In recent years, more and more companies have learned the benefits of corporate philanthropy. When businesses give to a charitable cause, they boost brand awareness and create positive vibes around their products. Not all corporate philanthropy is the same, however. To maximize the benefits of this increasingly common practice, it’s important to do it right. Keep these tips in mind as you launch a corporate philanthropic campaign.
Be Sure to Strategize
The first step to any philanthropic project is to strategize properly. The charitable work should not be a side project for the corporation but a major component of its general vision. People up and down the organization should come together to develop a workable, lasting plan.
Include Your Entire Team
The charitable effort should not be relegated to a single department. When the whole company works together, the disparate viewpoints lead to a greater variety of ideas. What’s more, when everyone is on the same page, it is much easier to carry out ambitious projects. If everyone in the company understands the project’s goals, then the work becomes central to the company’s mission and even its culture.
Engage Local Communities
Charitable projects offer a great opportunity for companies to forge a closer relationship with their local communities. When corporations and communities come together for the common good, everybody wins in the end. The corporation benefits from greater trust and support from its neighbors, while the community earns the support of the major financial players in its midst.
Make a Lasting Difference
Corporate philanthropy is most effective when it launches long-term projects that make a lasting, tangible change. Helping people in the short term is great, but it doesn’t leave a mark. People might be better off, but nobody will remember who helped or why. Running an educational clinic, for example, might be useful, but once the clinic is over, there’s no way for the philanthropic act to live on in people’s minds. On the other hand, by building new school facilities, a company creates a monument to its benevolent nature.
When companies engage in corporate philanthropy, everyone comes out ahead. Follow these tips to launch a project that really makes a difference.