Corporations across the country are playing an increasingly important role in supporting meaningful causes. In fact, businesses gave $21.08 billion to nonprofits in 2023, representing a 3.4% increase since 2021. However, nonprofits aren’t the only ones benefiting from this partnership.

Businesses like yours earn a major boost in reputation by leading philanthropic initiatives, resulting in increased customer retention, employee engagement and access to new audiences. If you aren’t actively running a corporate philanthropy program, your company is only scratching the surface of what you can accomplish for your brand!

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to uncover your social purpose and scale your business, including:

• What is Corporate Philanthropy?
• Benefits of Corporate Philanthropy
• Types of Corporate Philanthropy
• Corporate Philanthropy Statistics to Keep on Your Radar
• Corporate Philanthropy Best Practices for Businesses
• Corporate Philanthropy Examples

A corporate philanthropy program could be the missing link your organization needs to improve outcomes and embrace its potential to power more good. Let’s begin!

What is Corporate Philanthropy?

Corporate philanthropy refers to the programs and efforts that businesses undertake to improve the welfare of others. The term generally refers to charitable donations made to and partnerships formed with nonprofits and other community organizations. These donations can take the form of:

• Funds: Companies might provide direct financial support to help nonprofits run their community programs, invest in new equipment or technology or expand their offerings.
• Goods: Companies could choose to give in-kind donations to nonprofits, such as pro bono services, item donations like cans for a food drive or a space for topic-focused luncheons or volunteer appreciation events.
• Volunteer time: Your corporation could choose to organize volunteer outings with your skilled employees and provide specialized support wherever nonprofits need it most.

It’s important to note that these actions are taken voluntarily by businesses — they aren’t required by external or industry groups to participate in philanthropic initiatives. Typically, these programs are for businesses that prioritize giving back to the community and practicing good employee and customer stewardship alongside pursuing profits.

Corporate Philanthropy vs. Corporate Social Responsibility

In conversations about corporate philanthropy, you may have also heard the term “corporate social responsibility (CSR).” According to Double the Donation, CSR describes “a company’s efforts to improve society in some way.” Corporate philanthropy falls under the umbrella of CSR.

CSR can be further separated into internal and external policies. Internal CSR refers to activating positive change within your organization and external CSR refers to activating positive change outside your organization. Let’s explore examples of each:

Internal CSR Examples

• Employee training and development programs: Workshops, classes, conferences and other career development opportunities showcase a business’ commitment to its employees’ professional growth.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies: DEI initiatives are business practices and programs aimed at constructing a work environment where people feel safe and included.
• Employee and consumer engagement efforts: This refers to a business’ efforts to treat employees and consumers fairly and offer them motivating opportunities that lead to personal and professional fulfillment.
• Employee wellness programs: A notable offshoot of employee engagement, employee wellness encompasses a business’ efforts to promote the mental, emotional and physical well-being of its employees.
• Sustainable business practices: These involve minimizing a business’ negative environmental impact through waste reduction, conservation practices and ethical sourcing policies.

External CSR Examples

• Charitable donations: This includes providing financial support to nonprofits through donations and corporate matching gifts.
• Volunteerism: Businesses can promote volunteerism by offering volunteer grants and participating in community service projects related to schools, shelters, food banks and other local nonprofits.
• Community development efforts: These refer to the actions a company can take to improve its local community by supporting local infrastructure plans, educational programs and other initiatives that enhance local living conditions.
• Disaster relief efforts: Companies can provide immediate assistance, resources and support to communities affected by natural disasters to aid in reconstruction plans.
• Environmental conservation: Outside internal practices, companies can aid in global environmental efforts related to climate change and ecological sustainability.

Businesses should strike a balance between internal and external CSR to maximize their potential social impact, with corporate philanthropy being a notable piece of their external CSR strategy.

Because of the time and resources it takes to carry out some of these initiatives, some people see CSR programs as only being accessible to major corporations. While these companies do have a greater platform for change and capacity for charitable giving, they don’t have a monopoly on CSR.

Businesses from all fields and of all sizes can launch corporate philanthropy programs and make a positive impact on their corner of the world, starting within their office walls.

Corporate Philanthropy vs. Workplace Giving

Workplace giving falls under corporate philanthropy as just one of the initiatives your business can undertake to advance causes in your community. Specifically, workplace giving involves connecting your employees with charitable giving opportunities so they can feel a greater sense of satisfaction in their roles.

Workplace giving can take many forms, including:

• Donation-matching: Your company might offer to match gifts at a 1:1, 2:1, or 3:1 ratio to select causes or any nonprofit of your employees’ choosing. This increases the impact of your employees’ gifts, helping them to play a more rewarding role in the causes they care most about.
• Payroll deductions: Through this type of workplace giving initiative, your employees will automatically donate a portion of their paychecks to nonprofits. This can be a good choice if your employees lead busy lives and want an automatic way to give on a regular basis.
• Volunteer grants: On top of organizing volunteer outings with your employees, you can offer grants, or donations, for the number of hours they volunteer at an organization. The nonprofit then earns both volunteer and financial support to bring its mission to life.

Let’s take a closer look at how CSR, corporate philanthropy and corporate workplace giving are all connected:

As you can see, corporate philanthropy is just one component of a strong CSR program, but it can yield significant benefits. By engaging in corporate philanthropy initiatives like workplace giving, your business can enhance its overall CSR efforts and demonstrate itself to be a socially conscious company to the public and its internal teams.

The Importance of Corporate Purpose

Right now, our economy is a purpose-driven one. That means that businesses are increasingly thinking about their social purpose, values and impact as well as their profit. Plus, consumers are more interested in doing business with corporations that are cause-driven and that prioritize improving their societal impact.

According to a Harvard study, highly purpose-driven companies have outperformed the market by 5-7% per year. By making corporate philanthropy a priority at your business, you’re signaling to consumers that you care about their communities and are using their dollars not just to make a profit, but to better the world.

Benefits of Corporate Philanthropy

Nonprofits gain key support from their corporate partners in the form of donations, volunteers and in-kind contributions. However, your business will also realize benefits when you join the world of CSR and expand your philanthropic purpose.

Let’s explore the benefits from both perspectives, so you can get a sense of what to expect:

How Nonprofits Benefit

These days, more organizations are pursuing corporate philanthropy—and for good reason! Here’s a quick overview of what benefits nonprofits can expect to receive:

• Valuable corporate donations: Nonprofits gain enhanced access to donations from corporations that boost their fundraising efforts and help them reach their goals more quickly.
• Greater marketing reach: Corporate philanthropy puts nonprofits in front of corporate audiences, helping them steward new donors, recruit volunteers and expand their networks.
• Non-monetary support: In-kind donations, volunteerism and other nontraditional types of contributions help nonprofits pursue their fundraising goals and fulfill their missions. When corporate partners line up employee volunteer opportunities or offer venue space for a nonprofit event, they can see the difference they’re making immediately.

Between finding new supporters and gaining much-needed financial contributions, it’s not hard to see why nonprofits are eager to form corporate partnerships with like-minded businesses.

How Companies Benefit

Nonprofit organizations aren’t the only ones that benefit from corporate philanthropy. Otherwise, CSR wouldn’t be such a big topic in the for-profit sector. Businesses benefit from:

• Improved employee engagement: Corporate philanthropy gives your staff a personal sense of goodwill and fulfillment. As a result, they’ll be more engaged in the workplace knowing their company helps improve the lives of others. For example, 87% of employees who engage in corporate volunteering reported an improved perception of their employer, increasing their motivation to work hard on their employer’s behalf.

• Top talent recruitment and retention: Employees increasingly express a desire to work for businesses that prioritize corporate philanthropy. You can highlight your corporate philanthropy in the recruitment process to showcase the causes your company contributes to. 71% of employees report that it’s very important to work at a philanthropic company, and employees who participate in workplace giving have 75% longer tenures with their employers.

• Increased customer loyalty: Studies show that consumers are 85% more likely to give their business to brands that support a cause or charity. In other words, consumers want to spend their money at companies that care about leaving a positive social impact. As a result, they’ll feel more inclined to purchase from your business knowing that a portion of their funds will support the community.

• Access to new marketing opportunities: Nonprofit partnerships usually offer many opportunities to get your business’s name on marketing materials. For instance, when you sponsor a major fundraising project such as the construction of a new building, your nonprofit partner will promote your business’s name on social media or through signage.

Well-rounded, authentic corporate philanthropy practices can help your business reach new heights when it comes to community engagement and stakeholder relationships. Now that you know how philanthropy can transform your company, let’s take a closer look at the different types of initiatives you can lead.

Types of Corporate Philanthropy

As previously mentioned, there are plenty of corporate philanthropy initiatives that your organization can consider when developing or expanding your CSR program. Let’s take a closer look at the most popular programs you can leverage to deepen your impact while boosting employee engagement:

Matching Gifts

Corporating matching gift programs involve businesses matching charitable donations that their employees make to eligible nonprofits. This shows employees you care about the same causes they do, increasing engagement, loyalty and productivity.

To launch this program, you’ll need to create a form for employees to fill out and set parameters for participation, such as:

• Match ratio: This is the rate at which you’ll match donations. Most companies match at a 1:1 ratio, which will double the initial amount. However, some choose to match at a 2:1, 3:1 or even 4:1 ratio.
• Minimum and maximum donations: Companies may apply minimum and maximum donation requirements. For instance, your organization may choose to set a $25 donation minimum and a $10,000 annual maximum.
• Employee eligibility: Determine which employees are eligible for matching gifts. For example, this might include full-time employees, part-time employees or retirees. Some generous companies even match donations made by employees’ spouses.
• Nonprofit eligibility: Will you match to all registered 501(c)(3) organizations or only specific kinds? For instance, many companies match most types of nonprofits but exclude churches and other religious organizations.

From here, you’ll promote the program to your employees, explaining how to apply for a matching gift and reminding them about the opportunity every so often.

Volunteer Grants

Volunteer grants, also known as dollars for doers programs, are another type of corporate philanthropy initiative. Volunteer grants are donations businesses make to nonprofits based on the number of hours their employees spend volunteering with those nonprofits.

If you’re interested in creating a volunteer grant program, first determine the requirements for employees to meet before applying for a grant. For instance, you may decide to donate $500 for every 20 hours an employee volunteers with a nonprofit.

By offering a volunteer grant program, you show employees that you care about their passions and bettering their communities. And by incentivizing volunteerism, you provide local nonprofits with the non-monetary support they need to meet their goals.

Discovering which nonprofits your employees volunteer with also provides a chance to learn more about their philanthropic interests. This information can help you reshape your company’s values to reflect your employees’ passions or identify opportunities to initiate a more formal partnership with nonprofits your employees support.

Corporate Sponsorships

Your business can provide ongoing monetary support or contribute to a specific nonprofit initiative, such as a special program or project expansion. Not only will providing direct financial support make an immediate impact on nonprofits, but it can also help your company improve its visibility and get in front of new audiences.

Use these tips to inform your corporate sponsorship initiative:

Reach out to like-minded organizations.

Corporate philanthropy should be a natural extension of your brand, so focus on partnering with nonprofits that share a similar mission, values system or vision for the future. For example, if you’re a technology company, you might sponsor a STEM education nonprofit and support its goals by funding technology devices like new computers.

However, you can also reach out to organizations that don’t directly align with your purpose, as long as they share similar values and are committed to driving social change. For instance, a toy company might partner with a hunger relief organization simply because they believe in the power of their mission and want to align themselves with a worthy cause.

Stay flexible in your search and prioritize partnering with a credible organization that will excite your employees and demonstrate your organization’s own commitment to bettering the community around you.

Understand their most pressing needs.

Speak directly with prospective nonprofits to understand where their biggest needs are and how you can best support them in achieving their mission. This way, you’re directing your money to where it counts the most. To get to know a prospective partner better, consider:

• Scheduling meetings with key leaders and stakeholders, such as executive directors, program managers or development staff.
• Visiting the nonprofit’s facilities or attending their community programs to see their work firsthand.
• Meeting with your employees who currently volunteer with the organization to understand their perspectives.

Make sure to actively listen and ask questions to gain a deeper understanding of the nonprofit’s operations, challenges and funding requirements.

Develop a formal agreement.

Outline exactly how much funding your corporation will give to the nonprofit partner and any other forms of support you might extend, such as volunteer grants or in-kind donations (described in the next section). You’ll also want to specify how your company and the nonprofit will keep open lines of communication to keep everyone on the same page.

Over time, a short-term sponsorship can evolve into a long-term partnership based on the nonprofit’s needs. Just make sure this partnership continues to reflect positively on your company and helps to establish your organization as a socially conscious brand.

In-Kind Donations

In-kind donations are any non-monetary contributions that businesses make to nonprofits. This includes donations of goods, time or services.

Here are some examples of in-kind donations in action:

• A local animal shelter has seen a recent influx of abandoned cats and dogs. They need supplies such as leashes, bowls, cat and dog food, dog beds and cat toys. Instead of donating funds, your business purchases the needed supplies and delivers them directly to the shelter, ensuring that the charity can get what it needs right away.

• The local Habitat for Humanity branch has a goal to build three houses this year for families in need. Your business partners with the nonprofit as part of your employee-led volunteer program. Your employees contribute dozens of volunteer hours to help build one of the houses.

• One of your nonprofit partners wants to carry out a rebranding project to enhance its public image. However, they don’t have a graphic designer on staff. Your business steps in to provide marketing consulting services and helps redesign the organization’s logo and brand style guide.

To make the most impact with your in-kind donations, work with your nonprofit partners to determine which goods or services will be the most useful to them.

Employee Grant Stipends

Employee grant stipends, also referred to as “employee donation stipends,” are a form of corporate philanthropy where companies allocate a specific amount of money that employees can donate to a nonprofit of their choice. Employees usually receive this money on an annual or quarterly basis.

Here’s a quick overview of why companies offer this employee giving opportunity:

• Employee engagement: Grant stipends empower employees to support causes they are passionate about, fostering a sense of purpose and engagement within the workplace.
• Diverse community impact: Grant stipends extend the company’s philanthropic reach by allowing employees to direct donations to a diverse range of nonprofits, thereby benefiting a broader spectrum of causes.
• Feedback and insights: Employee engagement with grant stipends provides valuable insights into the causes and issues that matter most to your workforce, informing future CSR strategies.

Overall, employee grant stipends empower companies to engage their workforce and strengthen their CSR efforts, all while benefiting their communities and reinforcing a positive corporate image.

Additional CSR Ideas

Of course, CSR programs don’t only consist of corporate giving opportunities. Here’s a list of additional initiatives that you might consider implementing to maximize your impact and improve the employee experience:

• Giving employees time off to volunteer with local organizations, known as volunteer time off (VTO).
• Implementing ethical labor guidelines that ensure employees’ safety and well-being.
• Taking steps to increase the diversity of your workforce and create systems and practices that promote participation and inclusion of all.
• Assessing and reducing your negative environmental impact with recycling initiatives or emissions reduction goals.
• Offering employees personal and professional development opportunities such as training and educational programs.
• Using your business’s platform to speak out for causes you care about.

Think about what’s most important to you when it comes to improving your relationships with employees, community members and consumers. Then, you can adopt one or more of these initiatives into your business practices to kickstart your CSR program.

Corporate Philanthropy Statistics to Keep on Your Radar

Corporate philanthropy is a signal to consumers that your company isn’t just interested in generating profits, but in making the world a better place. This data illustrates the necessity of adopting a strong corporate philanthropy program to scale your business over time:

1. 94% of major US corporations plan to heighten or maintain their philanthropy.

Embracing philanthropic initiatives isn’t merely an option—it’s an inherent expectation. With more businesses recognizing the importance of corporate philanthropy, you must build or revamp your philanthropy program now to stand out from competitors and show consumers that they should be giving their money to your company.

2. 61% of consumers are more likely to buy from companies that have made a long-term commitment to a focused issue.

According to a report by Care2, consumers won’t be fooled by random donations here and there. Instead, you need a sustainable, cohesive plan that points to ways you’ll further important causes over time. This shows that your company is truly socially conscious and wants to use its platform and financial power to drive considerable progress.

3. 70% of employees say it is imperative or very important to work for an employer where mission and value align.

Corporate philanthropy doesn’t just affect consumers’ perception of a company; it also directly affects the employee base you’re able to attract and retain at your business. Employees want to work at businesses with corporate philanthropy programs because they’ll know that their work will support a purpose greater than themselves and the company.

4. 84% of donors say they’re more likely to give if a match is offered.

When a donor gives $50 to their favorite nonprofit, this can turn into $100 if a match is offered by their company, therefore enhancing their impact and increasing positive feelings towards their employer. Plus, one in three donors say they would give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation, helping nonprofits in your communities even further.

5. 75% of U.S. adults feel physically healthier by volunteering.

However, many adults likely feel like they don’t have time to volunteer. By organizing group volunteer outings and even designating time during select work days to volunteer, you can make it more accessible for employees to volunteer at their favorite nonprofits. Keep in mind that their health is also your gain, as healthier and happier employees are more productive!

6. 73% of investors state that efforts to improve the environment and society contribute to their investment decisions.

This statistic demonstrates that investors are increasingly considering non-financial factors alongside traditional financial metrics. As a result, companies with robust corporate philanthropy programs may be more attractive to investors who prioritize social responsibility.

These statistics illustrate the impact philanthropic initiatives can have in pushing your company’s goals forward. If you’re ready to unlock your brand’s full potential and uplift the communities around you, take a look at how you can build an inspiring corporate philanthropy program from the ground up.

Corporate Philanthropy Best Practices for Businesses

Your company can’t dive into philanthropy without having a clear plan for what you want to accomplish. Use these best practices to organize a meaningful and engaging program that your consumers, employees and investors will look favorably on.

Work with a corporate philanthropy consultant

A corporate philanthropy consultant can offer a fresh, third-party perspective into how you can revamp your existing programs or develop new initiatives that will help your company drive more impact. Specifically, a consultant can help in these key ways:

• Nail down your purpose: Your consultant will dig deep to help you understand what your company stands for and how you can make corporate philanthropy a natural extension of your brand. This involves identifying the nonprofit sectors you want to work within, the type of support you can offer (volunteer grants, sponsorships, etc.) and the different ways you can engage employees.

• Identify gaps in your existing philanthropy: If you already have a corporate philanthropy program, your consultant will assess its effectiveness and determine ways you can strengthen your approach to improve employee engagement and outcomes in the community. For example, if you have a corporate volunteer program in place, but only 15% of your employee base is participating, your consultant can suggest ways to make your program appeal more to employees’ interests.

• Create ideal partnership models with nonprofits: Your consultant will ensure that your nonprofit partnerships push forward your objectives, like increasing profits and expanding your customer base, while making a meaningful impact in the community.

Research consultants with ample experience in helping companies of your size and sector achieve your philanthropic goals. You can always ask professional connections for referrals to guide your search.

Survey employees to learn about their interests

Corporate philanthropy can be a huge selling point for prospective hires and a reason that current employees feel engaged and satisfied at your business, but only if your program relates to their interests.

Survey your employees to find out more about their passions so you can tailor your philanthropic initiatives to them. Consider asking the following questions:

• What causes are you passionate about?
• Do you currently volunteer or donate to any organizations in our community? If so, which ones?
• What organizations in our community most relate to your interests?
• What types of philanthropic initiatives would you most be interested in? Volunteering, matching gifts, employee grant stipends, etc.?
• Are there new skills that you would like to learn through volunteering with nonprofits?

Using employee feedback to inform your corporate philanthropy program will show your employees that you value their interests and want to support the causes that matter most to them.

Invest in CSR software

CSR software is built to organize your corporate philanthropy program to reduce your administrative burden and make it easy for employees to get involved. To maximize your toolkit, look for a CSR software solution with these features:

• Employee giving methods. One of the most common ways for employees to participate in corporate philanthropy is by donating to their favorite causes. By offering matching gifts, they can increase their contributions. Look for a CSR platform that enables both employee giving and matching gifts. This way, employees can directly contribute to nonprofits and fill out a matching gift request afterward, all from the same platform.

• Volunteer management capabilities. If your corporate philanthropy program includes volunteer grants, invest in a platform with robust volunteer management capabilities. For example, your CSR software may allow your employees to find volunteer opportunities posted by nonprofits, track their volunteer hours and submit volunteer grant requests.

• Tracking and reporting. The more elements of your corporate philanthropy program you implement, the more data you’ll generate. CSR software lets you track important philanthropy metrics and report on them to internal and external stakeholders. These data points may include the total number of volunteer hours, funds raised or employees engaged in your program.

• Gamification. One of the biggest challenges companies face with their corporate philanthropy programs is effectively engaging their employees. Gamification elements such as points, badges and leaderboards can inspire healthy competition and make corporate philanthropy more fun.

• Integrations. You likely use other software solutions to keep your business running smoothly. Your CSR software should work in tandem with these other platforms. For example, if your team uses Microsoft Office, the platform you choose should allow you to upload important documents and spreadsheets straight from those applications. To facilitate matching gifts, you may also look for a platform that integrates with matching gift auto-submission tools that simplify the match request process for employees.

Before you decide on a CSR platform, meet with your team to determine your priorities. For instance, if your program offers matching gifts, you may narrow your search to only platforms that feature an employee giving portal, matching gift requests and matching gift auto-submission.

Market your philanthropic activities

Even if companies offer meaningful philanthropic initiatives, their employees may not even know they exist. For instance, 78% of donors are unaware if their company offers a matching gift program and the program specifics.

Promote your philanthropic initiatives widely within your internal network so all of your employees know what’s available to them and how they can get involved. This way, you can increase participation rates and elevate your impact on the community.

It’s equally important to market your charitable activities externally to the public. After all, consumers looking for mission-minded businesses will look past supporting your company if they don’t know that you have a corporate philanthropy program in place.

Use a multichannel approach to bring attention to your corporate philanthropy program. Here are some popular channels you can leverage:

• Website: Create a landing page on your company’s website dedicated to your philanthropic initiatives, where you can detail the nonprofits and causes you’ve supported and the impact you’ve made thus far. This will introduce site visitors to the good you’re creating in the world and can incentivize them to make a purchase.

• Social media: Using the channels where your consumers are most likely to see your posts, leverage visual storytelling to show your philanthropic activities in action. For instance, you might post a photo of your employees’ last volunteer outing or share video testimonials from nonprofit staff explaining the impact your organization has had on their operations.

• Email: Add progress updates about your corporate philanthropy program to your email newsletter that goes out to consumers. For example, you might share how your company recently donated $20,000 to support a hunger relief organization’s GivingTuesday campaign or highlight how your employees volunteered their time at a local shelter during the holidays.

Monitor your metrics, such as social media impressions and click-through rates on your website, and make adjustments as needed to maximize your reach.

Reflect on your corporate philanthropy progress.

With the help of your corporate philanthropy consultant, assess whether you’re reaching your corporate philanthropy goals and making the intended impact in your community. You can look at metrics like how much you raised for your partners through matching gifts or the number of hours employees volunteered.

You’ll also want to determine whether your corporate philanthropy initiatives are making a difference in your company’s growth by looking at customer acquisition rate, total revenue generated and other relevant key performance indicators.

Furthermore, your corporate philanthropy consultant can speak directly with your stakeholders to collect their feedback anonymously. Then, your consultant will use these insights to create a plan of action to adjust your philanthropic initiatives as needed.

7 Corporate Philanthropy Examples

When you think about corporate philanthropy, a few examples of well-known companies with robust CSR programs probably pop into your head. Reviewing the activities of leaders in the CSR space can help you develop ideas for incorporating philanthropy into your own business. Examples include:

1. Starbucks’ CSR initiatives

Starbucks isn’t only known for its delicious coffee — it’s also renowned for its corporate social impact initiatives that seek to create a positive impact globally.

Here are a few facets of Starbucks’ CSR program:

• Ethically sourced products such as coffee, tea, cocoa and manufactured goods
• Green initiatives, including donating disease-resistant coffee trees to help farmers
• Employee opportunities including veteran and military support, DEI initiatives, a college achievement plan and community service projects

With more than 38,000 stores in over 75 countries, Starbucks’ CSR program reaches far and wide to support employees and local communities.

2. Microsoft’s matching gifts and volunteer grants programs

Microsoft has an ambitious goal to be carbon negative with their direct emissions and supply and value chains by 2030. They’re also seeking to remove all of the carbon the company has released into the environment since its founding by 2050.

In day-to-day operations, Microsoft offers plenty of philanthropic opportunities to its employees, such as:

• Encouraging employee volunteering with volunteer grants ($25/hour volunteered), leading to volunteers contributing over 750,000 hours in the past year
• Facilitating opportunities for employees to give back through pro bono services
• Matching employee donations at a 1:1 ratio up to $15,000

These initiatives help Microsoft employees give back directly to their communities and work in conjunction with Microsoft’s overarching CSR goals.

 

3. Walmart’s global responsibility commitment

Global retail corporation, Walmart, has launched a variety of sustainability and CSR initiatives over the past 15 years. Walmart is targeting zero emissions in its operations by 2040 as well as zero waste by 2025.

Here are additional features of Walmart’s CSR program:

• A volunteer grant program that offers a $250 donation for 25 hours or $500 for 50 hours of commitment by its employees
• A commitment to pay 100% of college tuition and books for its employees
• Initiatives to source sustainable goods such as coffee, seafood, paper and beef

Walmart’s CSR program reaches into many different areas, from sustainability to community initiatives, to create a well-rounded approach to corporate philanthropy.

4. Google’s corporate philanthropy grants

Google’s unique philanthropy program positions the search engine as a partner with nonprofits, providing them with collaboration and productivity tools for free through Google for Nonprofits.

Most notably, the Google for Nonprofits account gives eligible organizations access to the Google Ad Grant, a $10,000/month grant for nonprofits to spend on Google Ads to promote their websites.

Google also matches employee donations at up to $10,000 annually per employee and an additional $10,000 annually per employee to disaster relief. They also donate $10/hour of volunteering.

 

5. Verizon’s gift matching and volunteer grants

Verizon encourages employee giving by matching individual employee donations up to $5,000 for higher education institutions and $1,000 for other nonprofit organizations. The company also offers a volunteer grant of $750 when employees volunteer for 50 hours or more.

6. Patagonia’s environmental initiatives

As an outdoor recreation clothing brand, it makes perfect sense for Patagonia to focus its charitable efforts on supporting the environment. This charitable-minded company aims to fight climate change by actively reducing waste and offering customers the option to recycle and repair their gear.

Patagonia also donates 1% of all sales to environmental nonprofits, and with this company bringing in more than one billion dollars, this can mean a big chunk of change for organizations working to improve the environment. This is a great example of a corporate philanthropy initiative naturally fitting into a company’s brand and adding to their mission of making the outdoors enjoyable for all.

7. Wendy’s focus on foster care

While a delicious fast food industry might not seem to have a direct connection to foster care, there is much more than meets the eye. Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, was adopted as a child and wanted to use his company’s platform and capital to support and advocate for children in the North American Foster Care system.

As part of this philanthropic focus, this fast-food joint runs the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Program to help hire adoption professionals who are dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are often overlooked, including teens, children with special needs and siblings.

This is a great example of how your corporate philanthropy initiatives don’t have to relate directly to the product or service you sell, as long as your program speaks to your values and the heart of your company. In this case, Dave Thomas’s personal connection to adoption illuminates the Wendy’s brand and creates feel-good emotions that make consumers want to give their business to Wendy’s over other restaurants.

Enhance Your Corporate Philanthropy Program with Aly Sterling Philanthropy

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or don’t know how to start implementing a CSR program at your business, partner with specialists in the field to give your program the helping hand it needs. The corporate philanthropy experts at Aly Sterling Philanthropy offer a variety of services to help businesses discover the good they can do for their employees and the community.

ASP helps you determine your company’s purpose and how that fits into your corporate philanthropy goals. When you determine your business’s purpose, you can create a stronger foundation for your CSR program that’s aligned with all of your other business operations, making CSR a natural part of your organization.

ASP’s corporate philanthropy services include:

• Program evaluations and stakeholder assessments
• Company values exploration
• CSR program startup, including developing cause platforms and giving policies
• Community and employee engagement
• Employee/leadership retreat facilitation and consensus building

You can also engage in ASP’s corporate philanthropy workshops, which are geared toward:

• Business owners and entrepreneurs looking to build a socially responsible enterprise.
• Leaders in HR, sales and marketing, supply chain and other functional areas who are responsible for running CSR programs.
• Anyone interested in learning how corporations can increase their positive social impact and build brand awareness through intentional CSR strategies.

Reach out to Aly Sterling Philanthropy today to begin optimizing your CSR approach and finding the programs and initiatives that align with your business goals!

To learn more about corporate philanthropy and how it impacts nonprofits, explore these additional resources:

• The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning: How can corporate philanthropy support nonprofits and their strategic plans? Read about how nonprofits construct their strategies with this guide.
• Build Your Fundraising Strategy From the Ground Up: 10 Steps: It can be equally helpful to learn how nonprofits build fundraising strategies so you can better understand the part you can play in their revenue generation. Check out this article to learn more.
• Nonprofit Feasibility Studies: 9 Tips to Maximize Results: Your corporation can play a big role in nonprofit capital campaigns by matching gifts or lending your feedback during the feasibility study. Learn more about this first stage of the capital campaign and how you can help.