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Volunteering; coming together as a community, and helping the nearby needy. As the old adage has it, charity begins at home. But how much time does it take to arrange? You’ll find it’s more straightforward to get involved when a volunteer event is pre-planned. It hardly needs pointing out, if you volunteer as part of a group effort with colleagues, it’s likely to be more enjoyable. In a commitment to tackle this problem, a number of firms are developing initiatives helping their employees to work for the community. One of the more significant examples is Adaptive Marketing LLC of Connecticut who developed financial and shopping benefits programs like Shopping Essentials Plus. If you think about company-supported charitable effort, you probably think of giving blood, perhaps a Christmas donation drive, but that’s simply not true in today’s world. Tennis shoe recycling initiatives and more active work like tree planting weekends — these and other activities have been scheduled by Adaptive Marketing for its employees. Once all the information — date, location, time, specifics, et cetera — had been publically announced it is a simple matter for employees to decide the actual amount of time they could give and what initiative they’d join. Making sure volunteers have their say in what initiatives are available is essential. Employees of Adaptive Marketing can select from many local activities. Prior projects have seen improvements made in a wide range of areas including help and support for children and young adults, environmental awareness activities, and events supporting theatre. In many cases, the more they enjoy it, the more productive they are, and as a result by providing such a variety of projects Adaptive Marketing can be certain that progress can be made in as many projects as possible.

A big one-off event or a regular addition to their schedule — this is how a business usually organizes volunteer initiatives like these, perhaps at a local school or the homeless shelter in town. What this means is if you’ve merely got enough time available for a Saturday morning spent litter picking in the park or the public library’s sale of used books, you still have a chance to contribute. Business history is full of tales of companies finding ways to help the citizens of their hometown. Community goodwill comes from the volunteer work carried out by Adaptive Marketing’s staff, and the staff of companies like it, through company-sponsored projects like the ones discussed above. The truth is, the benefits of volunteer work include feeling better about yourself — a positive feeling that can enrich the entire firm. It’s our hope that by now the positives of a company sponsored volunteer drive for everyone involved are should have become quite clear for everyone.

Volunteering – building a community bond, and helping your local needy. To quote the old saying, charity begins at home. Traditionally, however, freeing up the time to volunteer may easily squander very same time that could be put to so much better use elsewhere. And don’t you think that if you had your friends from work volunteering alongside you you’d all enjoy yourselves more? The obvious step, then, is for companies to follow the lead of far-sighted firms like Adaptive Marketing LLC. As well as financial and shopping benefits programs such as BusinessMax created for the benefit of consumers, Adaptive Marketing handles the organizational duties to give its employees the time to give back to the local community. If you think of company sponsored charitable effort, you probably think of blood drives, perhaps an annual donation drive, nothing more, but this is simply no longer true. For example, Adaptive Marketing has provided its employees with the chance to take part in everything from tennis shoe recycling campaigns to local tree replanting days. Once all the information – time, date, location, type, etc. – had been publically announced it is a simple matter for employees to decide the actual amount of time they’d be giving and how they’d be using it. It’s hardly volunteering if there’s no choice between projects. Staff from Adaptive Marketing, the company that offers the program BusinessMax, select from among a selection of local volunteer initiatives. These may include community projects in arts and culture, helping out children, working on green initiatives and more. The result is that Adaptive Marketing volunteers are presented with the chance to use their time as efficiently as possible and relish joining in the process. When businesses encourage their staff take an active role at a nearby homeless shelter, it tends to be during a specific event or a regularly scheduled, ongoing project. This means that if you can only find some hours to help out at a Saturday morning spent litter picking in the park, there’s still a chance to make a difference.

It is hardly an unusual practice for businesses to help to support the people of their home town. Adaptive Marketing like many other companies supports volunteer projects to help others and to spread positive feeling through its home community by the actions of its staffers. Volunteering to help others makes you feel much better about yourself – exactly what you need to motivate employees in both their volunteer activities and back behind their desks.

Volunteering — a path to a better community, and assisting the nearby needy. To quote the old saying, “charity begins at home”. The obvious problem is that adjusting your workload so that you’re free to volunteer may squander some of that valuable free time. Of course volunteering is more fun when your co-workers are getting involved right along with you! Thus, some socially-conscious companies are creating initiatives helping their employees to give back to the community through volunteer activities. One of the more significant examples is Adaptive Marketing LLC who also offer financial benefits programs like 24Protect Plus. If you were asked for examples of company-backed volunteer work, you’d most likely talk in terms of giving blood, maybe a Christmas donation drive, and no more, but that’s simply not the case in the modern day. The employees of Adaptive Marketing have been provided with the opportunity to get involved in a full range of community initiatives with greater and lesser time investments. In these cases, the locations, dates and times that had been arranged were posted, making it simple for employees to know what to expect, and how much of their time it would actually take.

It is important to let volunteers back activities according to their own interests. Employees of Adaptive Marketing, the firm who developed the membership program 24Protect Plus, can select from a selection of volunteer activities. There’s so much to be done; taking part in the education of children, lending a hand to environmental activities, or supporting local artistic projects among others. Adaptive Marketing’s members of staff have so much to choose from that they’re sure to choose a project they’ll enjoy participating in, making their time fun as well as fulfilling.

A single big event or a regularly scheduled day — this is how a firm usually arranges this kind of volunteer initiative, possibly at a nearby homeless shelter or one of the local schools. Members of staff may well submit — and even believe — that they have no time to give, but even they can often set aside enough hours to help at some smaller one-day event.

You’ll find plenty of examples of organizations finding ways to help the citizens of their home town. The activities of those who work at Adaptive Marketing and other businesses create important goodwill around their home base. What volunteer work is sure to do is provide your workforce with a positive feeling about themselves, producing a motivated business.

The controversial Clause 17 that would allow the Secretary of State to change internet- related copyright law arbitrarily has been opposed by internet giants like Facebook, Yahoo! and Google

These big hitters, though supporting the Digital Britain report and wanting a bright digital future for Britain, are unanimous in their appeal to abandon Clause 17 of the Digital Economy Bill, which they believe will give Lord Peter Mandelson – or his successors – unquestionable powers to amend the copyright law in Britain.

The companies have expressed in the letter that valuing internet freedom is as important as valuing copyright, and that the Government’s vision for a Digital Britain must be realized. They have also said that in order to ensure that Britain has a bright digital future, Clause 17, which can give a Secretary of State the power to monitor user data arbitrarily, has to be abandoned.

According to these companies, the clause will have an adverse effect on the growth of the internet industry, as it will discourage technological innovation and result in the levying of unnecessary costs.

Consumers may be discouraged from using the latest technology if the clause exists and if the Secretary of State uses it to take arbitrary decisions. The clause may also impede developments in the broadband industry.

The letter also mentioned that the clause might upset “the careful balance of responsibilities for enabling market change which Lord Carter outlined in the Digital Britain report”, and it could damage “the Government’s vision for a Digital Britain.”

Broadband Genie’s comparative table of UK broadband providers includes an analysis of the products and services from all the internet service providers and keeps you up-to-date on all the latest broadband news and developments. So take a look at their website; click on your provider, mine is BT Broadband and check out the latest on broadband UK.

Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co (KKR) was set up in the seventies and orginally the firm’s main business was in ‘bootstrap’ buyouts. But recently they have put together an exceptional enterprise which centers not merely on optimized profit margins, but also on the environmental impact of the companies they control. Green business procedures became more widely acknowledged a year ago when Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co’s Henry Kravis and the the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) got together. Issues like soil contamination and unmitigated water consumption are an all-important part of their corporate mission.

Eco-efficiency (the phrase was originally popularized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) represents the framework for their mission, applying techniques such as reducing the dispersion of toxic chemicals, using clean energy and maximum use of renewable resources. Impressive though it was the KKR and EDF didn’t even realize the full program’s benefits until Ken Mehlman, the head of the program and global public affairs, reviewed the project when it had been in operation for a year.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Ken realized that this program not only served in preserving the local environment, but was also increasing the profits from every last company too. Almost all of the companies held by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co and Ken Mehlman today are involved in eco-efficiency principles. And, when you consider that the group has a 2009 business portfolio worth $86 billion, you can be certain this was no easy feat. The initial program has grown far beyond its primary remit and these days includes new opportunities. The Climate Corps Program administrated by the EDF is an example of this, it campaigns for cost-efficient, planet friendly principles to MBA interns. KKR and Ken Mehlman have made the effort to formulate a series of analytical tools and other related products that measure and manipulate resources. This type of info is invaluable as any business can assess their daily processes and find out how any problems may be solved while at the same time permitting staff to view how green they are.

Henry Kravis, the KKC, and the Environmental Defense Fund have made cutting back their environmental impact less painful for companies all over the world. These developments have made going green less complicated for business organizations in any industry and proved that making profits need not entail the hefty price of damaging the environment.

Stephen A. Schwarzman’s story is one of generosity and a willingness to work hard. Recently Steve was named the fifty-third most wealthy in America put together by Forbes Magazine, yet it’s not money which makes this story gripping but in addition Steve’s unbelievable achievements in the financial world and his generosity to education and the arts. The Blackstone Group top executive is an inspiration and further proof that dedication and hard work are fundamental in achieving success. In the mid-eighties Steve Schwarzman and his co-founder established their firm extending financial advice. Nowadays the Blackstone Group is an industry giant with ventures as different as The Weather Channel and Madame Tussauds, to name only two of them. After calling suburban Philadelphia home for much of his childhood and adolescence, Steve Schwarzman went to high school in the School District of Abington. After graduating from high school he went on to study at the well esteemed Yale University in Connecticut and received his degree in 1969. Harvard Business School was the obvious next stop on his pathway to success, here he graduated in 1972. After Yale he would join the investment team at the leading investment bank Lehman Brothers. Stephen was appointed a managing director at the age of only 31. Steve doesn’t solely offer his time to a variety of charitable organizations, but additionally he has also volunteered as a non-faculty professor at Yale. Moreover, he is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in New York, NY. Furthermore, he told America with pride on March 11, 2008 that he was donating 100,000,000 dollars to the New York Public Library to help them expand. In fact the library named their new extension the “Stephen A. Schwarzman Building”.

Steve Schwarzman is nowadays a role model to successful business people: he was mentioned amongst Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in recognition of his international influence in finance. His mastery of the business world has been nothing short of dramatic, not to mention the fact that his support of the liberal arts and educational programs has been an encouragement to the business world in general.

So the financial space waits in anticipation to see what Steve will do next. To sum up, Steve has been a tremendous influence on the business community and the world as a whole.

You’ll most likely have heard about Mr. Naveen Jain the CEO as well as co-founder of Intelius, Inc. the predictive intelligence market leader. Well beyond having made the Forbes 400 Richest in America list 2000, this prosperous entrepreneur has won diverse choice awards, foremost the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the WSA Industry Achievement Award, and the Albert Einstein Technology Medal, to list but only three. Even so it certainly doesn’t finish off here. This is because Naveen Jain and his relatives are just as avid about philanthropy and will attempt to assist whenever possible.

The young of today are definitely our greatest hope or the future. Naveen Jain also regards children as constituting the very center of his enterprises and he uses every chance he sees to help them. This is why he is so diligently using every opportunity available to him to lend a helping hand wherever it is workable. In consequence, Naveen Jain, his relatives and his employees at Intelius, Inc. apply their time and efforts to a number of charities such as the Overlake Service League, the University Preparatory Academy, and the Vedic Cultural Center. Expectably, they will hand out magnanimous pecuniary aid but most importantly they pledge their time and care to those youth who require it the most. What’s more, he helps support the Children’s Hospital endeavoring to improve children’s health. With Jain being an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur and the Indian Institute of Technology, it is no wonder that formal training is an exceedingly important preference within his benevolent outlook. This also encompasses movements and good causes that range from the local to the international. Accordingly, Intelius and its CEO are actively funding charitable entities and organizations such as Child Rights and You (CRY), United Way and Hopelink.

Feeding the planet’s starving constitutes an additional essential challenge for Jain and his folks and he makes no distinction as to whether the individual at risk is still very young or old, and neither where they are located, be it the largest conurbation or the lowest hovel. Although he is cognizant that the enterprise of obtaining food for all the world’s starving is an eminently superhuman one, he is also cognizant that the unfeasible can really be quite feasible when everyone endeavors towards a unified end. If this entrepreneur gets his way, there will be a decisive cessation to squalor and malnourishment in the world at some time.

Many people may reckon that functioning as the CEO of a thriving market leading enterprise on top of being a committed family man would allow him no spare time for altruism and aiding his fellow men. Even so, he ensures that each one of his benevolent endeavors obtains as much aid as he can possibly ramp up. To wrap it up, this industrious man is definitely a lot more than your ordinary albeit admittedly eminently successful captain of Web commerce. He is, even more importantly, also a remarkable personality and an authentic community patron.

Arranging a stag weekend is nerve-wracking – whether you are the excited groom-to-be or the helpful best man. You need to be certain that all of the men have a wonderful time and that the stag do is a weekend to remember – for the right reasons, of course!

So what makes the ideal stag weekend? Well, for most blokes, it must be action-packed and it must be fun.

Getting just the right place will decide your stag do’s success. Whether you are heading just 20 miles away or jumping into planes, trains and cars, you need a location that caters for all your entertainment necessities day and night.

Scotland has all this and more, for a fantastic stag weekend, mixing a large range of adrenalin-fuelled activities set in stunning views with the friendly people for which Scotland is renowned.

You will need to ensure that your intended destination offers everything you would like before making any bookings. And don?t forget to check that both the location and its staff have an excellent history of running successful stag weekends. If in doubt, it’s definitely worth asking for references from satisfied visitors.

By putting on a plenty of different activities during the weekend, everyone will find something for them. Pro event organisers with a wealth of experience of organising stag weekends in Scotland will instantaneously suggest a suitably eclectic mix that includes something for everyone.

If you book with a credible outdoors experience company, the possibilities for an exciting stag weekend in Scotland are unlimited. There’ll be many activities to test your stag group from morning to night, not to mention the evening festivities.

For however much energy they’ve expended in the day, party goers are always ready to go hit the club and chat about the afternoon’s fun over a few shandies.

All you will have to do is to let the event company know what kind of night out you want. Ensure that your chosen stag weekend package includes travel between the evening’s entertainment and your group’s overnight accommodation and, so that everyone can relax and enjoy themselves.

That way everybody in your party can concentrate totally on having a good time and celebrating their friend’s forthcoming marriage.

Like so many people, you will have seen Mr. Naveen Jain’s name as the co-founder & CEO of Intelius, Inc. the predictive intelligence service company. On top of achieving to a ranking on the Forbes list “400 Richest in America” in 2000, this enterprising entrepreneur has been bestowed various notable awards including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the WSA Industry Achievement Award, and the Albert Einstein Technology Medal. Nevertheless things categorically develop further from there. This is because Mr. Jain and his kin are every bit as avid about their benevolent deeds and will endeavor to help others whenever they can. There’s no doubting the fact that children are indeed the world’s #1 resource and indeed its future. They are moreover a central inspiration for this entrepreneur, and he makes the best of each and every opportunity available to help them. This is why he is intensely using every possibility available to him to lend a helping hand wherever it seems even remotely feasible. Hence, Naveen Jain, his relatives and the workers at Intelius, Inc. apply their time and efforts to many different charities as, for example, the Vedic Cultural Center, the Overlake Service League, and the Rotary Club. Obviously, they hand out ample pecuniary aid but even more importantly, they sacrifice their time and attention to the most disadvantaged and risk prone children. Furthermore, he supports the Children’s Hospital striving to improve children’s health. As Naveen Jain is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology and XLRI Jamshedpur, it is no surprise that teaching holds an exceedingly significant status within his humanitarian outlook. This also includes campaigns and deserving cause that run the gamut from the local to the international. Therefore, Intelius and its CEO are actively supporting voluntary entities and foundations such as Child Rights and You (CRY), the Children’s Hospital and Hopelink.

Getting food over to the impoverished of the world is another central objective for Jain and those around him and to him, it makes not a iota of difference. Although Naveen is conscious that the undertaking of finding provisions for all the world’s unnourished is an eminently staggering one, he also believes that the impossible can actually come to be feasible assuming everybody labors in concert. If this CEO obtains his objectives, the final curtain will positively come down on hunger and poverty on this planet at some point. Observers would assume that functioning as the boss of a very thriving business and a devoted spouse and family man as well would leave him with little free time for charitable acts. All the same Naveen ensures that each of his beneficent undertakings may rely on as much assistance as he can plausibly give. This intently energetic businessman is positively more than merely a business leader. He is, in fact, a highly remarkable individual and a true community patron.

Copyright 2006 Red Ladder, Inc.

As a Consultant, I attend a lot of networking events, industry association programs, and one-on-one meetings for breakfast, coffee or other food-related events. Whenever I network or attend events, I always tell people that it was worth my time and money if I gained just one creative idea or contact from the experience. This past month I really put that concept to the test by attending numerous networking meetings, including one tele-networking event!

Here are a few nuggets that I picked up as I networked my way through the past month.

1. Be Bold! The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis recently featured motivational speaker Ann Ulrich, who said, “We create our own possibilities for success by boldly creating opportunity from possibility.” According to Ann, combine possibility with perseverance and professionalism and you have your own personalized recipe for success. How do you create your own possibilities? By being bold of course.

2. Think Big. Sandra Wakefield, an advocate of Brilliant Living (her TV program bears that name), is also an advocate of brilliant networking. She recently brought together a group of like-minded women with the intent of connecting them with an organization that could help make their business goals and personal dreams come true. Not only did she inspire these women to think big she inspired them to think about how taking their businesses to the million dollar (or more!) level. Now that’s thinking big.

3. Tell Your Stories. Tom Bengtson, owner, publisher and editor of Northwestern Financial Review, has been in the industry long enough to know what connects a writer to the reader or a speaker to the audience: personal stories. He encouraged me to share my own personal stories in my writing and my speaking engagements. According to Tom, “We learn something about the person who shares their stories, and there is value in that. But the real reason to share your stories is to learn something about yourself.” The message? Sometimes the best lessons in life we teach ourselves.

4. Develop a “kitchen cabinet.” Erin Dady works closely with aspiring women political candidates. A panelist at the recent Joint Dinner of Women’s Professional Associations, Erin shared some advice that highlighted the importance of having a trusted group of advisors on your team that she called, “your kitchen cabinet.” These were the trusted men and women that you surround yourself with around your kitchen table. This powerful network is a key success factor when running for office. It can also be the key to success if you are climbing the corporate ladder (think mentors) or a growing a successful small business (think advisory board). Net, net, regardless of what you call them, no woman should be without the equivalent of a powerful “kitchen cabinet.”

5. Filter Advice. Judge Susan Burke, recent panelist at the Joint Dinner of Women’s Professional Associations, spoke about her recent experience in running for public office. In the early stages, every person she encountered (including her boss, husband and parents) gave her a list of reasons why she shouldn’t run for office. That being the case, what finally compelled her to run for office? “I learned to beware advice from people who have a vested interest in the outcome,” stated Judge Burke. The lesson? Seek advice but ultimately you need to make the final decision.

This past month I was lucky enough to obtain the five great nuggets I shared with you above. To recap: don’t be afraid to be bold, think big, or tell your stories. But during the process, remember to surround yourself with trusted advisors but be sure to filter any advice you receive. Not bad for a month’s worth of networking. Don’t you agree?

Regina Barr is a management consultant and speaker who helps companies develop strategies to attract, develop and retain women leaders. Sign up for her FREE Ezine, Developing People…Inspiring Success at www.RedLadder.com .