Design Your Own Environment-Friendly Shirt Event
According to Klein (2006), in the corporate context, fundraising is intended for contributing to affirmative social changes. A fundraising would not be possible without careful planning, a strong committed group of volunteers to help and a workable organizational structure (p. 2). A fundraising event idea I have in mind is designing own environmentally friendly shirts which will involve the employees of the organization as well as the community members young and old. As it basically focus on the environment, the theme would be “Save Our Mother Earth! What You Can Do.” How people could effectively contribute into sustainable development has now in the forefront of international debates hence protecting the environment is of utmost importance. Raising the level of awareness of the people is likewise important.
The idea
The organization will provide plain organic shirts which will come in adult, teens and kids sizes and of different colors. Organic cotton shirts were chosen because they best manifest the environmental theme of this fundraising event. Organic cotton shirts are grown minus the utilization of harmful chemicals. However, organic cotton shirts are more expensive. Along with the accouterments, these shirts will be given to the people in packages upon registration. A place where they can decorate their shirts will be provided. This will be a contest and the category will be divided into three: adults, teens and kids. Prizes will be available and will be provided by the company. Further, the proceeds of the events which will basically come from the sales of the organic shirts will be given to the Camp Quality charitable organization. It is planned that the representatives of Camp Quality as well as the children and their families will be invited in the said events. The children and their families will be given materials packages free to that they can participate in the activity. As such, it is intended that the fundraising will be limited in expenses so that the company could maximize the financial benefits to Camp Quality. Shirts will be solicited as well as the materials from the internal clients. Prizes will be also solicited. Food will be provided for all the participants but sponsorships will be accomplished to slash the expenses. Additional funds will be shouldered by the company.
This fundraising event will be a whole-day affair and will be divided into two phases. In the morning the registration of the participants will be held and the design contest proper will be conducted one hour after the registration. There will be no registration fees and the organic cotton shirt of preferred color, accessories and use of other design materials available in the design area will be provided free of charge. The design area will be also divided into three for the kids, teens and adults. By 12 noon, all t-shirts must be submitted for judgment. Members of the board of judges will be the top managers as well as the Community Sustainability Officer. Winners will be announced by 2 pm, t-shirts will be sold after the awarding. The winning shirts will be sold at a price higher than non-winning shirts. Those who participate will be given a token. A speaker specializing in the environment education will be also invited in order to provide insights to the people. Towards the end of the program, leaflets and handouts of how important to protect the environment is will be given and other memoirs of the event so that they would not forget the learnings they acquire.
The chosen charity
Camp Quality refers to a non-profit organization located in Epping, NSW. The organization is “committed in bringing hope and happiness to every cancer patient children as well as their families and communities.” Camp Quality carries out its purpose through ongoing quality recreational, educational, hospital and financial support programs. This charitable institution was chosen because I am one with their aim to provide children with cancer the opportunity to live a normal life and put behind them their illness even for just a few days. A fact is that Camp Quality does not put the cost to the families of these children as they shoulder all the expenses. Hence, this fundraising event could provide financial support in perhaps the maintenance of the camps and/or financing their ‘companions’. Camp Quality will hold approximately 240 recreational camps and activities in this year. It is their goal that each child is assigned a companion to ensure that each child will receive the highest quality of care while inside the camps (online).
The benefits of the fundraising event
As such, the benefits of this event are two fold. First, the event serves to be an advisory initiative for the company to become aware of the environmental issues and improve its environmental performance. It is hope that through this event, the company will realize practical ways of increasing profit while also minimizing waste and reducing environmental impact especially in the workplace. Second, the event benefits the community in terms of educating the people about environmental conservation, specifically, for the children as they will learn how to take care, protect and be responsible and also ensure the safety of our planet. Combined, the third benefit of this fundraising event is the message to build an ongoing commitment among the people the necessity to partake in various environmental programmes and projects which aimed at reducing environmental injustice.
References:
Camp Quality 2002, Camp Quality Australia, Epping, NSW, retrieved on 2 February 2009, from http://www.campquality.org.au/.
Environmentally Friendly T-Shirt 2009, Green Living, retrieved on 2 February 2009, from http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Environmentally_Friendly_T-shirt.
Klein, K 2006, Fundraising for Social Change, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Justification Essay
What are the purposes of the fundraising event?
There are two general purposes of the fundraising events. One is the explicit purpose of creating environmental awareness. According to Tellegen and Wolsink (1998), the public’s perceptions of the environmental issues are as interesting as an indicator of the attention paid by the society to environment. Based on what is currently happening in our world today, there should be the growing importance of environmental values for the people (p. 120). Somehow, this is something which people often overlook without realizing that the consequences of ignorance to environmental concerns will directly and indirectly hit them. More and more, people get to realize how difficult it is to solve and how costly it would be hence the necessity to teach the people to contribute even in the littlest of way they can.
On the other hand, fundraising for businesses aims to build strong relationships between other agencies, departments or businesses and the community as well. Fundraising is not always centered on acquiring funds but rather about establishing partnership between the community and the organization (Goering, p. 287). The event could effectively support a cause-oriented undertaking which is also a community need. As such, the organization could communicate with the community that they share the same values and aspire for similar goals of social betterment. This event is tripartite wherein from the employees the corporate objectives of the company especially in terms of its environmental responsibilities will be conveyed to the community people. In a way, these people are also contributing to the development of a social cause via the children with cancer. For the children with cancer, this event also aims at providing the recreational activity wherein they can unleash their creativeness.
Who is (are) the audience(s)?
Initially, the Head of the Division is the primary audience of the fundraising event proposal. The internal stakeholders could be also regarded as primary audience of the event since their contribution is much needed. This does not necessarily mean monetary as they are the key persons to be solicited from instead they could participate in as volunteers as well. Internal clients or the employees could contribute as members of the Steering Committee. The internal clients, nevertheless, should realize that the success of the event lies on their hand as they are the primary actors. Aside from them, the fundraising also caters to the community members regardless of their ages. As opposed to other fundraising events which are more customary, this fundraising event will be more generalistic, reaching and involving a greater target audience such as the children with cancer and their families. As such, the target audience of this event is not just the internal clients and the immediate community but also to the society in general who holds prejudice and discriminate people with illness.
What information does the proposal should include?
What reasons or benefits are could be used for the company to support the fundraising event?
As contemporary organizations move into a more ethical global business environment, trickling down of corporate social values and mission to the greater public is now deemed a requirement. In simpler terms, corporations are now perceived in the forefront to promote sustainable social development by sharing its resources for the projects, programmes and initiatives which have a social cause. Dubbed as corporate social responsibility or CSR, companies at present are obliged to act responsibly and expected to be sensitive about ethical issues (Carroll, 1979, p. 500). Striking a balance between corporate and social responsibilities should be a strategic focus. Important to note is that companies are intertwined with the societies in which they operate in mutually beneficial ways. Sims (2003, p. 44) highlights that an organization should engage in activities that protect and contribute to the welfare of the society especially those who are affected by the organizations actions. According to Epstein (1987, pp. 99-102), corporate social responsiveness focuses on the individual and organizational processes for determining, implementing, and evaluating the firm’s capacity to anticipate, respond to, and manage the issues and problems arising from the diverse claims and expectations of these stakeholders. As what Werther and Chandler (2006, p. 8) put is, an organization’s legitimacy over the long-term is evidenced by CSR whereby without economic interface, it could lose its mechanism of accountability.
What objections can you expect from the head of the division?
As the way I see it, objections will center on the financial aspect of the fundraising event especially that it highly depends on solicitation and sponsorships. The concern would be that if the company would not be able to solicit as much for the event, the company shall then cover for the expenses. This would be a detriment due to the fact that there are several more important things to prioritize. Second would be the availability of the people and the place to conduct the event. In terms of the people, all employees have their own works to do and their time could be inadequate to spend on volunteering. Nevertheless, it will be communicated to them the importance of their involvement and how such an event could educate them in terms of their practices in the workplace and at home and how they can eliminate unhealthy practices. For the place, the event would need a bigger place and the facilities of the company would not be sufficient. In this case, permission to use the local park will be sought.
How will the context affect the response of the business and the community?
At the onset, the company could answer the question “What is the purpose of business within a society?” There are economic, legal and ethical responsibilities that company must engaged into. Not only that the company has to make profit in order to survive, the organization is obliged to its shareholders to maximize earnings, and operate efficiently. Every company is obliged to comply with the rules and regulations that the government imposes as well with ethical responsibilities that obliged it to do what is right, just and fair (Carroll, 1991, p. 41), and this company is not an exemption. The company then shall put emphasis on how they can provide a quality, sustainable living to both internal and external stakeholders. CSR assumes that the organization does not exist in a vacuum and that a large part of the company’s success comes from actions which are congruent with societal values as from factors internal to the company itself. There should be a constant, ongoing interface with the community and this was realized through the Community Sustainability Policy. Progressively higher standards shall not be the only focus, instead must also deal with the environmental effects of the operation. As such, the company is well aware that reducing own and the customer’s environmental impacts is a necessity if it means to improve the quality of the built environment. There are environment risks such as government legislation including waste legislation, climate change, water supply and use, pollution incidents and sustaining biodiversity and that company and the community shall act upon these risks. Where individuals and activist organizations to enact changes, CSR represents a means of anticipating and reflecting environmental concerns to minimize operational and financial limitations on business. Rational argument for CSR is summarized by the iron law of social responsibility, stating that in a free society discretionary abuse of societal responsibilities eventually leads to mandated solutions (Werther and Chandler, 2006, p. 18; Carroll, 1979, p. 500).
References:
Carroll, A B 1979, ‘A Three Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 4, no. 4, p. 500.
Epstein, E M 1987, The Corporate Social Policy Process: Beyond Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsiveness, California Management Review, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 99-114.
Goering, E M 2004, ‘Framing matters: Communicating relationships through metaphor in fundraising texts,’ U Connor and T A Upton, Discourse in the Professions: Perspectives from Corpus Linguistics, pp. 287-305, John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Sims, R R 2003, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Why Giants Fall. Praeger Publishing House, Westport, Connecticut.
Tellegen, E and Wolsink, M 1998, Society and its Environment: An Introduction, Routledge, London.
Werther, W B and Chandler, D 2006, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders in the Global Environment, Sage Publications Inc., London.
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