While an increasing number of businesses are starting to realise the power of corporate philanthropy to improve their competitive environment and bottom line, I find that still many make the mistake of picking a cause based on commercial value. That is, they tend to pick a cause because it resonates with people in the hope that this popularity will be mirrored in their financial results.
If you look at organisations like Facebook, Google, Apple, Starbucks, Shell, etc. you will notice that while they all have a portfolio of different causes, most revolve around education and poverty. A huge number of smaller, less-known businesses tend to follow suit in supporting similar causes.
Research by the Centre for Philanthropy in the UK confirms that the distribution and destination of donations are not evenly spread among causes and that donor sympathies are less evident for charities working in areas such as mental health, addictions, domestic violence, asylum seekers, and ex-offenders.
Many businesses that can only afford to support a single cause don’t realise that adopting a cause that everybody supports isn’t always the best decision. Choosing a less popular social mission such as re-integrating ex-offenders or homeless, tackling mental illness, providing opportunities for the handicapped, etc., has its advantages.
Here are some of them:
It makes you stand out
Make a difference where it truly matters. Stand out by championing unique causes that drive lasting impact, like providing IT training for ex-offenders and transforming lives through second chances.
When an organization focuses on supporting a cause, it becomes central to its mission. The cause is no longer a side project but an integral part of the company’s corporate identity. Guess what? Choosing a social cause that’s different from mainstream causes makes you stand out. It sets your business apart even more. Say you were a tech company and you had picked education as your cause. You could, as many other companies do, contribute to education programs for underprivileged kids for example. Alternatively, you could provide education and training in the IT sector for ex-offenders. Helping ex-offenders is much less popular. However, your company has the chance to stand out. You could be the only one in your industry creating opportunities for this group. The positive ripple effects of that are numerous. By helping ex-offenders rebuild their lives, you prevent them from returning to the streets. This reduces the likelihood of them ending up in jail again. It’s a benefit that saves taxpayers money.
You can make it yours
As mentioned above, education is one of the most popular causes and so is hunger relief, poverty, healthcare, healthy living, etc. Some of the most popular philanthropy target groups are underprivileged families, underprivileged kids, and third-world country communities. The majority of organisations out there, both non-profits and businesses support one of these causes and one of these groups.
Several approaches have already been tried. Various initiatives and campaigns have been launched by numerous organisations. Coming up with an innovative approach can be challenging. We are programmed to think within the boundaries of what we already know. Breaking free from this mindset takes effort. However, if you choose to support a less favored group and a less popular cause, chances are there will be room for creativity. You could come up with new solutions and new ways of doing things. Why not even come up with the next Ice Bucket Challenge? This will further differentiate you from other organisations.
You will have a greater impact
Shining a light on overlooked causes: Together, we can help reintegrate marginalized groups and build a stronger, more inclusive society.
Affiliating with a less popular cause directs resources to an underfunded area. It also brings attention to a cause that often goes unnoticed. Your impact is much greater as you can help not merely with money, time & resources but by bringing attention to a problem little spoken about. You have a much bigger role – make people aware of the issue and communicate how helping this issue will benefit society. Hopefully, you can attract other philanthropists and businesses to help raise both more funds and more awareness. Hundreds of companies focus on helping underprivileged kids. However, only a few work on re-integrating homeless people or supporting refugees and ex-offenders. The truth is, however, whether we like it or not, these groups are a part of our society. Thus their integration is just as important to a healthy society as the equality of any other group.
No philanthropic cause is a bad cause. There’s nothing wrong with adopting a cause, even if it’s a mainstream one. Choose one that truly resonates with you or aligns with your business. Focus on where you can make a real impact. If that’s the case, then that’s great – you will be passionate about it and your contribution will make a difference. But picking a cause merely because it is popular or not picking one merely because it is not, is inherently wrong. Think of all the resources wasted due to this mindset. Consider also the unfair distribution of resources among different groups and causes.
Why not focus your energy where you can make the most contribution? Find a cause through which you could make the most difference, not one that will make the most difference for your business.
If you too crave to make a difference and want to know what the best way to go about it is strategically, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. As a corporate philanthropy consultant with many years of business coaching experience, I can help you integrate meaning and purpose into your business in a sustainable way.
Ever wonder why corporate volunteering has grown so big over the last decade?
The paid time off for volunteering starts at about 40 hours a year with companies such as the software firm VMware, the medical technologies giant Stryker, and the tech company NetApp. It is slightly higher (48) at Salesforce and Autodesk, goes up to 80 with the healthcare giant Novo Nordisk and is unlimited at Deloitte.
Many of the bigger corporations have now created their internal volunteering programs aligned with the causes they support. IBM, for example, allocates teams to tackle specific community problems in emerging countries, an experience that IBM employees describe as invaluable.
At the same time, many other organisations have teamed up with non-profits that provide volunteering opportunities for their employees.
And it is not just large multinationals that let employees donate time, knowledge, and skills to those in need. A lot of smaller, local companies have followed suit both in the US and here in Europe, including in Ireland.
So why the volunteering fever?
I believe the main reason has to do with what Mahatma Ghandi once said:
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
It’s that meaning and sense of purpose that we so excessively seem to lack in the consumerism-driven and hectic life of today, that volunteering and helping others gives us.
And it’s not that business has suddenly become concerned with the sense of fulfillment of employees, but meaning has become an important factor directly impacting employee retention rates. Retention is a huge issue in many industries today causing businesses to lose hundreds of thousands every year.
Volunteering adds meaning and purpose to the job. It also allows for philanthropic efforts that enhance the company’s reputation and brand.
But there are some other great benefits of volunteering that companies who engage in it have shared. Here are a few:
It brings teams together –
Breaking barriers and fostering stronger connections—volunteering creates a natural environment for teams to bond, learn, and grow together.
Chances are many of your employees probably never communicate with each other outside the office. Even if employees like each other, the office setting creates boundaries. As a result, they typically only get to know each other’s work side.
Volunteering brings them together in a completely different environment where they get to share a different experience and oftentimes a fun experience. As a result, they loosen up and get to know each other better in a way that team-building activities couldn’t get them to do. It’s just that many people don’t like having to participate in team-building events and this creates barriers.
Volunteering is a more natural experience that predisposes people to open up and that makes your workforce a much stronger team as a whole.
It develops leadership and other skills –
Volunteering puts employees in a new environment. They tackle problems that differ from their usual work challenges. This, in turn, helps them develop leadership skills, interpersonal skills, organisational skills, etc.
An article in the Stanford Social and Innovation Review called Skill-Based Volunteering: The New Executive Training Ground says that “today’s volunteers are tomorrow’s leaders”.
IBM employees in the example have highlighted the tremendous benefits of volunteering. They’ve gained valuable insights that they now apply in the workplace.
It enriches employees personally –
Volunteering presents unique challenges that differ from work. It also helps develop new skills to address these challenges. The overall experience of volunteering is even more valuable.
Seeing a different reality helps employees gain a new perspective. It also fosters an understanding of the complexity of social issues. As a result, some employees develop qualities like emotional intelligence and compassion. They may also feel gratitude for what they have.
It sparks innovation –
Volunteering experiences spark innovative ideas, leading to solutions that drive both community impact and business growth.
Direct contact with people in need, or hearing about their issues, prompts employees to think about the causes. This inspires them to develop potential solutions through products and services.
On other occasions, the volunteering experience gives them an insight into trends, needs, and market niches that haven’t been explored. This sparks innovation and innovation is the single most important pre-requisite not only for survival in the highly competitive markets of today but also for business growth.
Yes, volunteering offers various benefits, business and personal alike. Professor Cassie Mogilner’s research, discussed in the Harvard Business Review, shows that volunteering makes you feel like you have more time.
At the same time, researchers from the London School of Economics have examined the relationship between volunteering and happiness. What they’ve found is that volunteering builds empathy, strengthens social bonds, and makes you smile which in turn increases the feeling of love.
There have also been studies that conclude that there are great health benefits related to acts of kindness such as volunteering.
Not that one needs an incentive or a reason to do good and give back. As Winston Churchill once said:
We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.
However, it is nice knowing that apart from giving us personal satisfaction, it also makes us healthier and happier, right?
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