Nestled on a tree-lined street in an unassuming 1970s-era building in Santa Ana resides Orange County’s most prolific matchmaker.
For nearly 60 years, OneOC has been successfully connecting people with a drive to volunteer to nonprofits whose missions match those philanthropic passions. In 2015, it expanded to include companies when it launched the Center for Business and Community Partnerships.
“I think the key thing the center does is connect the companies that aren’t doing anything or aren’t sure what to do or how, with the nonprofits that align with their business strategies and values,” says Dan McQuaid, president and Chief Executive of OneOC. “We can help them do more or do more, just better.”
McQuaid says that essentially OneOC is a one-stop shop that helps businesses leverage their giving and volunteering into stronger brand images.
“Companies have employees who can be engaged through volunteering and therefore bring their knowledge and skills to the nonprofit arena,” McQuaid says. “The companies also have dollars that can make an impact.”
Plus, he says they can use their voices through marketing to advance social causes important to them.
Local businesses are eagerly responding.
Employees Get Involved
On Read Across America Day in March, volunteers swept across the campus of Monte Vista Elementary School in Santa Ana. Employees of Huntington Beach-based Teacher Created Materials, a publisher of educational materials, classroom decorations and teacher supplies, led literacy-focused activities for more than 600 students.
Kids received free backpacks filled with items for themselves and their families, and teachers got professional resources and gift cards. The volunteers also took part in beautification projects around the school.
The event dovetailed with Teacher Created Material’s goal to develop innovative and imaginative educational products and services for students. Its mission statement reads in part, “Everything we do is created by teachers for teachers and students to make teaching more effective and learning more fun.”
Company President Corinne Burton says that, “Giving back to the local community is an important part of TCM’s vision to create a world in which children love to learn. And this is especially meaningful this year as we celebrate our 40th anniversary … the annual Read Across America program gives us a special opportunity to bring our employee family together to share our skills and talents to benefit local schools.”
Some missions that come to life aren’t quite as clear as the alignment between Teacher Created Materials and the literacy event.
Take volunteers from accounting firm SingerLewak LLC. In January, as part of the Martin Luther King Day of Service, they dedicated hours of time and a not-insignificant amount of talent creating 22 miniature, no-sew flannel blankets, 41 dog toys and 39 dog scarves for Irvine Animal Care Center. The gifts are intended to comfort and entertain the dogs until they’re adopted.
Los Angeles-based SingerLewak, which has an office in Irvine, offers auditing, accounting, business management, enterprise risk management, forensic accounting, business valuation and litigation support, among other services, and may not seem like an instant fit with the warm-and-fuzzy aspects of the volunteer opportunity. But at the company, where giving back to the community has been a guiding principle since its founding more than 55 years ago, it’s part of the mission.
“At SingerLewak, we’ve always had a strong belief and commitment to giving back,” says Lead Partner Robert Schlener. “Whether it’s through time or money, we are of the opinion that the more we give, the more we receive.”
Customized Opportunities
OneOC Center for Business and Community Partnerships offers customized and ready-made ways for companies’ employees to get more involved and invested in the community through volunteering, giving and resources.
The volunteering approach can include special volunteering days, such as the Martin Luther King Day of Service and the Read Across America Day.
The resources approach includes customized giving cards, a popular and practical way to reward employees, give back, and increase brand awareness, all at the same time.
With giving, companies get help establishing their own charitable foundations so that employees can determine where their donated dollars go.
The Right Tools
“We wanted do more in the community, more as an organization, and get our people involved,” says Fluidmaster President Todd Talbot.
The San Juan Capistrano-based company says it emphasizes corporate giving—in fact, one of founder Adolf Schoepe’s seven goals for a successful business was “Be a Good Citizen in the Community.”
When the staff wanted to look at additional opportunities, Talbot reached out to OneOC in 2012.
“They provide us a simple package,” he recalls. “Here are some choices, easy selections to make. One phone call, and things got started.”
Talbot and his team found several tools that fit Fluidmaster’s culture. One it now employs is a fund that employees operate. “It’s our people’s foundation, and they direct where the funds go,” he says.
The giving card program has also been popular at Fluidmaster. The customizable cards are similar to retail gift cards, except they’re specifically for nonprofit organizations. They can be purchased from OneOC in any denomination, say $100, and be given to any nonprofit.
“We have our customized giving cards with our Fluidmaster logo,” Talbot says. “We give them to employees as rewards, as well as customers and vendors. It’s a unique tool. Every time we are marketing ourselves through our giving cards, we’re actual giving to the community and making a real difference.”
Newport Beach-based Pacific Life Insurance Co. also champions the giving cards. The company has used them to thank employees for participating in its volunteer and other charitable programs, says Tennyson Oyler, vice president, brand management and public affairs. “Not only is it a physical piece that we can brand and hand-deliver, but it’s a way for Pacific Life to help support the causes that are most meaningful to our employees.”
Bottom Line
“With OneOC’s help,” McQuaid says, “companies determine the combination of activities that will help them create a more impactful approach to helping the community while leveraging giving and volunteering into a stronger brand image—and helping the bottom line.”
Regarding the bottom line, Talbot adds, “Since we’ve become more involved with the local community, the company has seen its profits double, and employee turnover has dropped from 30% to 10%.”
McQuaid says, “We have a firm belief that companies have an important role in the success of nonprofits. If we can help companies attain their social responsibly initiatives by connecting them with worthy nonprofits, we will build a better Orange County.”
