Vendor Community Gives Back Via Nonprofit Support

If giving is its own reward, then many of the corporate vendors in Northwest Arkansas are richly rewarded.

It’s hard to attach an exact dollar figure for how much support companies like Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Sara Lee and a multitude of others have provided for nonprofits and charity fundraisers in the region.

This is because many vendors give more than money to various causes. They also donate gifts, goods, time and expertise.

In looking at just two examples – the regional chapters of the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen for the Cure – vendors played a big role in raising money.

In 2007, Komen raised $1.2 million for breast cancer support and research. About 60 percent of that amount came from corporate sponsorships, said Allison Levin, executive director for Komen Ozark.

Through its four largest fundraising events, the Heart Association raised $730,000 in 2007. About 65 percent of that came from corporate sponsorships, said Cindy Hudlow, executive director of the Fayetteville chapter.

Many of those who organize events for nonprofits and charities in Northwest Arkansas said corporate retail suppliers are vital to their fundraising efforts.

Working with a company like Dr Pepper Snapple Group has been “mutually beneficial,” said Susan Foley, director of marketing and development for Lifestyles Inc., which helps people with developmental disabilities live as independently as possible.

“They’re great people to work with, and very easy to work with and they’re very philanthropically minded,” she said.

In-kind support – gifts of food, clothing and other products – is a huge help for the United Way of Northwest Arkansas, said Brook Benoit, vice president of marketing and communications.

“For not-for-profits that are members of our Gifts in Kind Warehouse program, these supplies are things that they need to help them in their everyday service to area clients,” Benoit stated in an e-mailed response.

Last year, the United Way raised about $4.5 million, Benoit said, and vendors “absolutely” played a big part in helping reach that goal. Vendor employees also serve in leadership and advisory roles, serving on the boards of various nonprofits and helping to organize events, she said.

That help can go both ways, too.

Vendors “have been very supportive of the Heart Association,” Hudlow said. “They see the value in trying to help us out with our cause. With heart disease and stroke being the number one and number three killers, it’s affecting their staff and community too.”

The Heart Association provides educational materials and hosts “lunch and learn” events to teach vendor employees about heart health, Hudlow said.

Another fundraiser that helps the vendor community itself is “Vendors FORE Education,” a golf tournament that raises scholarship money for students in the Center for Retailing Excellence program at the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Erik Wolff, owner of sales consulting firm E-Wolff Sales Solutions Inc., was one of the event founders. The tournament began as a chance for vendors to play golf during the Wal-Mart shareholders convention week, but evolved into a scholarship fundraiser eight years ago, Wolff said.

The tournament is a good networking opportunity for vendors and students, and several scholarship winners have gone on to work for vendors. Last year, a prior scholarship winner spoke at the tournament about working for Sam’s Club in Las Vegas.

“It’s not just about golf,” Wolff said. “It’s about having a good time and seeing the benefits for these young people.”

From the standpoint of Procter & Gamble, the motivation to support charities and nonprofits in Northwest Arkansas is more about the values of its people than it is about good PR, said Tim Marrin, associate director of external relations.

Several years ago, many transplants didn’t know much about Northwest Arkansas, Marrin said. The three main things people would ask about the area were education, health care and culture. Being able to point to the volume of charity fundraiser events helps define the culture of the region, he said.

“This area is an incredibly, incredibly giving area,” Marrin said.

All those events means there is a certain amount of competition for vendor dollars, Hudlow said.

“When you’ve got that many people asking for money in Northwest Arkansas, you’ll have competition,” she said. “And they’re all good causes.”

One cause that’s important to Sara Lee is hunger relief, said Lori Brown, vice president of sales. The company’s charitable foundation recently presented a check for $100,000 to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.

“That’s an important charity for us because we’re a food company,” Brown said. “We have a passion for feeding hungry people.”