Strategic Philanthropy in Dallas

Yesterday, I attended a great event hosted by Success North Dallas. Success North Dallas is a very unique networking and mentor group in the DFW area. My friend Jeff Morris, CEO of Alon USA spoke about his unique commitment to philanthropy and stewardship.

Jeff maintains that corporations have a responsibility to support the community. In Dallas, this can be pretty expensive. Jeff stated that his is very strategic in who he choose whom to donate to and work with. Two things to consider:

1. Early adopters and first movers get the advantage. Jeff states that if a company is one of early supporters of an important cause, it can be advantageous. He cites Alon's support of the Trinity River Project in Dallas (where the risk was indeed large) and the Dallas Center for Performing Arts (where his company was one of the first and only corporations to support multimillion dollar this endeavor)

2. Leverage is key. Jeff values quality over quantity and elected to serve fewer organizations but with a deeper commitment. One of his first organizations was Communities in Schools Dallas. Leverage is key here because CISDallas helps 90% of students who are in the program to graduate from high school or move to the next grade. They accomplish this for $500 per student. Overtime, this saves tax payers money in terms of welfare and incarceration.

More about Jeff Morris and other steward leaders.

For more information:

CIS Dallas www.cisdallas.org
Center for Performing Arts www.dallasperformingarts.org
Trinity River Project www.trinityrivercorridor.org