Blair alters aid to area
Changes in in areas of focusBy BRIAN FERRY bferry@timesobserver.com
Blair Corporation is a frequent financial supporter of community programs.
The company is changing the way it makes those contributions.
"For years, Blair has been reactive in handling its charitable contributions," President and CEO Shelley Nandkeolyar said. "We sat back and waited for requests from the community on what was essentially a 'first-come-first-served' basis."
"I'm not at all certain that the communities in which we do business were well served by that approach," he said.
So the company is going proactive.
"We want our dollars to make a difference," Nandkeolyar said. "The ultimate aim of corporate philanthropy should be as a change agent - to enable initiatives that change the game for a community and its residents."
Each year, company officials will select "one or two areas of community need where the company would really like to make a difference," Jude Dippold, director of corporate communications, said.
Organizations that have ideas about community-changing projects and are looking for major help from Blair are asked to submit proposals. "As part of its commitment to ensuring that its corporate contributions make a difference, grants over $10,000 will require that recipients submit detailed after-action reports," Dippold said. "Minor donations will be handled as in the past."
The company is developing an application form. Groups looking to Blair for contributions should contact Dippold at 728-8084.
Blair will determine a contribution budget each year, based on the company's performance in the prior year.
About two-thirds of that amount will go to the identified target areas of economic development and essential human service needs. Those two areas were determined following a series of meetings with Blair associates and informal discussions with community leaders.
With the remaining money, the company will continue to fund programs and organizations that it considers high priority.
"We realize that Blair contributions have been vital to a lot of organizations in our communities, and we intend to honor that tradition as much as possible," Nandkeolyar said. "Nowhere is that more true than in the case of the United Fund and United Way drives in the communities in which we do business. Because they are the first line of defense for so many of our vital service agencies and serve such large segments of our communities, they will always have first call on Blair's charitable contributions."
"There are certain things in the community that we can't just walk away from. You're always going to have the Lions Club turkey dinner, Main Street Christmas Walk, Winterfest," Dippold said. "We regard those as ongoing responsibilities as long as we have money."
Other programs, like the Blair Learn-to-Swim program and the Blair American Legion baseball team, will also continue. "They're not big, but they contribute immensely to the quality of life in the community," Dippold said.
The company is not changing the amount that it gives away.
"Right now, the amount would stay right where it has been historically," Dippold said. "This year we're off to a good start. It's hard to believe in these times. People are looking for bargains and we're the bargain."
The company will base its annual contributions on past performance. It will no longer award multi-year and ongoing grants.
Groups that want money for their projects every year may apply every year.
That change is intended to keep Blair out of situations in which it has made promises it can't afford to keep.
"Managing spending, including contributions, as a function of profitability is the best way I know to ensure that Blair can be a long-term contributor to the community," Nandkeolyar said. "I urge organizations throughout our communities to take advantage of the Blair grant program to make a difference for the residents they seek to serve."
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Eaglewatcher
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01-23-09 1:03 PM
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It is good to have local businesses helping out the community. I would love to hear that members of the community are spending their money in the communities in which they live. Buy local is always a goal that I have when I need something.
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