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Visa supports Mission Language & Vocational School
Yesterday's column covered my conversation with Wells Fargo Bay Area region president Michael Billeci about the bank's outlook on charitable giving. The bank's giving in 2008 actually increased by 15%. I had originally thought this increase was due to the Wells Fargo acquisition of Wachovia. Wells Fargo team members let me know that Wachovia donated more than $5 million to Bay Area nonprofits last year, which is not reflected in Wells Fargo's $16.7 million donations from the same year.
Learn more about how Wells and other top Bay Area corporations ranked in charitable contributions here.
VISA, INC.
Continuing my discussions about corporate philanthropy's priorities for San Francisco, I spoke with Nathan Nayman, head of state and local relations for Visa. Currently, Nayman is one of Visa's public faces in its headquarter city, San Francisco. Despite the recession's continued grip on the economy, Nayman was sanguine about Visa's future giving in its hometown.
Some might view VISA as the new kid on the philanthropic block, and that isn't inaccurate. Until recently, the company was a loose federation of banks and other financial service companies. It recently became incorporated and added that "inc." to the end of its name. And on March 20, 2008, chairman and ceo Joseph Saunders led the company in its public debut, an initial public offering.
Now, as a formal corporation and with a ticker on the stock exchange, Visa is developing its public charitable presence. Still without a foundation, Visa chose not to participate in the Business Times' Corporate Philanthropy Awards. Also, while roughly 50 percent of its employees reside in California, the brand is global and much of the company's giving reflects that international reach. Visa contributes to global humanitarian aid by partnering with organizations such as Oxfam and the Red Cross.
TOP GIVING PRIORITIES
In the United States, Visa's giving focuses on "empowering people so they may lift themselves out of social and financial hardship," according to Nayman. This translates into investing in nonprofits with programs in entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The company itself provides tools to learn practical money skills online, with dynamic games and curricula aimed at students in kindergarten and up through college.
Among Visa's charitable partners in California are Bank on California, a program to "help un-banked Californians to enter the financial mainstream," and We Invest, a program of the Women's Conference that works with Kiva to generate person-to-person microlending for women entrepreneurs in California. In San Francisco, Visa also focuses on workforce development, sponsoring such nonprofit partners as Mission Language and Vocational School and Jewish Vocational Services.
While those top priorities represent Visa's overarching framework of giving, its chairman and ceo Joseph Saunders is personally involved in such causes as Teach for America and the American Heart Association.
HOW TO CONNECT
In San Francisco, a letter of inquiry regarding corporate giving may be sent to Visa International, P.O. Box 8999 San Francisco, CA 94128-8999. But, the human touch is always key in fundraising.
Nonprofits should get to know Visa associates or introduce themselves to Visa staff at events sponsored by the company. Particularly if your organization has programs concerning inclusive economic growth, your elevator pitch to a Visa employee could be the beginning of a beautiful partnership. If there seems to be some interest, don't be shy about asking for the staff member's email address so that you can follow up and provide them more information.
Perhaps your cause is related to one of Visa's employee affinity groups, such as those regarding women, the LGBT or African American communities. With Visa's headquarters in San Francisco, the company is motivated to give beyond its top charitable priorities and help address employee issues. If your nonprofit is active on behalf of these groups, Visa might just be a charitable match.
IDEAL NONPROFIT PARTNER
No surprises here. As Wells Fargo president Michael Billeci had expressed, corporations are looking for solid organizations with which to partner. The case is, perhaps, even truer with Visa. Having recently gone public, Visa is still honing its corporate giving program and is "looking for organizations already rooted in the community, with a history of success," according to Nayman.
As with many philanthropic partners these days, it is not wise to pitch an untested program to a new funder. If a nonprofit approaches Visa, the organization should be sure to put its best foot forward and lead with its strength - a core program for which an organization is known. Visa is looking for organizations that are pillars in their communities and that will be good investments of the company's charitable dollars over time.
BOTTOM LINE
1. Programs to pitch should concern economic empowerment, through entrepreneurship, financial literacy or other economic development.
2. Introduce yourself to a Visa associate at a charitable benefit or other event sponsored by the company.
3. If your organization addresses issues affecting the communities in Visa's employee affinity groups, there might be a charitable match outside of Visa's priority giving framework.
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