Digging Into the Return on Good Vision

Return on Good is a new collaborative that is changing the paradigm of giving from reactive to proactive; from emotional to strategic. Our goal is to help clients Give Smarter. We do this with a combination of research, collaboration and strategy that treats giving as a value-driven investment that all sides of the charity equation have equal interest in seeing blossom.  “This is new,” says Jay Kelly, co-founder. “Working together with donors and charities, asking tough questions, all to maximize the impact for giving investment is a game changer.”  How we talk about and depict givers, charities, and philanthropy  Giving is universal. It’s at the core of human belonging. So, at Return on Good, we dig deep to make sure that we depict givers, non-profit professionals and charity recipients in an inclusive way. We want everyone to feel welcome.  We also believe it’s crucial to adopt affirming and positive language when talking about the people charities serve. So, instead of saying things like “at-risk teens” we might use “future artists” or “future entrepreneurs.” We’re big believers in the idea that language shapes our reality, and how we use it contributes greatly to our goals.  The Return on Good vision is planted in our logo

We’ve put a lot of our vision right into our graphic identity, starting with our logo. Beyond capturing our acronym, ROG, our logo looks like a seed. That’s purposeful because we are all about growing good.  The sprout at the top demonstrates that we are the first step in a better strategic philanthropic future. And that future is about both the donors and causes we help.  The root at the base of our logo shows we are firmly planted in the values and mission of the givers who work with us.   This “growing good” vision matches the Return on Good plan  If you’re trying to plant the seeds of greatness, you have to be smart about where you invest your resources. That’s why we offer strategic giving that includes full research reports on key charities you’re considering. We also provide gift facilitation, saving our clients time and energy while we tend to the difficult and time-consuming behind-the-scenes work, from initial contact to stewardship to holding nonprofits accountable. That can lead to bigger gifts in the future.   “We’ve provided research reports to people who have given for many years to a charity, for the right reason: They thought the cause was great,” Jay says. “When we provide expanded research on impact, we often hear: ‘Oh wow, I didn’t know that.’ When it’s a good surprise, the donor wants to give much more. Our research helps take away the worry about wasting money or giving to the wrong cause.”  Now, let’s grow your impact together  At Return on Good, we really like the garden metaphor, so we’ll use it again. “Digging in” to maximize impact from your giving can be hard work. But don’t worry, we have some really good shovels. Drop us a line today and we’ll share the best tools to help you Give Smarter. And while we’re at it, we’d love to tell your giving story or shape your brand. Ask us how.