When my son was born in 2002, he decided to make an early appearance which landed him in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Georgetown University Hospital for 36 days. I was impressed then by the level of high-quality care he and the other premmies on the unit received and vowed then that I would always support causes to help the parents of premmies and research into premature birth. On some level I also believed that environmental issues contributes in someway to newborns coming in the world a little too soon, so I also back causes that make our planet a better place too.
I was always raised to believe that charitable giving was a responsibility and I have a serious problem with companies or groups that give lip service to it. Not every company can give at the levels that Microsoft CEO Bill Gates does but they can make an honest effort at showing the community it is important.
I guess that is why I was so dismayed this week that I was taken in. I was asked to help out an organization that was planning a domestic violence event in three cities in February. Ironically it was dubbed the “In Love We Trust Tour” run by a Los Angelas-based production company YYP & Associates LLC.
I made an agreement with the local chapter of this company to provide them with free 30 gift bags which included several samples of my handcrafted products in a small tote. They said they had not secured any items for their gift bags yet and time was running out. In return they placed my logo on their site and I did the same for their event on my Web site.
What ensued was disappointing and flat out sad.
After carrying my link on their site for about a week or so, it disappeared in lieu of larger, flashier companies. When I contacted them about it, I was told that their webmaster was in India and it would be fixed in a few days. It never was. But at the same time, I had been running their promotion on my Web site.
When I sought placement of a link on a future promotion to make up for the lost exposure on their site, the response I received was at once disappointing and infuriating. The result was a rather long and nasty e-mail missive about the evils of seeking financial compensation from a charity group. The fact is, they were not a charity group, but a LLC raising money ostensibly for a cause.
YYP & Associates LLC’s Washington chapter in charge of the tour decided to cancel the gift bags the day before they were to be delivered, refused to re-establish the logo link and huffed off into the sunset.
I billed them for the ad space on my site. After all my Web site real estate is as valuable as theirs, I told the Washington promoter. They still have not had the decency or the good business sense to respond.
Good riddance.
For me, yet another lesson learned. This time, it was a cautionary tale about charities, nonprofit groups and for-profit companies posing as such. The unfortunate consequence is that some very good organizations will miss out on free products and services because of the bad behavior of businesses and organizations like this. My remedy was to formulate company guidelines for product donations and event promotions so that any organization would be clear about what the terms and conditions would be.
Here are some guidelines before committing products and services to a charitable cause:
1) Know who you are donating to. Better Business Bureau or the Charity Navigator.org are good places to start. You can also check with your state or local Attorneys General office. If I had done this, I would have found that YYP & Associates LLC was not listed with either.
2) Detail on paper what you are donating and what advertising or sponsorship agreement for which you are entering. Don’t do it on a handshake; it could turn into a chokehold.
3) Make it clear that you ultimately decide what you product or services you can provide.
4) Make it clear what the value of the product or service you are providing is.
5) If the group is offering advertising or promotion of your business in return for your donation, get that in writing. If they do not comply with the terms, do not be afraid to take them to task. This is a business transaction.
6) Don’t be swayed by talk of celebrity endorsements or exposure. It may not happen. The cause should be the thing.
7) Consult your tax professional about IRS requirements for charity donations and deductions. Don’t donate $1,000 worth of products or services if you can only write off $500 – unless you just want to.
Remember, before it's charity, it's business - unfortunately.
Kathy A. Gambrell
Founder
Chesapeake Bay Bath and Body.com
Friday, February 6, 2009
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1 comment:
Hello Ms. Gambell,
Thank God you had enough courage to write in and tell everyone about this woman. I know a amatuer producer name Ashley down in Los Angeles who also got done in by her, so you're not the first and probably won't be the last!
If you done more research you would have found that the non-profits org. that she claims to give money to, end up not receiving it all. Try to contact a few that she has worked with in the past (DC and Los Angeles) and you'll see what I'm talking about. That's the reason she created her own because she never has real intentions of giving back. She's greedy and tries her best to take advantage of innocent people. Ask around and you'll discover it yourself.
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