Entrepreneurs Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation team up

By Heather Fletcher

Say a tech company based in Silicon Valley wants to give back. Rather than downloading an app for that, a simpler solution provides a way for companies to design, implement and execute charitable activities.

Coordinating philanthropic and community involvement efforts is a one-stop shop away, says Diane Solinger, executive director of San Jose, Calif.-based Entrepreneurs Foundation. She's talking about the partnership her organization and Mountain View, Calif.-based Silicon Valley Community Foundation announced on Dec. 20, 2010, to make it simple for companies to implement giving programs. Here, Solinger elaborates:

FundRaising Success: What kind of help are you able to jointly provide to businesses and the charities they choose that you couldn't separately?

Diane Solinger: Combined, EF and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation offer a suite of services to Silicon Valley businesses inclusive of all aspects of philanthropy and community engagement. The services range from strategic planning for comprehensive community benefit programs, employee engagement and volunteering program design, employee- giving program design, marketing and communications of programs to internal and external audiences, development of sustainable business practices, and corporate-giving programs. EF brings expertise in comprehensive program design and implementation while the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has expertise in grant making and has outstanding knowledge of local community issues. Together we provide a one-stop shop for companies of all sizes.

FS: You announced the joint services offer on Dec. 20, 2010. How close are you to completing the work of coordinating your collaborative efforts?

DS: We have already begun working collaboratively in a formal way after years of collaborating informally. Several companies have engaged with us primarily to fine-tune or revisit strategic plans for their corporate citizenship programs and are leveraging the joint expertise of the two organizations to meet their philanthropic objectives.

FS: How do the businesses  receiving advice pick the nonprofits they want to help?