Meetings & Conventions Magazine – September 2006
"Charity Begins On-Site: These pros help winners give back to others" by Lisa Grimaldi
Would a bunch of harried executives who worked like crazy to qualify for a VIP trip voluntarily – even cheerfully – give up a half-day of leisure to participate in a charitable activity? Absolutely. In fact, a handful of incentive professionals specialize in creating incentive activities that give back to the communities where their programs are held. Following are profiles of five industry pros who make incentives even more rewarding.
…Alan Ranzer, Executive Director, Impact 4 Good, Bethesda, Md.
It was a year ago that Ranzer, who has a background in international development, launched Impact 4 Good, which creates unusual team-building activities for socially responsible companies. For his clients, he often designs activities for incentive programs organized by Ira Almeas, president of East Hanover, N.J.-based Impact Incentives & Meetings (and Ranzer’s cousin).
Impact 4 Good tries to match its altruistic offerings to the interests of the winners. For example, the beehive-building program he organized for Citigroup’s Circle of Excellence winners helped locals establish and grow a sustainable honey business.
For environmentally aware organizations, Impact 4 Good offers a solar cooking activity, using reflectors to harness the sun as a heating and cooking source. In another activity, groups create charts for eye exams using letters from different alphabets. The charts are sent to communities that need them.