Q&A: Tony Shelpley, Shepley Wood Products
by Cape Business staffCape Business sat down with Shepley to discuss Civic Rent, the degree to which businesses contribute to non-profit organizations to enhance the quality of life on Cape Cod.
You use the phrase ‘civic rent.’ What does that mean?
I view it as a social obligation that we should pay back to our community both personally and professionally. Paying our civic rent is how we maintain our society and our quality of life by investing in the repairs, maintenance and the building up of the social systems around us.
How does a business determine how much that civic rent should be?
Any return on investment has a lot to do with the size and quality of the investment made. Capacity to give may vary from person to person or business to business. The key is to start with small investments that you want to keep building into larger ones.
Is there a measurable rate of return that should be expected for this investment?
Yes. Why I like the image of investing in the community is that sharp investors demand a return. Our community is beginning to think about how we have to bring order to philanthropy. We need to avoid duplication of overheads and redundancy of agencies. We need to increase cooperation and efficiencies between charitable entities.
How does a business determine where to spend its civic rent?
You can follow your heart and do what feels right, or you may seek outside advice. We use the Cape and Islands United Way as a community investment adviser for a lot of our charitable giving. They do this full time and are much better connected to needs in our community than we have time to be.
How should a nonprofit organization be held accountable for the expenditure of money provided by businesses?
A good nonprofit should be its own worst critic in terms of overhead expense and how it runs itself. Businesspeople tend to think in balance sheet and P&L terms, so a nonprofit can go a long way in building trust and donor confidence by managing itself with good business practices.
How does your company contribute to the nonprofit community and what benefits derive from that investment?
We contribute the 5 W’s (wealth, wit, wisdom, wood and wherewithal). We involve ourselves in projects or organizations with contributions of money, material, referrals, collaboration, labor and even advice. I am very proud to work with such a great group of givers, who really throw themselves into so many causes. What we gain back in benefit is a better community, a better feeling about ourselves and a good reputation to boot.
Should businesses ask for anything in return for their investment, such as the ability to reach an organization’s membership as potential customers?
Our philosophy is to do the right thing, and good will come back to us. I don’t believe in trying to structure a return every time we do something. I find a rewarding freedom in not having to ask for anything in return. We are trying to do things for the right reason, not for payback.
Does a business’ involvement with a nonprofit create an advantage over the competition?
Probably only in a very soft way. No one is going to buy my product over your product just because I gave something to the nonprofit world. However, if all other things are equal, having a good reputation as a community partner certainly isn’t going to hurt. Along those lines, we do have a lot of people seek employment with us because they have "heard good things" about our community involvement. That’s a type of market advantage that we never planned on.
Tony Shepley is owner of Shepley Wood Products Inc. and is a member of numerous industry and community service organizations.
