Q. Is there a role for foundations in social responsibility? A. Yes. Just as corporations are being more closely scrutinized, foundations also find the spotlight on them is intensified. They, too, are being held accountable. Just as businesses are accountable to their boards and shareholders for investment decisions, foundations are accountable to their boards or funders for effective philanthropic investments and their own impacts on the broader community or environment. Foundations must ensure that their contributions to nonprofit organizations are prudent and leveraged for maximum success. The Sapphire Alliance helps foundations fulfill their social responsibilities, just as we do for corporations.
Q. How does the Sapphire Alliance help corporations or foundations develop and implement CSR programs? A. SA offers donor corporations and foundations three types of services: First, we help companies and foundations identify their social responsibility goals, as well as which CSR activities best complement their business, their mission, and their fiduciary responsibilities. Second, we objectively identify opportunities that best leverage CSR activities for competitive advantage and fulfillment of philanthropic goals. Third, we maintain long term capacity-building roles with the sponsored nonprofit organizations to ensure successful and sustainable outcomes.
Q. What services do you provide to nonprofit organizations? A. The majority of services we provide to nonprofit organizations are the result of corporate and foundation engagements. Therefore, the primary services include business and management services that are designed to assist the nonprofits in forging sustainable results and achievements. In many cases, our services to a nonprofit organization are tailored to a particular need identified as a result of our engagement with a corporation or foundation. Similar services also are available to our corporate and foundation clients. Some examples include: Business Planning - we help nonprofits formulate detailed business, marketing, and communication strategies that incorporate sound goals, measurable metrics, and the tools needed to achieve results.
Objective Analysis - Sapphire Alliance provides detailed review of a nonprofit's existing practices, as well as overviews of best practices, and will recommend changes, when appropriate, to improve management and performance.
Q. Do you specialize in any specific areas? A. The Sapphire Alliance is comprised of individuals with broad expertise in a number of areas (see below). Bios are available upon request. This unique combination of experience allows us to understand all aspects of the corporate, foundation, and nonprofit sectors and how best to match the needs and interests of corporations and foundations with the nonprofit organizations that will help them meet their social responsibility goals. Although that is our primary focus, if requested, we can offer other services that relate to our areas of expertise. The Sapphire Alliance members' expertise includes: Business Development Business & Program Management Career Coaching Coalition Building/Campaign Development Communications - Proposal and Other Writing, Marketing, Web Development Education Environment/Clean Energy/Sustainable Development Fundraising Government - Federal, State, Local, and Worldwide Healthcare (including HIV/AIDS) International Development Military Nonprofit Management and Administration Social Justice (Human Rights, Discrimination, Poverty)
- Spiritual/Philosophical Focus
Q. What types of experience does your team have? A. As outlined above, our team has a wide variety of experience. The Alliance members have been developing and delivering socially responsible services for a combined total of over forty years. We have consultants who have managed millions of dollars in donations. Our team has combined experience of working in over eighty countries and is fluent in five languages.
Alliance members have lobbied and worked for governments, managed all aspects of nonprofit organizations, operated and managed for-profit companies, and coached/consulted for executives at all levels. Sapphire Alliance has team members who have participated in every part of programming including vision, planning, implementation, and metrics. Our team members' age ranges from 25 to 85, bringing together a wide range of experience, views, and knowledge to provide unparalleled service for our clients.
Q. What countries and/or states (in US) do you provide services in? A. Because of the vast network of our consultants, Sapphire Alliance is not limited to any particular state or country. We develop programs around in the world and have the ability to quickly access resources necessary to provide services in locations not previously served. Most Alliance members live in the United States; however, one quarter of our consultants live outside of the country. Our experience around the globe and throughout the U.S. allows us to work with any client in any location and to understand important local considerations that can make or break a project.
Q. How does the Alliance ensure our nonprofit selections become "sustainable" solutions? A. Sustainability is a critical factor in working with our clients and the nonprofits they support. Engaging in philanthropic/socially responsible activities is an investment - an investment of precious resources, such as dollars and time. The Sapphire Alliance is committed to ensuring that these resources are invested wisely and to working with selected nonprofits to help them deliver long-term, sustainable value for the investment. How do we do this? We first work with our corporate and foundation clients to determine their goals and identify the type of socially responsible activity that best matches their goals. When we recommend a nonprofit organization to facilitate a client's philanthropic goals, we do so knowing that this organization is well-prepared to deliver a quantifiable return on our client's investment. The Sapphire Alliance performs due diligence prior to every nonprofit recommendation. Before recommending any nonprofit, we perform extensive research on the organization, its mission, its finances, and its performance. In many cases, we work with the nonprofit to improve its ability to fulfill its mission in an efficient and cost-effective manner and to develop methods to monitor, measure, and communicate achievements. The Alliance ensures that the selected nonprofit understands our client's expectations by working with both the nonprofit organization and client to develop a written agreement that clearly outlines goals, milestones, and metrics. Throughout this process, our objective is to facilitate a lasting relationship between our client and the nonprofit - a relationship that will help both achieve their goals and deliver sustainable solutions to societal problems.
Q. How does the Alliance help us decide which nonprofits are the right investment for our company or foundation? A. As stated above, we work with your organization understand your business or mission. With our diverse experience in a wide variety of industries and sectors, Sapphire Alliance is well prepared to grasp all aspects of business operations to help you develop a tailored CSR strategy that is consistent with your vision. The key element in this effort is identifying a nonprofit organization(s) that is able to meet your goals. As stated above, a worthy nonprofit might require our assistance to help build capacity or improve its processes; in such a case, the Alliance will work with the nonprofit to ensure its capability of success. In all cases, the Alliance performs due diligence and only recommends those organizations that meet strict standards, or that can meet such standards with some assistance, to maximize our client's return on investment.
|
