Robin-LeighAnother company I spoke with while in New York last week at Inman Connect’s Startup Alley was the Certified Charitable Giving Alliance (CCG Alliance).

I spoke with co-founder and CEO, Robin Leigh, for a few minutes and learned a bit about her mission and organization. Since it’s not exactly a secret I’m a fan of anything in the social good space (see this), I asked her to answer a few questions and she obliged. Her answers are below…

What do you do?

ccg-allianceThe CCG Alliance™ creates and promotes education in all aspects of charitable giving to help our members cultivate social responsibility within their businesses. Our members meet an annual giving standard of $1,380 or 60 volunteer hours (or any combination thereof). We educate our members in choosing a reputable charity to support while integrating charitable giving into their business plans. We then verify the contributions our members make and certify them as charitable givers.

We enable our designees to:

  • Quickly and effectively demonstrate their charitable giving and social responsibility
  • Learn how to choose a reputable charitable organization
  • Integrate charitable giving into their businesses
  • Provide substantiated evidence of their contributions while strengthening theircommunities, because Giving is good business™.

Why do you do what you do?

We want to revolutionize the charitable world by providing a nexus for businesses and nonprofits to combine resources, knowledge and values while expanding networks of opportunity for small businesses and charities alike. By focusing on small business involvement in charitable giving, the CCG Alliance™ seeks to make charitable giving accessible, beneficial and sustainable for anyone interested in giving back.

What are you most excited about right now?

Helping members of the real estate industry profit from the growing consumer and employee demand for greater socially responsibility while improving the vocational prestige of the industry as a whole. By avoiding self-centered advertising and allowing their communities to see them as givers rather than takers, real estate professionals can overcome negative perceptions that have dogged the industry for decades.

What’s next for you?

Expanding our services to the entire small business community. Profits and giving back are best supported by informed, sustainable integration of the two. Through our program, small businesses will be able to make an impact while benefiting from charitable partnerships, just as large corporations have for decades.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Furniture banks are a cause that I am passionate about because it was the first problem that I realized I could help solve through my business. As both a Realtor© and a home staging business owner, I recognized that not only do I have the resources to help those with unstable living situations find furniture, but that I could enlist others in support of this cause while expanding my center of influence. It was through this insight that I was inspired to found the CCG Alliance™ and help other small business owners strengthen their communities.

Regular readers will know it’s no surprise I’m a fan of CCG Alliance’s mission. Thanks, Robin, for taking the time to answer a few questions.