Today’s generation, dubbed Generation Q, is described as well-educated, passive, less radical, not socially engaged, but with high-paying jobs. But they are also optimists who will always have hope for the future. “How do we get our customers to give back?” asks Paolo del Rosario, marketing director of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Philippines, Inc.

“Sometimes all one needs is a start,” says del Rosario. This is what led CBTL to design a program to help spark the passion of this generation and stimulate the spirit of giving. Dubbed 12 Cups with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Give In to Giving, the program allows customers to get involved or help out in any or all of the 12 handpicked non-government and charity organizations involved in different causes.

“We want this holiday season to be what it’s about—giving. We tried to come up with different representation of organizations. There’s bound to be something that would be close to your heart,” says del Rosario.

CBTL conducted an informal survey among 600 of its customers per store to find out what causes are interesting to them. First on the list is education, second is children’s health, and third is children’s welfare. But customers are also interested in supporting environmental protection and animal rights, among others.

For customers to be involved in the program, all they need to do is to complete the 12 boxes (representing drinks ordered) in a stamp card. When the card is filled up, the customer can choose one advocacy to support. CBTL will donate to the customer’s chosen charity in his name. In return, the customer gets a limited edition CBTL journal featuring artworks by Filipino artists such as Zean Cabangis, Erwin Leano, Carlo Angelo Saavedra, Salvador Joel Alonday, Benjie Cabangis, Noell El Farol, Sandra Fabie-Gfeller, Jim Orencio, Riel Hilario, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Augusto Albor, and Jose Tence Ruiz. And for customers who would like to donate to all 12 charities, they get one year’s supply of brewed coffee for free. The program runs from November 7, 2008 to January 18, 2009.

The twelve organizations catering to different advocacies benefiting from the program are: Kababaihan Gabay sa Bayan (KAGABAY), Caritas Manila-Restorative Justice Program, Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Bahay Tuluyan, Haribon, Cartwheel Foundation, Kythe, Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP), Philippine Cerebral Palsy Inc., Philippine Band of Mercy (PBM), Resources for the Blind, and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).

CBTL commits to donate in a customer’s name the following:
* KAGABAY: P600 per child for kids’ education needs
* Caritas Manila: P1,000 for values formation classes and materials per schoolyear per inmate
* PAWS: medicines for animals under their care
* Bahay Tuluyan: a birthday present per child worth P250
* Haribon: adoption of a seedling
* Cartwheel Foundation: P8,000 for educational materials, curriculum development, tuition, teacher training for each student per schoolyear
* Kythe: an unforgettable kids’ outing
* ASP: P2,000 for books needed by children to study
* Phil. Cerebral Palsy Inc.: P1,800 per month per patient for medicine and rehabilitation
* PBM: P8,000 for the operation of each child
* Resources for the Blind: P1,000 for Braille textbooks
* PBSP: medical consultation worth P200 for a child

“If you ask me, with the abundance of blogs, social networking sites and mobile phones, the passion of our generation is really that we share a piece of ourselves to others,” says del Rosario. “Through Give In to Giving, CBTL hopes this will start a change in our generation for the better, one cup at a time.”

Photo shows two of the artworks used in the limited edition CBTL journals. These artworks are by Riel Hilario (Whatever Happened to Pygmalion and Galatea) and Christina Quisumbing Ramilo (Madre Simula-BIRTH).