GIVING AND GETTING BACK

The current economy's rough seas may make local businesses reluctant to participate in charitable events for fear of hurting the bottom line. But observers say such thinking is a mistake.

Charitable giving, they say, provides a valuable edge in the marketplace not found in other image-making activities. In reputation-centric Las Vegas, where competition is often fierce, every edge is necessary.

Improved financial performance, an enhanced reputation, increased sales and customer appreciation are some of the benefits of giving, even if the true reward is taking pride in helping those in need.

Local businesses step up to help hurricane and wildfire victims. They donate food to church and school pantries, fund scholarships and educational programs, or collect clothes for the Salvation Army.

Time is a valuable gift, too. Volunteer sessions at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen or at a hospital are good examples.

Newcomers to Las Vegas learn early how tight a group of philanthropists exists here, a place known more for gambling than giving, said Cynthia Salarizadeh of Preferred Public Relations & Marketing.

"One of the first things I realized when I moved here is that there is actually a very tight community of prominent locals and charity is huge," she said.

Some businesses are taking a page from the book of Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, whose charitable foundation has a $34.6 billion endowment and is geared at changing the world for the better.

Others may mimic actor Paul Newman, who is well-known for putting his name and face on jars of spaghetti sauce, salad dressing, and on boxes of popcorn. Proceeds from grocery-store sales of his products go to charity.

People outside the business community are also in on giving. For example, some couples who are planning weddings are creating charity registries instead of gift registries, www.justgive.org reports.

In Las Vegas, the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation has raised more than $60 million for at-risk children in Southern Nevada.

In November Jim and Glynda Rhodes of Rhodes Homes gave $10 million to the Nevada Cancer Institute.

Meanwhile, Volvo Rents participates in community outreach throughout the year, including Operation Gratitude on Memorial Day, and an upcoming Habitat for Humanity project in January.

Station Casinos takes charitable giving to a level many businesses can't. Its signature programs include "Caring for Our Community" and Smart Start, which provide money and support for schools and the community.

The company also spearheaded the recent pet-supply donation drive for San Diego fire victims, a similar pet drive for Hurricane Katrina victims and a job fair for Katrina victims who temporarily or permanently moved to Las Vegas, corporate communications director Lori Nelson said.

"The company has a real philosophy about helping people and giving back to the community," she said.

Different companies do different things. Some giving is based on the company's history, an owner's personal feelings or as part of a marketing strategy that creates a certain image.

The 22-employee Preferred Public Relations & Marketing firm takes giving to a human level by selecting two underprivileged families with more then four people in the family to help each year.

Company representative Michelle Tell-Woodrow said the company "adopts" the families and provides them with clothing, food and toys. The firm also provides free publicity for selected nonprofit companies during the holidays.

"It makes us feel good that we are giving back to people," Tell-Woodrow said. "The community has been phenomenal to our company and we want to give back what we can."

Pardee Homes also gives charitably. The company's primary charities include HomeAid, the Public Education Foundation, and the Boy Scouts of America.

In January, the company completed a major renovation of the St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Boulder City.

The company performed more than $1 million in renovations for the ranch, improving it and leaving a formidable shelter for the families and foster children who live there, officials said.

"As a large homebuilder, we have found that we can engage the generosity of our trade contractors to leverage the work necessary for larger projects," said Klif Andrews, the company's Las Vegas division president.

New businesses that want to participate can find avenues that best fit their charitable budgets.

Charity ratings services are available that investigate and rate all manner of charities, in the United States and abroad.

London nonprofit www.intelligentgiving.com investigated and rated more than 500 charities in Great Britain and listed 1,000 more during fiscal year 2005-06.

The site's keepers have backgrounds in journalism and research and are independently financed. The site is not linked to any charity or government body, according to company literature.

Sites like this typically offer overviews of various charity sectors, an exploration of all ways to give to charity, interviews with donors, and columns written by charity experts.

Charity discussion boards also abound online, which can help companies narrow the affiliations they desire.

Statistics show that customers respond well to charity initiatives. A nationwide poll taken last year shows that more than half of American shoppers intend to buy holiday gifts that give portions of proceeds to charitable causes.

An estimated six in 10 shoppers said they would support a charity by making gift-giving purchases from retailers that forward proceeds to good causes, Cone Holiday Trend Tracker shows.

Corporate giving still has a way to go to catch up with individual gifts. Giving USA Chairman Richard Jolly said the bulk of the approximately $300 billion donated by Americans to charity each year comes from individuals rather than corporations. And most of that money is generated through small donations.

Observers agree that corporate giving typically involves ulterior motives, such as brand-reimaging. As long as the giving is true in its sincerity to help, however, the ancillary benefits to the company won't be held against it, observers say.

Charitable giving is elementary for the online interactive live music company DeepRockDrive; the Las Vegas company routinely donates part of its proceeds.

"We plan to offer live interactive concerts on the Internet early next year," company representative Danny Socolof said. "One of our founding philosophies is called 'promotion with a purpose.' It means that when we start selling digital tickets for $6.99 each, to our shows in '08, we will donate, on behalf of the artist performing and ourselves, a quarter for every ticket sold to a charity of the user's choice."

That 25 cents will also be matched by a corporate partner like Pepsi that has already signed up as a charter partner.

"Giving back is core to who we are and is embedded within our strategy to build our brand," he said.

CDW Corp.'s Western Distribution Center has contributed millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to national and local charitable events for more than 20 years.

The company holds dear its "Circle of Service" philosophy, which focuses on the customer. When the company decided to locate in North Las Vegas two years ago, it became immediately involved with charities such as the American Heart Association, Opportunity Village and the Andre Agassi Foundation, spokeswoman Katie Busch said.

"Their 'Circle of Service' philosophy is alive and well in Las Vegas this holiday season, and I think the above organizations are more than happy about it." Busch said.

This story first appeared in the Business Press. BenTinsley writes for the Business Press, a sister publication of the Review-Journal. Contact him at btinsley@lvbusinesspress.com or at (702) 387-5290.