There are times when a simple idea leads to an unimagined result. That was the case a few years ago, when Lisa Haines Heppelmann and Jill Bolton of Disneyland Resort decided to take a closer look at how the organization invested philanthropic dollars.
It turned out to be well worth the effort.
“As one of the largest employers in Orange County—and the largest in Anaheim—Disneyland Resort has a long history of being deeply committed to the community,” said Haines Heppelmann, vice president of public affairs.
“In 2011, we started to do an internal shift. We wanted to be more strategic about how we give and to which organizations. Rather than just writing a check, we really wanted to increase our impact in a deeper, broader way. And we also wanted to make sure that we weren’t basing our new strategy off anecdotal information. We needed to find out what was really going on in Anaheim.”
A simple, straightforward mission: learn how to be more strategic in philanthropy and apply the lessons to corporate giving. No one—least of all Haines Heppelmann and Director of Corporate Citizenship Bolton—imaged at the time where the journey would lead. The end result—creation of Accelerate Change Together (ACT) Anaheim—is the reason Disneyland Resort is the winner of the Business Journal’s first annual Civic 50 award in the Legacy category.
Legacy firms on the list are those considered to have been civically engaged for more than a quarter-century.
Uncovering the Needs
In early 2012, the two executives set out to talk with stakeholders: school administrators, business owners, city council members and others with their fingers on the community’s pulse. The resort has a vested interest in making sure that the youth of the Anaheim are poised to succeed.
“We wanted to understand what the top three or four issues in Anaheim really needed to be contended with,” Haines Heppelmann said.
She and Bolton said they discovered it had been more than two decades since the city had conducted a youth assessment.
“There were a lot of shifts in Anaheim during those years,” Bolton said, “demographic changes, economic issues … finding out precisely what was going on with Anaheim youth just didn’t rise to the top of the city’s priorities.”
The pair realized a formal study was needed, and brought in Santa Ana-based Olin Group, which surveyed city officials, school administrators, business leaders, focus groups, parents and various nonprofit groups over a six-month period beginning that summer. The survey was designed to uncover the most pressing issues facing Anaheim’s youth. The results included qualitative and quantitative data.
“We had statistics about gang activities, teen pregnancy and youth crime,” Bolton said. “One of the things the Olin Group study found was that after-school programs weren’t providing programs that focused on these issues.”
“The survey also showed us that there were more programs for younger kids, but the older kids, there were very few programs,” Haines Heppelmann added. “We also learned that even though there were programs, kids couldn’t always access them. There was a gap as to geography—whole pockets of Anaheim that didn’t have access to programs.”
One of the most surprising things the report showed was that Anaheim’s various nonprofits, even when they had similar goals and philosophies, weren’t connected to each other. “They were very siloed in the way they were doing it,” Haines Heppelmann said. “There was missed opportunity to work together to increase their impact. By collaborating, they could be doubly effective.”
Coming Together
The Disneyland team believed the gap should be addressed, and not just by the resort changing its giving strategy, but via collaboration.
“We knew tackling these challenges was bigger than just us,” Bolton said. “Thankfully, we live in a community with a number of like-minded organizations that have just as much passion for the community as we do.”
Disneyland had long-standing relationships with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and with the Anaheim Ducks. Haines Heppelmann and Bolton began a series of conversations and lunches with leaders of the two, among them Angels Baseball Chairman Dennis Kuhl and Tim Ryan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Ducks. Over time, enthusiasm grew for a new organization to address the needs of the youth.
“When (Disneyland Resort president) Michael Colglazier came on board, he was really excited about it in terms of the impact it would have,” Haines Heppelmann said. “It became a passion.”
With the three corporations now on board, the initiative was a reality. Over the fullness of time, it was christened ACT Anaheim, which officially launched in 2013.
The three founding corporations, the resort, the Angels and Ducks, agreed to serve as initial funders, each contributing $1 million over three years.
Changing Anaheim
The initiative invests in nonprofit organizations in Anaheim that address critical gaps in services for youth and families. The nonprofits work together to develop measurable goals addressing four main points: preparing youth for college and career; encouraging healthy lifestyles; increasing youths’ engagement with the community; and helping ensure positive involvement with adults and parents.
Among the first groups chosen to receive grants were the Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim, Taller San Jose, Girls Inc., YMCA and Hope Builders. There are now 14 involved in the program.
Realizing that ACT would need an expert in administrating such a big initiative, Haines Heppelmann and Bolton reached out to Orange County Community Foundation President Shelley Hoss to ask if the nonprofit would be managing partner. Hoss loved the idea, and the foundation’s board agreed to the request.
“The Orange County Community Foundation orchestrates the touchpoints,” Haines Heppelmann explained. “Their support is invaluable.”
In the four years since its founding, ACT has served over 15,000 youth and family members. Initiative funders have also increased—it’s no longer just Disneyland, the Angels and Ducks donating funds; Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co., Bank of America, the Ueberroth Foundation and others are also providing.
“We never imagined this is what would result when we started on this journey five years ago,” Bolton said. “It’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. We are so proud, humbled and grateful.”
