September 11, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
The television show “Mad Men” may provide a history lesson on corporate philanthropy, writes Alice Korngold on her Leading Companies for Good blog, a service of Fast Company magazine.
Ms. Korngold, a consultant who assists companies with their corporate social-responsibility activities, writes that in a recent episode of the drama — which is set in an advertising company in the 1960s — an executive was asked to sit on the board of a New York museum.
When he wondered why it would be a good for his career, a colleague exclaimed, “Philanthropy is the gateway to power!”
While corporate leaders continue to vie for spots on prominent nonprofit boards, Ms. Korngold writes that corporate philanthropy has changed; today’s giving is more aligned with business goals, its evaluated to publicize results, and corporations use volunteering opportunities to attract and retain employees.
“More recently,” she writes, “companies are recognizing the importance of involving younger and more diverse executives and professionals on a wide range of regional, national, and global nonprofit boards as a means to develop their companies’ future leaders.”
What do you think? How else has corporate philanthropy changed since the 1960s?
