Corporate Giving Can Improve Bottom Line

To the Editor:

In its July 16 issue, The Chronicle reported on its survey in which corporate executives were asked to rate their philanthropy’s relevance to their business’s financial success (“Companies Divided Over Philanthropy’s Impact on Profits”). The responses varied: Some executives saw philanthropy as relevant, others did not.

A recent focus group with corporate executives found that philanthropy — if strategically planned and executed — can have a dramatic effect on business’s bottom line.

In June, Garin-Hart-Yang Strategic Research conducted a focus group with executives from seven national and multinational corporations to examine how their businesses benefited from strategic philanthropic partnerships. The participants identified an incredible range of benefits, including: enhanced corporate image, positive public relations and government relations, improved community relations, access to new markets, and, in some cases, solutions to business problems.

Corporations and non-profit organizations need to approach each other as partners, with strategic and mutually beneficial objectives in mind. That’s where the opportunities lie, and that’s where corporate philanthropy stands to impact a business’s bottom line — and help non-profits achieve a social mission at the same time.

Bill Shore
Executive Director
Share Our Strength
Washington