How Big of a Legacy Do You Want to Leave?

The question of life purpose is one we all face early in life. For some, it comes as early as childhood. At some point, we all make, whether consciously or not, a decision as to what we want to dedicate our lives to. For some that purpose is raising a family, for others it is building a career or even building a company.

But how about life’s meaning? How many of us find meaning in what we do day in and day out? My guess is not many. We dive into life with ambition and determination. Oftentimes, we chase status, material things, or the lifestyle we’ve always dreamed of. We focus so much on reaching the finish line and getting what we desire that we forget to consider the meaning of life. We rarely reflect on the purpose of our own lives.

Yet the need for life meaning is a basic human need we cannot escape. Oftentimes, a mid-life crisis is a result of the urge to find that meaning. It is also the case sometimes that once we achieve all we craved for we find ourselves depressed at the discovery that it doesn’t satisfy us as we see no real meaning in it.

To be honest, I understand that.  At some point, regardless of how much we’ve achieved in our professional lives, we all start to think about our deathbed and worry if we’ve done enough. It is one of the reasons why I’ve dedicated my own life to helping people bring meaning into their lives through incorporating philanthropy. That way their daily activity, which is also their living, becomes meaningful as they impact and change other people’s lives through the work they do.

And I think the idea of your deathbed and how you want to feel about your life at this point is a good one to consider when you decide how much you want to give to others.  To what extent do you want to impact other people’s lives?

Here are the options or levels of impact you could go for in the pursuit of meaning:

Monetary Donations

A lot of people wrongfully think that philanthropy is about donating money. Still, many businesses think that by writing cheques to non-profits and charities they’ve done their part. Money is, without a doubt, needed so there’s nothing wrong with money donations. The only thing is that money doesn’t go a long way in solving the actual problems that create the need in the first place as money is never enough. More importantly, not many companies can afford to write those cheques regularly which diminishes the impact of the donations even more. Writing cheques is effective when it is regular but also when it is aligned with other actions to reinforce the value of it.

Non-Strategic Philanthropic Efforts

As a business consultant, I see that a growing number of companies are waking up to the fact that money on its own doesn’t do much. These organisations are taking philanthropy a step further as they donate money but also engage in other charitable activities. Among these are, for example, volunteering with non-profits, donating resources, organising charity events, spreading the mission of the charity, etc. These are all great initiatives that are definitely worth more than writing a cheque but if they are aimed at different causes and support different charities, then their effectiveness is hardly huge. Especially if you are inconsistent in terms of the causes you support and your endeavors are irregular which makes the impact being made even smaller for all stakeholders involved.

Strategic Philanthropic Efforts 

It is completely different if all of your company’s social efforts were aligned and aimed towards a single social mission. For example, a pharmaceutical company focused on fighting malaria in Africa could go beyond donating money. Volunteers could be sent to educate communities on how to protect themselves. The company could also partner with charities to raise awareness. Additionally, organizing events to raise funds for nets would make a significant impact. Incorporating these efforts strategically and consistently can significantly amplify your impact in fighting malaria. This approach achieves more than spreading resources across three different causes with less effort and funding. Focus drives greater change. The added benefit: choosing a single social mission makes your brand unique. It shows people what you stand for and helps you stand out from other companies.

Integrated Corporate Philanthropy

To integrate meaning into your daily business, connect your social mission with your objectives. Align these efforts with business results for greater impact. Organizing initiatives to support a social cause is commendable. However, it’s even more impactful to address social problems through daily operations.

How do you do that? Well, one way to incorporate philanthropy into the soul of your business is through the so-called one-for-one philanthropic model. Service companies normally struggle with this concept as they are not manufacturers or retailers and they feel they have nothing to contribute with. If you happen to be one of those, don’t worry. The one-for-one model could work just as well for you. Say you were a college or a course center and your social cause was education. For every ten students you enroll, consider offering a free spot. This could go to a student from a disadvantaged community.

However, the one-for-one model is just an example, there are other ways to approach integrated strategic philanthropy that might work better for your business.

People generally define meaning as the impact they have on the world, in other words, the difference their existence has made. This is why, we tend to turn to philanthropy when we reach the stage at which we need meaning. Integrating philanthropy into your business strategically is practically incorporating meaning into what you do daily.

No matter how far you take your social efforts, remember this: they work best when connected to your business. Aligning your cause with your work amplifies its impact. The stronger the link, the more sense it makes to the general public and the more genuine your intentions seem which also benefits your business.

One day, you can proudly say you’ve built a successful business. More importantly, your organization has made a difference. Through it, you’ve left a lasting mark on the world. In other words, the world has become a better place by you being in it.