May 20, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
In perhaps a reminder that nothing happens in philanthropy without someone commenting about it on the Internet, an anonymous blogger in Portland, Ore., is complaining about his company’s charity work.
The company, which he does not name, recently was part of an event organized by the nonprofit Canstruction, in which participants build sculptures out of canned goods and then donate the goods to antihunger charities.
“My company’s team built a six-foot replica of a Hershey’s kiss candy out of tuna cans,” he writes. But overall the blogger describes the event as a “misdirected bit of corporate philanthropy” that is driven not by goodwill, but commercial interest.
“There is a huge pressure from [the] marketing department in the company I work for, and probably most others, to ‘get involved in the community’ to ‘promote the brand.’ The people who dream up ways to do this are comically out of touch with decency and reality.”
What do you think? Are corporate team-building events like Canstruction good for philanthropy? Click on the comments link just below this posting to share your thoughts.
