Newspapers / Philanthropy Journal of North … / Dec. 1, 1994, edition 1 / Page 12
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Corporate Giving 12 Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina Seeking an edge Competing for dollars in Rocky Mount By Todd Cohen Rocky Mount Frankie Bordeaux figures that with rising social needs and a limit ed number of local corporate fun ders, the best strategy for his non profit agency is to give itself as high a profile as possible. “Probably the whole scope of the matter is positioning and marketing your agency,” says Bordeaux, who is executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Rocky Mount. “That makes it easier or more accessible for a small town like ours to give freely to it.” The Boys and Girls Club has done a good job this year of raising funds to help cover its $325,000 annual budget. In addition to $90,000 from the Nash/Rocky Mount United Way, $60,000 from program service fees and $50,000 in state funding, the nonprofit raises $54,000 through corporate dona tions to an annual Steak and Burger event, $15,000 through an annual Send-a-Youth-to-Camp drive and $50,000 to $60,000 more through other corporate contributions and grants. That’s Impressive in a communi ty that is home to only a handful of large employers. “We can try to not hit up the same people over and over, but it Harambi Square in Rocky Mount, formerly known os the South Washington Street Redevelopment Project, consisted of abandoned storefront space before Centura Bonk invested $1 million in the project, to build commercial space os well os housing for the elderly. \m never fails, and you keep coming back to the same companies time and again,” says Lowry Perry, pres ident of the United Way board and vice president and corporate banker for Centura Bank, one of Rocky Mount’s largest employers. The limited pool of donors in Rocky Mount creates challenges not only for nonprofits that are seeking funds, but also tor the donors in deciding which nonprofits to sup port. Centura, in fact, just has changed its corporate giving policy in an effort to better hnk its giving to the charitable interests of its employees. Under the new policy, Centura will match charitable contributions by employees of cash or marketable securities, giving 50 cents for every dollar contributed by an employee - up to a total gift of $1,000 per employee. Centura will continue to make corporate grants on its own, but the bulk of its philanthropy will shift to matching gifts. “It’s part of our philosophy that this is a company that is not run by or for the benefit of a few,” says Frank Pattillo, Centura’s chief financial officer. “This way, it’s not up to us to decide. It’s up to our employees.” Centura, with 1,800 to 1,900 Where the buck stops A new survey by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy shows decisions about corporate giving are made most often by owners or senior management. December 1994 Look for ROCKY MOUNT, page 13 Gantt to head Rocky Mount United Way The Nash/Rocky Mount United Way has named as its new executive direc tor Johnsie Gantt, who for the past three years has been executive director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nash and Edgecombe Counties. Gantt, a native of Fayetteville who previously had been director of volun teer services and fundraising in Detroit for the National Council on Alcoholism, says her biggest chal lenge at the United Way will be assessing the community’s needs and the responsiveness of the United Way’s member agencies. “I’ll go into agencies and talk to customers to find out how well needs are being met,” she says. She also wants to change the United Way’s image in the community. “United Way is an organization that used to be seen in the community as providing help for people who cannot help themselves,” she says. “I want to bring that image to light.” Gantt succeeds Rebecca Armstrong, who left for undisclosed reasons. United Way officials refused to comment on her departure. Armstrong could not be reached for comment. By Todd Cohen Gantt Giving back Corporate leader continues tradition of giving In 1983, Terri Union raised money for a public library, help ing to boost giving in Fayetteville. As chair of the Methodist College development committee, she raises funds to strengthen the community. By SffiNEY Cruze Fayetteville When Terri Union moved to Fayetteville 24 years ago, she didn’t plan to become president of the steel fabricating company her father-in- PROFILE law had started in 1946. Yet when the opportunity to lead Union Corrugating Co. presented itself in 1988, she took on the challenge. She wanted to make a difference in the company. That same desire to make a dif ference, plus the belief that you must give to your community, has driven her to devote years to raising money for Fayetteville nonprofits. “I strongly believe you cannot go through life just taking; you must gve something back,” she says. “If you don’t gve of yourself to your community, it won’t be there for you.” Union says her commitment to giving was inspired both by her mother and the book “Volunteers in Community Service” by Guion Johnson. Together they helped foster her philosophy that a stronger com munity is better for everyone. While Union always has put that philosophy into practice, she first became part of a fundraising cam paign to directly benefit all of Fayetteville in 1983, when funds were needed for a new pubHc library. As co-chair of the hbrary finance committee, she helped raise $1.2 mil lion for the Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center. The result is what she describes as a “gorgeous 80,000- square-foot building” that features an orignal art collection by North Carolina artists and the first piece of public sculpture in Fayetteville. Before 1983, the most money raised for Fayetteville organizations was about $300,000. Since then, the community has worked together to raise money for other programs, including the Fayetteville Museum of Art, the county Arts CouncO and the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. “I am proud that Fayetteville ended up having a state-of-the-art pubhc library,” Union says. “But I’m most proud of the number of people in the community who contributed to it. We had between 600 and 700 indi vidual people contribute to the cam paign, some of whom even gave us checks for $1.” Look for UNION, page 13 BRIEFLY New computer center opens in Durham A gift from Gory Hock, pres ident of G.M. Hock Construction Co., has resulted in the opening of o new computer center at Durham Academy. The two-story structure is port of the school's $4.4 million capital campaign, "Expanding the Vision." Grocery owner funds volunteer center A new services center run by the United Way of Asheville/Buncombe has been named in honor of Robert P. Ingle, founder of Ingles Markets grocery store chain. The center, which Ingle helped support, hous es the United Way's "First Call for Help" program and its volunteer center. Corporate donors fund medical center A $300,000 therapy center at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington is part of a new rehabilitation hospital that opened this fall. Major donors were First Citizens Bank, Hardee's, Schaeffer Buick-BMW, Scotchman Stores, Wheat First Butcher Singer and Belk. Companies announce awards program A consortium of computer companies, nonprofits and government officials has announced plans for a national awards program to recognize innovative uses of computer networks. Entries are due Dec. 15. Call (313) 453-9137 or send email to info@niiawards.org. insurer funds school program The Aetna Life & Casualty insurance company has funded an academic enrich ment program tor "at-risk" students in public middle schools in the Charlotte area. The program is co sponsored by Johnson C. Smith University and Discovery Place .- Body shop reviews corporate ethics The Body Shop International cosmetics company has hired a business ethicist to help determine whether it is living up to its socially responsible image. Business Ethics magazine, recently criticized the com pany, which has offices in Wake Forest, for its charita ble giving record .
Philanthropy Journal of North Carolina (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Dec. 1, 1994, edition 1
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