousands of charities worldwide and is still going strong. His idea that business profits could be shared inspired our own 1% for Good donation program.

Of course, Mr. Newman was also a fantastic actor. We will miss his face and remember his business spirit fondly.

Charitable Organizations enhance Outdoor Retailer

Most of the transactions at Outdoor Retailer are strictly business. But we experienced a connection to charitable causes as well. We visited booths for many non-profit organizations. Afterhours events had auctions and raffles to benefit environmental groups.

We were most impressed by the Audubon and GreenLivingProject events we attended. The National Audubon Society had an informational table in the main hallway. We visited on the first day and were invited to a Swarovski Optik sponsored bird watching expedition to the Great Salt Lake. On Saturday, I spent two hours on a van tour. We stopped at brackish and fresh pools and saw an amazing 27 bird species in addition to a hare and antelope. Asking nothing from retailers, the Audubon society simply exhibited to invite goodwill among outdoors people.

On Saturday afternoon we stopped by the Gregory booth for a presentation by the Green Living Project. The Green Living Project documents via video and photograph the sustainable projects happening worldwide. We watched the most recent episodes detailing projects in Tanzania, Rowanda and Uganda. Their videos are educational, touching, and a great resource for those researching where to make charitable donations.

Please learn more about Audubon and GreenLivingProject from their great websites.

Social Business

As I posted about a few days ago, we are working to define our sustainable business practices. Muhammad Yunus recently wrote an article that describes our ideals well. While we might not ever win the Nobel prize like Mr. Yunus, we are part of the new generation of capitalists with a conscience.

Sustainable Business Practices

One of the unique aspects of Baying Hound is the care and consideration we put into making our business environmentally and socially sustainable. We are working on defining our sustainable business practices to make it clearer to customers, vendors, and our financial backers why sustainability is a reason to support Baying Hound. We are also exploring certification by a credentialing organization.

To that end, we want to hear from our readers: What practices are important to you? Comment or email us your thoughts.

Holiday Giving

For us at Baying Hound, charitable giving is a matter of social responsibility. We work hard to earn your business and are fortunate enough to have a profitable company because of it. We believe in supporting organizations with at least 1 percent of those profits.

A few weeks ago we asked for your input on which charities to choose this year. We looked over all the recommendations and are proud to announce our support of the following non-profit organizations:

Clintonville Beechwold Resource Center: our neighborhood food pantry and social services provider
Capital Area Humane Society: Columbus' independently funded animal shelter.
WCBE: Central Ohio's public radio station
Nature Conservancy: Organization that protects and preserves natural spaces in the US and around the world.

Charity Nominations sought

Part of the Baying Hound sustainable business plan is to donate 1% or more of profits to charitable organizations. Last year we supported Capital Area Humane Society, Citizens for Humane Action, Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center and our local public radio station, WCBE.

This year, we are opening the nominations to you, our dedicated readers. If you volunteer or financially support a 501(c)3 eligible charity, nominate them to receive some of our donations this year. Send us an email with the website, physical address, and a short 4 - 5 sentence paragraph telling us what the organization does and why we should support it.

We will pick the best 3 - 4 charities and announce our choices on December 17!

Nominations are due December 14. If we pick your charity we'll send you a free gift too!