Drink Beer, Save the Gulf

By TIM KILLEEN

It's that easy. Abita Beer, a brewery just outside of New Orleans (and a staple of NOLA party culture and also a really good brewery) has teamed up with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board to create SOS- A Charitable Fund "that will assist with the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive this disastrous oil spill." Abita's major contribution? Beer, of course. Abita has announced its newest special brew: SOS (Save Our Shore)- A Charitable Pilsner.

The new brew is available in 41 states across the country and $.75 of every $1.00 of SOS goes straight to the charity (as well as 100% of all merchandise). You'll recognize the bottle as the one that has pelicans and fish arranged to spell out S.O.S. on the label. Abita's SOS site also has a number of other practical tips on how you can help the Gulf Coast and those economically (and otherwise) injured. With summer in full swing and fall to follow- two great times to be drinking a pilsner- you'll probably be asked to bring a six-pack to a BBQ, party or beach picnic. Why not pick up some SOS and pass on the word? There's certainly worse choices at your local store.

Credit Where It's Due

The Economist has written about (and Charlie Rose dedicated his show last night to) the philanthropic drive by billionaires like Bill & Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Frequent readers who have read this older post of mine, or this one, know how interested I am in the future of philanthropy and in recognizing the people who are pushing forward on ideas to better people's lives. Gates, Buffett, Turner, et al, have put great care, time and effort into massing their fortunes and could get away with simply living out the rest of their lives in luxury without a second thought for others. But in a climate where the rich are bashed more and more for making their money off the backs off the poor, it's important to recognize the people are giving back; and such recognition, I believe, can't happen enough (because the need for such important giving also knows no bounds).

A New Perspective on "Charity"

About a year ago, I joined the Junior Board of Directors for StreetWise Magazine, a Chicago publication sold by homeless and near-homeless vendors. The point of the organization is to provide vendors with an entrepreneurial solution to getting back on their feet. Vendors purchase the magazine from StreetWise for $.75 and sell it on the street for $2.00, a transaction that allows the vendor to gain not only an income, but job skills, a sense of pride in one's work and a community of support (StreetWise also helps vendors find permanent housing, job training, clothing, etc.).

Some of the vendors' stories are remarkable- such as the single father who once worked in marketing, saw his job moved out of the city, has sold the magazine for years now and has started a reading program at his son's school; or the single mother who sells the magazine every morning downtown, takes public transit to the StreetWise offices to work as an administrative assistant during the day, is getting her Associate's Degree at night and does it all in a wheelchair; or the vendor who wears a suit every day to sell his magazines because he takes that much pride in his work.

Though I'm attracted to StreetWise for its innovative approach to helping the homeless, it's not alone in trying to use a free-market approach to tackle an issue that usually gets characterized as a "charity case." Many of my friends have had to listen to my non-stop praise of the model created by Ira Magaziner for the Clinton Foundation. Magaziner and Bill Clinton faced the AIDS epidemic in Africa by acting as a broker of sorts, finding a pricing point for retroviral drugs that African governments could afford for their affected populations and then promising pharmaceutical companies a higher demand if they could meet that point. Though it seems simple enough, this was a novel approach and allowed the pharmaceutical companies to do more good work because it wasn't giving anything away for free. The article through which I learned about the Clinton Foundation's approach (which has been replicated to deal with a number of other social issues) postulated that this would be the new face of philanthropy: applying tried-and-true business solutions to what have been, traditionally, public sector problems.

Throughout the world, micro-lending organizations have popped up, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurial spirits in developing countries. However, you don't have to go abroad to find organization using this charity-through-business approach, there are some local Chicago organizations using similar models. A recent StreetWise symposium was catered by Sweet Miss Givings, a bakery started by Chicago House. SMG caters conferences, events and meetings, is run partially by formerly homeless interns affected by HIV/AIDS, and gives 50% of its profits back to that community. The CARA Program also runs Cleanslate Chicago, a recycling and city beautification program that allows homeless and near-homeless workers the opportunity to learn job skills and have a resume builder by working to clean up parkways and roads and promoting recycling.

We will always (sadly) need organizations like homeless shelters, religious charities and soup kitchens to help deal with critical situations through traditional charity models. However, this new model of organization is a very interesting one and, perhaps, one that more people can get behind. Consider using SMG to cater your company's next event. Consider buying a magazine from your local StreetWise vendor. Consider ways in which your company might partner with, and maybe even benefit from, a program like Cleanslate. This isn't your grandmother's charity model and, perhaps, that could make all the difference.