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Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Community Options, a national nonprofit organization that supports people with disabilities, has long worked to connect with corporations across the country to mutually support each other. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming more and more prominent among the public and private sectors and is the dotted line that is connecting these two worlds together for the greater good.
Recently, Mary Pat Christie, First Lady of New Jersey became the Honorary National Chairperson of the Cupid’s Chase 5K Run hosted by Community Options. The run takes place on February 12, 2011 in 24 cities across 10 states on the same day and at the same time.
“I encourage corporations across the United States to become involved with the Cupid’s Chase 5K Run that supports an important cause – community housing and employment for people with disabilities,” says Mary Pat Christie. “Community Options is a fantastic cause to align with to increase your corporate social responsibility efforts,” she added.
Although the term “CSR” - for Corporate Social Responsibility - started in the early 1970s, it is a term that is beginning to gain wider traction and broader, inherent meaning. Highly debated and criticized as a way to distract from the fundamental economic role of business, CSR is proving to achieve the opposite. The purpose of CSR is to help organizations achieve both their business missions and social missions.
A majority of the world would equate being involved with a nonprofit organization with the act of giving money. This is not always the case.
“When a corporation signs on to help our organization, that could look like so many things,” says Robert Stack, President and CEO of Community Options. “Some corporations want to volunteer for a day so they will paint the inside of a group home, some corporations wish to be outside during a beautiful spring day so they do all of the spring cleanup for a group home. A person’s time is very valuable to us,” he added.
To become involved with Community Options or the Cupid’s Chase 5K Run, please visit them at www.comop.org or call 609-951-9900. You can also find the organization on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities! Please read this statement made by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State:
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I join with friends and colleagues around the world to recognize December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Advancing opportunities and promoting the rights of disabled people has been a lifelong commitment, and I am honored to continue advocating on behalf of people with disabilities on the international stage.
The United States is proud to be a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to support its full and effective implementation. We are also invested in including disability rights as a core focus of our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This global undertaking to eradicate extreme poverty and inequality offers hope to millions of people across the developing world, but much remains to be done for people with disabilities, particularly disabled women and girls. We cannot hope to achieve the Millennium Development Goals when those with disabilities are denied the opportunity to lead empowered and autonomous lives by violence or the fear of violence. Disabled people deserve equal access and opportunity within society.
In honor of this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the State Department is hosting events focused on the issues of HIV/AIDS and disability, and violence against women and girls with disabilities. These events will bring together experts with experience in disability rights, civil society, and government to help raise awareness and understanding of how to tackle these challenging issues. Our Special Advisor for International Disability Rights Judith Heumann is leading efforts at the United States Department of State to ensure disability inclusion and non-discrimination are central to all of our policies and practices, in Washington and around the globe. Together, we can help 650 million people living with disabilities today enjoy their full human rights, and achieve the vision of equality and inclusion set forth in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The following is an interview by Robert Stack as told to Harper Willis of BNET- CBS Interactive Business Network.
We have perhaps the toughest business pitch of any company out there: We have to convince families that we can take care of a disabled loved one in perpetuity — for his or her entire life.
Most families are reluctant to outsource the care of relatives to strangers. If they’re going to do it, they’d much rather rely on local organizations that they already know and trust. So, when I first tried to expand my nonprofit Community Options into new states, local communities and funders blew us off, assuming that we were just out to make a buck.
Several years ago, we discovered two key ways to allay these fears and build trust in new markets: hiring locals and befriending our competition. In the process, we’ve grown from operating in just a few cities to operating in 30 cities in 10 states.
The local connection
I recently met with an executive at the Amarillo Area Foundation about starting a care house in Amarillo, Texas. After I finished my pitch about why they should fund us, the executive leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and asked, “Are you from Amarillo?”
I’m not, but the woman sitting next to me — the executive director of the project — is from the nearby town of Happy. The executive uncrossed his arms and said, “Ok, let’s talk.” And we were eventually able to get funding.
Hiring local caregivers also helps us earn the trust of communities and build awareness about our organization. Most of our marketing is done through word of mouth, so it helps if families know the caretakers who work in our houses. We need our staff to be able to carry on conversations about local politics and sports teams with families and members. We are trying to build a sub-community, not impose our own corporate culture on the lives of the locals.
Plus, having executives who know the area helps us choose the best location for our houses. We need people who know the local building inspectors so we can get handicap accessibility and bathroom modifications approved. A lot of our business is about politics, and we need insiders to help us do our job — not to mention help us navigate the complex web of funders in every region.
The competition is our ally
I’ve long known that one of the biggest mistakes we could make when trying to break into a new community is to treat the competition as our enemies. We aren’t selling jeans — we are trying to persuade families that they can entrust us with the wellbeing of their loved ones. If we come across as a cutthroat organization trying to destroy local organizations and steal jobs, we’ll alienate the people we are trying to serve.
Beyond protecting our image, there is a more fundamental reason why I treat our competitors with respect: Although there are many organizations with similar functions to ours, there aren’t nearly enough.
Nearly 2 percent of all Americans have a severe disability. Right now, my organization cares for 1,400 individuals. In New Jersey alone there are 3,000 people with disabilities living in large institutions, plus 8,000 others who are on a waiting list for a place to live comfortably.
Of course, not everyone knows those statistics. Before we enter a new state, we have to make the case for why it needs another organization like ours. We try to point out how we are different from — not better than — the local competition. Many states we enter are already facing lawsuits because of a dearth of services for people with disabilities. As a result, they welcome an organization like ours. We try to target those states, rather than ones that are closer to meeting the needs of the community.
We’re growing
I started off with the goal of making a difference in the life of just one person. Over the last 15 years we’ve grown from $9 million in revenue to $72 million in revenue. Although I don’t measure the success of my company in dollar figures, this kind of growth is definitely a sign that we’re on the right track.
For the third year, Community Options is hosting the Cupid’s Chase 5k run, a fundraiser for people with disabilities. It’s held simultaneously in 24 cities across the U.S.
– As told to Harper Willis
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