The small business contributes at one of the highest levels of giving per capita to the United Way of Collier County. Robert Hubbard, who owns Affordable Tuxedos and its parent company, Hubbard Ltd., is active at United Way as well as The Education Foundation of Collier County Education Foundation, the Salvation Army, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Fun Time Child Development Center-a fact noted on his company's Web site. And he is committed to exposing his employees to causes they can support with time and money.

It's not easy, though. "When the times are tough economically you have to look for places to cut. We try to keep contributions at previous levels," he says. "You get a lot of solicitation as a small business."

That's even more the case in Southwest Florida. Unlike parts of the country boasting large corporations with a history of philanthropy, the region has a mainly entrepreneurial base that leaves nonprofits depending on small businesses along with few major employers, individual businesspeople and wealthy part-time residents.

"We don't have the record of corporate philanthropy that the very large markets do because we don't have a lot of industry here," says marketing executive Susan Bennett, who also serves as president of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. "Your big corporate dollars come from the home bases of very, very large corporations. We don't have a lot of really, really large corporations."

Still, there are shining examples of larger, local companies that have created a culture of giving, choosing to make it an integral part of their organizations.

"It's just good business," says Pat Logue, owner of Cape Coral-based First Home Builders, which gave more than $250,000 to causes in 2002.

With 700 employees, the builder contributes to a number of causes, including giving at least one house a year for Habitat for Humanity, spending $50,000 for an Adopt-a-Family program during the holidays to provide presents to kids, and funding to camps for inner-city kids or other youth programs. "We like to keep them local because we profit from the local community," Logue says. "The corporation or partnership or someone that profits from the local community has an ethical responsibility to put something back in it."

The Contribution Business

Fall is an important time of year for Ernie Bretzmann. The United Way of Collier County's annual fundraising campaign runs from October until the end of the year, with a goal to raise $2.25 million from business and individual donors.

"We don't have the big businesses headquartered here. Our largest contributor is Publix and they're one of the larger employers in the private sector," says Bretzmann, who has been the Collier United Way's executive director for eight years. The large employers in Collier, he notes, are NCH Healthcare System, which is also a not-for-profit, the public school system (a United Way supporter) and county government, which provides no funding, unlike in Lee County. "What we're working hard on trying to change is all the thousands of smaller companies," he says.

One way they do that is by partnering with the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce to provide information about the United Way, and the agencies it supports, to chamber members-the majority of which are small businesses. But it's tough to persuade a small business owner to give money to a charitable organization when many can't even provide medical benefits for employees, Bretzmann says. The quandary is the same for other nonprofits. As development manager for Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida, Kristin Lissack has tried in the past year to increase the group's presence by holding events ("Events don't bring any money in, they're just for exposure and getting your name out there," she says) and speaking to business and community groups. The organization, one of 32 coalitions statewide, aims to reduce infant morality and the number of babies born at low birth weight, and to improve overall health by allocating funds in the community. "Not too many people know who we are," says Lissack. "While we are grateful to the corporations in the area that donate, it has to be a win-win situation for them. They're going to give to those organizations where they will probably be more recognized."

Lissack has had successes and setbacks. The bank the coalition previously used had never contributed; she switched banks and the new bank became a contributor. But a softball tournament she organized drew no corporate sponsors. To capture those large sponsors takes connections and time, as some companies earmark their philanthropy dollars a year ahead of time, she says.

"A small business doesn't have that type of structure, so it comes down to what's in it for them"-whether it's exposure, a selling opportunity, free invitations to events, a plaque honoring them as sponsors or something more, says Lissack.

A Plan for Philanthropy

Some local businesses are making philanthropy a strategic part of the business plan.

"There is definitely a feeling among the larger businesses that they need to give back to the community. Sometimes this is generated by the CEO because they've grown up here, love the community and believe in helping those less fortunate," Bennett says. "Another reason for corporate giving is that corporations are finding their customers are asking about social responsibility."

In fact, the main driver of corporate citizenship is values, according to a recent study by Boston College's Center for Corporate Citizenship, whose resources and expertise Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities has used to implement a local community-needs assessment and build a strategic philanthropic program. Companies that participated in the study [see sidebar] overwhelmingly said they believe corporate citizenship is good for the bottom line.

Bennett suggests that her corporate clients develop a relationship with a few charities in which they have a strong interest or where there's a logical tie-in from a business sense. "It doesn't necessarily mean they have to give huge dollars. It could mean they give an in-kind service or they provide something for free," she says, suggesting that a computer firm could assist with technical training.

She also recommends that managers serve on boards of directors of charities, and that companies include those efforts in performance appraisals. "Take a look at what can you offer besides a big check," she says. "With the market down, businesses are a little more cash-strapped."

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation is composed of more than 200 funds established by individuals and groups to provide grants, scholarships and endowments for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Bennett says she receives eight to 10 times the number of requests that be can fulfilled each year. Not everyone is aware of the needs locally, she says, and the majority of the monies the foundation receives are from individuals, not businesses-a fact nationwide.

One industry that provides many of the event sponsors and contributors financially and with volunteer hours is the banking industry. As the United Way of Collier County's largest contributor per capita, Fifth Third Bank makes clear its commitment to corporate giving early on, says bank president and chief executive officer Colleen Kvetko. It starts with the job interview. "I tell employees during the interview that we are very supportive of United Way and we will go to every employee once a year [to contribute to] one organization. We pick United Way because they have so many organizations in one group," Kvetko says. "This is the only time we go to every employee and ask for 100 percent of their support for Lee, Collier and Sarasota."

In addition, when interviewing for an officer position, Kvetko makes it clear that the bank wants the employee to get involved in two nonprofit organizations of the employee's choice.

Besides volunteer hours, Fifth Third last year gave $208,625 to local groups through its Fifth Third Foundation and a portion of operating net income. The local requests typically come a year in advance and go from the local level to the corporate office in Cincinnati for approval-Kvetko estimates that 85 percent have been approved. Most of the requests stem from a personal relationship, whether a Fifth Third executive is a board member or another connection between the two.

Other corporations and their leaders here have distinguished themselves through their generosity. The Bonita Bay Group's annual employee and corporate gifts have totaled more than $2.5 million since the company initiated its first annual United Way campaign in 1990. And Bonita Bay's chairman, David Lucas, has led by example. For instance, Lucas established the Lee County Alexis de Tocqueville Society in 1991 to recognize those who contribute a personal gift of more than $10,00 and has since raised more than $3 million, says Mary Briggs, Bonita Bay Group's corporate public relations director.

"One of the ways we encourage employees is to give them time off to volunteer," Briggs says. If a person worked Saturday at a Habitat for Humanity site, for instance, he or she would get a day off during the week, she says.

 At Naples-based First National Bank of Florida, employees are strongly urged to provide community service-and many do. That involves volunteering for groups that often receive some funding by the bank, says Clay Cone, vice president of corporate communications.

In 2002, "Project Donation" distributed $15,887 to individuals and families facing unexpected crises in their lives, , and sponsored families for Christmas. The funds were raised by employees during "dress-down Fridays" and matched by the bank.

"Community service is in the company's mission statement," Cone says. First National Bank is among the United Way's "corporate pacesetters," he adds.

Corporate donations come because of a relationship that's been developed over the years, says Bennett. One example, on a smaller scale, is the relationship between Fort Myers CPA firm of Reed, Blackwood & Co. and Southwest Florida Addiction Services (SFWAS). John Reed got to know SFWAS executive director Kevin Lewis through their kids' sports activities. As Reed learned about the organization and its efforts to provide care to individuals and families impacted by addiction and other problem behaviors, he sent a letter to his clients saying they would match any funds clients gave to the charity.

A matching gift program is a smart way to show clients and employees there is a commitment to giving, says Kathleen Witter of Boston College's Center for Corporate Citizenship. Another strategy is to formally establish which causes are important to the company and how it will support such groups. "It holds them accountable," she says.

Some local professional groups such as The P.O.L.O. Club, which has chapters in Lee and Collier, promote hands-on efforts not connected with a particular company. Standing for Professionals Organized for Leadership & Opportunity, the groups provide a forum for members to gather and plan activities that will benefit the community and local charities. The members, from a mix of professions and age groups, have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and worked on projects from painting homes for Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers to organizing Jazz on the Green to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. "A few people join because their company wants them to get involved in the community. Others join because they do want to do some good work in the community; others join because they want to meet people," says Lissack, president of the Lee County group.

As a business owner for more than 20 years, Hubbard has found that he has increased his number of volunteer hours. "You're actually part of the program. You can see your dollar works. [Organizations] are constantly looking for program volunteers," he says.

Instead of forcing his employees to give, he wants to convince them that a portion of their hard-earned money can be effective. "It's trying to expose them to the agencies and trying to give them an attentive ear if they have questions about the agencies. Employees had no idea initially that any of the United Way money stays local, let alone that an extremely high percentage stays local," he says. "[Business owners] have to expose their employees, if possible, to agencies through an agency tour. Spare that small amount of time, even an hour. Say this will be your dollars at work."