Helping Support Creative Philanthropy In Our Communities

Developing and practicing new leadership skills at work is the objective of SOAR. We encourage the application of these skills outside of work as well. To that end, we have established See Jane Give, which gives SOAR members another outlet for practicing their new skills. Giving back to your community is another way to add-value as a leader.

THE PROGRAM

See Jane Give was started in 2008 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. Launched by a partnership between Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America and SOAR, this effort encouraged members of SOAR to leverage seed money from Toyota into larger donations to benefit non-profit organizations. SOAR organizers partnered with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to establish the See Jane Give Fund, which is open to receive online donations at www.greatercincinnatifdn.org., just click on the See Jane Give link.

 WHO BENEFITS

Various organizations and projects benefit from the philanthropic entrepreneurial endeavors of our SOAR members as See Jane Give is rolled out in each of our member communities.

Dress for Success (www.dfscincy.org)  is the recipient of the See Jane Give award in Cincinnati and, soon, Indiapanpolis. The organizaiton was selected because of its mission to empower women to be successful in changing their lives and those of their families.

Columbus will host the first annual SOAR golf tournament on September 26, 2009 to raise money for SOAR scholarships so that professional women from the not-for-profit sector have the opportunity to further develop their leadership skills.

Louisivlle is developing a mentoring and leadership conference for high school girls.

Lexington is considering an early childhood reading program.

OUR SUCCESS

Jane Gave Big! In its inaugural year, See Jane Give in Cincinnnati grew their initial seed money to nearly $17,000. In addition, over 3500 clothing items were collected and more than 200 attended a Happy Hour event to build awareness around Dress for Success.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are a variety of ways community-minded companies and individuals can pitch in to help realize the full potential of this program. As an example, below find Cincinnati's Call to Action list:

• Attend the Second Annual See Jane Give Happy Hour on May 12.
• Commit to inviting and bringing 10 guests to the Happy Hour.
• Match Toyota's $4,000 contribution or award a smaller (or larger) company donation.
• Make an in-kind donation of clothing, shoes or purses to Dress for Success.
• Hold a Dress for Success collection (clothing, shoes or purses) in your workplace during May.
• Contract Dress for Success to arrange a "lunch and learn" presentation at your workplace.
• Share information about Dress for Success with employees interested in volunteering.
• Devise a new and creative option to support See Jane Give.