It would be impossible to count the number of people who have benefitted from charitable giving at the corporate level in some way. Not only is charitable giving beneficial for people and communities, it has a surprisingly positive impact on a business’ bottom line as well.
Companies can use their corporate giving programs to engage their employees, increase retention, attract new hires, engage with customers and create new business opportunities. 61 percent of all candidates take a company’s charity initiatives into consideration when evaluating a company and 83 percent of all employees prefer companies that focus on corporate giving.
If your company is looking for the right charity partner for the 2014 holiday season – or beyond – here are some things to consider:
Which causes do your employees care the most about?
Perhaps conducting a company-wide poll to answer this question would be worthwhile. There are a lot of phenomenal organizations out there that do great things with their donations. But finding an organization that your employees are familiar with and/or passionate about will vastly increase the overall level of giving and participation.
Are transparency and accountability evident?
Consider an organization’s ethics, governance and disclosure practices. On a scale of one to five, 59 percent of donors ranked accountability and transparency a five (“very important to my decision to support a particular charity”) according to a 2013 survey by Charity Navigator.
Maximize the mutual benefit.
Seek out organizations that can benefit from your core business activities and resources, and that your business can benefit from in turn. Partnerships are far more likely to be successful and enduring if they’re built on a realistic appreciation for the strengths that both sides have to offer.
Comments are closed.