Salon Today - December 2008 - (Page 33)

WHAT’S THE WORTH? Outcome: “We do this throughout the year to build these women’s self-esteem. We invite them to come back for services, which will always be free of charge.” Team motivation: Young women 16 and older can lose their way so easily. We want to show them that someone cares about them and will prepare them for getting a job in the business world.” Client recruitment: “A lot of our clients are women who are part of the organizations we help. Seeing us pitch in makes them want to support us even more. When people see us out there really trying to help the community, they want to be our clients.” In the United States, charitable donations total nearly $300 billion a year. Before you hand over a check or a gift certiﬁcate to a charity who is knocking on your door, take a moment to do your research. There are a few simple steps to determine if a charity is effective and worthy of your contribution: • Go to the web. Check your state government’s website—many states require charities to register. If the charity isn’t registered, that’s a red ﬂag. You can also ﬁnd non-proﬁts, IRS Form 990 ﬁlings, the equivalent of a tax return form, listed on www.guidestar.com. Through its wise-giving alliance, the Better Business Bureau offers www.give.org, a site that rates charities on their abilities to meet basic accountability standards. • Interview the charity. Ask them how your dollar will be split. At least 65 percent of a charity’s money should be spent on its programming, rather than it’s overhead. • Wait and think. Don’t make a decision during a telemarketing call, and never give out your credit card number or bank information to a solicitor. Always ask for written information by mail, read it over, then make your decision. • Ask around. If the charity has local roots, visit the facility to see the work they are doing. Ask other businesses about the charity and ask the charity for the names of some of their sponsors. • Beyond the dollar. If money is a factor these days, look for charities who would appreciate volunteer hours or services. Your business offers services that many charities would truly value. 25 locations on Long Island, New York Source: Samantha Brand, public relations Event: Staff softball tournament to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each salon in the group, or several together, formed a team and sought sponsorships. Past recipients from Make-A-Wish spoke at the game, and people donated food that was sold. Outcome: About $10,000 was raised, with roughly half of the 700 employees playing ball and additional team members ﬁlling the cheering squads. Winners received trophies. Promotion: Conﬁned to the salon group’s network. Team motivation: “Our philosophy about philanthropy starts at the top; Joseph Secreti, our CEO and founder, drives this. We’re wellknown on Long Island for our fundraising, so people who come to work with us are happy to be part of the giving back. Client recruitment: “Some clients probably come to us because of our charitable efforts, but we’re not focusing on that as we’re doing them.” 13 Cactus Salon Spa BY THE NUMBERS No doubt about it, salon and spa owners have heart. We asked for a personal look at your charitable activities: What kinds of activities does your business do for charity? Donate gift cards when asked: 78% Donate complimentary services: 77% Participate as a group in a walk/run: 45% Participate in fashion/beauty shows or events: 42% Host cut-a-thons: 42% 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 78% 77% 45% 42% 42% In what ways do you and your salon prefer to give back? Offer volunteer services: 75% Fundraisers/events: 70% Solicit funds from staff: 5% Join forces with other partners: 60% 80 70 75% 70% 60% 60 50 40 30 20 10 5% Florence, Kentucky Source: Melissa Graus, general manager Event: All day cut-a-thon and spa-a-thon to help with the expenses incurred by a stylist’s father who is battling cancer. The event included a bake sale, car wash, silent auction and grill out. Outcome: Raised $7,500. “We’ve held a lot of fundraisers for other causes, but this was the most money we’ve ever raised.” Promotion: E-mail blasts and posting on the outside marquee. “Our beneﬁciary comes from a large family, and they must have sent a lot of e-mails to their contacts. We were full, and people still stopped by just to drop off a check.” Team motivation: “We are so blessed with an incredible, giving staff. They’re the ones who decided they wanted to participate in two charitable events per year. When we hire people, we look for a willingness to give back.” Client recruitment: “We hope that by giving back to the community, people will want to do business with us, but that’s not our motivating factor and we don’t actively market it with that reason in mind.” n 14 Mi Salon and Spa 20% 80% Are staff members paid when they participate in salon-sponsored charitable events? Yes: 20% No: 80% 0 Are staff members required to donate time to salonsponsored charity events? 33% 67% Yes: 33% No: 67% 5% 8% 27% 15% How much would you estimate your salon donates to charity each year? Less than $1,000: 27% Between $1,000 and $5,000: 45% Between $5,000 and $10,000: 15% Between $10,000 and $25,000: 8% More than $25,000: 5% 45% 5% 7% Because of the suffering economy, do you predict your salon participating more or less in charitable events next year? More: 5% Less: 7% The same amount: 88% 88% www.salontoday.com December 2008 | 33 http://www.guidestar.com http://www.give.org http://www.salontoday.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Salon Today - December 2008

Salon Today - December 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reception Fashion Sense Marketing Spa Menu Shared Value Igniting An Industry What the World Needs Now Greater Gifts Products Owner to Owner

Salon Today - December 2008

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