I have been fascinated by business engagement with nonprofits for more than ten years.  However, the roots of my interest in this topic run deep.  To start with, I grew up in rural Maine in a family of four that values fairness and equality above all else.  Jokingly, I always say I am from the “buy a box of six doughnuts and you know everybody gets 1.5″ family.  And how many times did my father tell me that I need to be as respectful and polite to the janitor of the building as the president of the United States?  That being a good person on Sunday on the way to church is not enough – one needs to be a good person all week. 

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I was dismayed to learn this week from my favorite baristas at the Colorado and Arizona Starbucks in Denver that the Gold Card Pilot Program that I got to participate in ended October 31.  Guess I did not read Starbucks Gold News #3.  So the pretty white card with my name on it reverts to be just a regular Starbucks card now.

Their new membership product is also called a Gold Card and costs $25 a year.  Benefits include a 10% discount on all food and beverages at the time of purchase which is great and comes with three coupons for 10% off other Starbucks purchases.

However, I now see no mention of the piece I was drawn to initially with the pilot program – the percentage back from my cappuccino addiction to a nonprofit.  So I guess they discontinued that feature.  Granted my whopping contribution through the end of September was only $2.58 but it was the principle of getting to choose whether to take the 10% off myself or contribute it that I appreciated.  Bummer.  I see they have now decided to become part of Product(RED) – maybe they decided that was the better way to go?

I bought one of the new Gold cards anyway.  It is still my destination of choice for my morning dog walk and I love the spinach feta breakfast wrap.  Onwards…

I have had the privilege of consulting and training nationally with the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency responsible for funding nonprofits to run national service programs (AmeriCorps, VISTA, NCCC, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America) for 14 years with the Aguirre Division of JBS International.  I added it up last week and I have done trainings in 48 of 50 states, Guam and American Samoa -training over 10,000 people!

As I have said before, I am a true believer in the role nonprofits, service and volunteerism can play in local communities to make a real difference because of the great work I have seen first hand all across the country.  When the Bush Administration came in, those of us working in National Service were nervous about the potential impact of the new administration.  As it turned out, George Bush did end up being supportive of national service so AmeriCorps and the other programs continued forward much as before though funding has been cut back each year.

During this political season, both candidates for President spoke positively about national service and volunteerism which was very exciting.  Now that Obama is President-elect, it appears AmeriCorps and national service will be a featured initiative under the new incoming administration which is GREAT!  Check out the transition website to get a sense of the tone!

It seems the Obama Administration will make some important positive changes which I find exciting!  The San Francisco Chronicle reported, “Obama has pledged to create a Social Entrepreneurship Agency within the Corporation for National and Community Service, to generate more venture capital for socially conscious startups. The new agency would make it easier for small nonprofits to get federal grants, plus come up with a results-driven accountability system so government officials could make better decisions about which charities to fund.”  Check out the full article by Meredith May.

Michelle Obama has firsthand experience with AmeriCorps and seems very supportive.  A recent Newsweek article by Richard Wolffe reporting on his interview with her included the following two questions and answers.

“You want to continue what you did with Public Allies [ which trains young people to become leaders of community groups and nonprofits] as First Lady. What‘ s your thinking on how to go about that?
Barack is talking about a deeper investment in national service; that’s been part of his platform. He’s been meeting with some of the leadership of the AmeriCorps national-service movements—the Public Allies, the Teach for Americas, the City Years of the World—and figuring out how do we use that model, expand upon it, and help use that as a more creative way to defray the costs of college for young people and get all Americans really engaged. What AmeriCorps showed me, during the time that I worked on it, is that all these resources of young people, and not-so-young people, as I call them—because AmeriCorps is not just for young adults but people of all ages—you can fill a lot of gaps with the help of community-service hours. The young people in my program worked as program directors. They worked with kids and they worked in parks and they worked with nonprofit organizations that didn’t have the resources to bring people in full time. So this is one of those clear win-wins. You can help kids pay for school, you can get needed man-hours into really critical things like the environment, senior care, Head Start—a whole range of things. And you get the country more focused on giving back.

There are elements of this already in place at the national level. Is it just a lack of resources, or insufficient focus and organization?
Fortunately, [President] Bush kept AmeriCorps, but it was significantly defunded. I haven’t worked on AmeriCorps in a while, so I don’t know how the funding cuts have really affected them … When I was with Public Allies, and AmeriCorps was at its height, there were resources for expansion. So you had the new program in Chicago that I started. Then there was something going on in Milwaukee, and they were looking at West Coast offices. But I think with those funds reduced, people had to stop that kind of growth. So you’re just limited in the number of slots that you can have for young people or seniors or what-have-you.”

The only downside is that the budgets for such programs are decided over a year in advance so any potential reversal of recent cut backs and austerity measures may take a while to come into being.  In the meantime, these programs and the nonprofits that sponsor them continue to offer great opportunities for your company to get involved locally and make a real difference.  Check the AmeriCorps website to find information about programs you can partner with located in your state.

There are six myths commonly believed to be true about business and its role in society and local communities today that I would like to debunk.

Myth 1. Business philanthropy is for the large companies only.
Many people believe that business philanthropy is really only for the large “rich” companies such as Nike, Starbucks, Levi Strauss, or Exxon Mobil among many others. While it is true that these global companies operate on a significantly larger scale with more resources at their disposal than small companies and thus can have a significant impact either positive or negative on the communities or countries in which they operate. So changes in their approach to giving back can result in significant impact for nonprofits/NGOs when done strategically and intentionally.   However, it is also true that your company is never too small to make a difference if you also engage in strategic philanthropy. 

In the United States, for example, small business is actually the backbone of the economy. According to the US Bureau of the Census, small firms represent more than 99.7 percent of all employers. Small businesses, are defined by the Office of Advocacy, as companies with fewer than 500 employees. Small businesses employ more than half of all private-sector employees and generate 60 to 80% of new jobs annually. In 2002, there were approximately 22.9 million small businesses in the United States according to Office of Advocacy estimates. Of this number, there were 5.7 million firms with employees and 16.5 million without employees.

In light of such numbers, it is clear that small business is a powerful force in the United States today. So ensuring that small businesses like yours understand how to give back strategically and “profit with values” is essential.  Just think about the possibilities for positive change in our communities if even 50% of small businesses engaged in strategic giving!! 

“You don’t have to be a big company before you can do much in the community. Even as a small company, there are many ways you can support community organizations…the smaller businesses around here have made a lot of difference.” –Chip Bair, Owner, BeauJo’s Pizza, Idaho Springs, Colorado

Myth 2.  Business philanthropy is “wait to do later” considerations once a company is established, has a solid foundation, and has started to show a profit.
Strategic business philanthropy should be a consideration from day one when an entrepreneur or business founder/owner begins to think about starting a business. It is not an add-on for later. Integrating socially responsible business practices including community involvement, from the beginning, is actually easier and more cost-effective than trying to insert them later.

When starting a business there are many things that you need to consider about your business such as its structure and mission, identification of products and potential customers, effective marketing and sales, and securing investments. In each of these areas. there are choices that you need to make when designing the business and developing the business plan. Integrating socially responsible practices (including community involvement) from the beginning has been shown to help strengthen the business and increase its profitability. There are numerous proven business benefits to engaging in strategic business philanthropy.  For specifics on the business benefits, sign up for my free eCourse.

“To do this, you don’t have to be a Microsoft and have a huge foundation with millions and millions of dollars. You really should plan things right from the beginning and step into it. I think EVERY company should look into how they will give back right from the beginning.”  –Maria Simone, CEO of Signature Accents

Myth 3. Integrating business philanthropy into company culture is cost prohibitive for a smaller or startup businesses.
While adoption of certain policies and practices have some up front costs associated with them, in the long run, these expenditures have a significant return on investment, helping save the company money and increase profitability. For example, companies that provide volunteer opportunities on company time have found that employee motivation, productivity, and retention are improved. In the long run the company saves money increases its profitability.

There are so many ways to support and partner with nonprofit organizations beyond the old school check philanthropy model.  Many smaller companies do not have a philanthropy budget yet – but there are so many other ways to get invovled that might have even more impact that cutting a small check!

Myth 4. Philanthropy and community involvement activities are fluffy, feel-good, side activities which siphon off valuable resources with little return.
When undertaken strategically and integrated as part of the overall business building strategy, business philanthropy activities can be an essential component of growing the business. Philanthropic involvement with nonprofits offers an important opportunity for “doing well by doing good.”

In fact, many businesses no longer use the terminology philanthropy or community involvement. Instead, in recognition of the possible returns such activities can provide, they are called community investments. Such community investments can have a significant impact on the companies reputation and sales, employees satisfaction and productivity, in addition to making a valuable contribution and being part of the solution to addressing local social issues in the communities in which they operate.

Myth 5. Business philanthropy should be motivated solely by altruism.
Most smaller companies in fact ARE motivated to support nonprofits by a sincere desire to help communities. However, those that are totally altruistic in their approach make their contributions anonymously to support those issues and organizations that matter to them. Such companies are in the minority. Most companies expect that, in addition to making a contribution in the community, there is also some business upside for them from their philanthropy – such as enhanced reputation and visibility.

Having a strong business community helps improve local economies. Having strong local economies helps ensure higher quality of life and access to services for all members of the community, including employees of the company. To effectively improve local conditions, there must be a partnership between government, community organizations, and business to make it happen. Business is an essential and powerful component, without which change is hampered. In the spirit of true partnership, why shouldn’t both the business and a community organization with whom they are engaged both benefit? Ensuring that the relationship is not one-sided helps insure that the relationship is not a one-shot deal and can be sustained and deepened over time. Both sides need to feel there are benefits from their perspective or the relationship will be short-lived which can be a missed opportunity.

“We absolutely do strategically link our community involvement with business goals.  We are for-profit and very proud of that fact.  The link between community investment and the corporate strategic level for us is about brand recognition – good will goes a long way with that.   You can’t quantify it on your balance sheet but it definitely helps to differentiate you from the other players in the marketplace.” –Ron Baumbarger, BitWise Solutions 

Myth 6. When companies engage in community investment activities, it is self-serving if they tell about it.
While shameless self-promotion is of course undesirable, getting the word out about how your company is supporting the community and various organizations, is a way to let employees, customers, and the community know that your company cares and is doing its part to improve the community and be a good citizen. Many of the larger companies have self-selected to develop stand alone annual corporate social responsibility reports, portions of annual reports, and post information on the web site to be more transparent about their efforts.

Studies have shown that consumers want to buy from companies that support causes. If a company does not let its employees current and perspective customers know what they are doing, it is a missed opportunity to strengthen loyalty and maintain and even increase sales.  Remember, 87% of Americans are likely to switch from one product to another (price and quality being equal) if the other product is associated with a good cause, an increase from 66% since 1993.

The effect of hard times on nonprofits is clearly a hot topic.  There was an article by Kevin McCoy and Oren Dorell in today’s USA Today, titled “It’s a hard time to be a charity.”  The article starts by discussing the impact of the Freddie Mac financial woes on its charitable arm and thus the nonprofits and programs that received funding from them. 

The article goes on to state, “The economic crisis threatening the nation with the worst recession in decades has set off tremors among non-profits and charities large and small that rely on donations from Wall Street, industry and average Americans.  The potential impact is just now taking shape, because 2009 grants from many philanthropic foundations are still being set and the end-of-year holiday giving season is opening. Although it’s difficult to draw broad conclusions from reports by individual charities, many non-profits say they are feeling an economic pinch.”

“This is the worst fundraising environment I’ve ever worked in,” says Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer for the American Red Cross, which won promises of $100 million from Congress this month after 2008’s hurricanes, tornadoes and floods depleted the group’s disaster-relief reserves.  The Red Cross is suffering as much as a 30% drop in responses and contributions from new donors, and corporate donations are “coming in at lower amounts.”

The article ends with “”Many charities are between a rock and a hard place, being asked to do more with less,” says Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, a large independent U.S. charity evaluator.

If there’s any so-called bright side, he says, it’s that the economic crisis could force redundant, inefficient or otherwise weak charities to merge with stronger organizations or simply shut down, reducing the competition for contribution dollars.”

It is an interesting article, you should read it.  Click here.

I was checking some facts about giving in the US for my book this morning and I found a press release issued September 19, 2008 from Giving USA Foundation about the impact of recession on giving levels.  It stated,”What really happens to charitable giving when the economy is roiling? A new report from Giving USA Foundation examines the topic from the aspect of past recessions and economic slowdowns, and discovers that while there is an impact on giving, it’s not as dire as conventional wisdom would assume.

“When the economy is uncertain, as it is in 2008, non-profits and others naturally assume the one sector that will be heavily impacted is philanthropy,” said George C. Ruotolo Jr., CFRE, chair of Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits and past chair of Giving USA Foundation. “With history as our guide, we know that’s not true. In fact, while charitable giving is impacted by recessions and/or economic slowdowns, it’s not by nearly as much as one might expect.”

Read the whole release and see what you think.  Of course, this was issued before the big slide on Wall Street…so I wonder if it will still hold true?  At Denver’s Two Percent Club event this week, business leaders certainly were concerned that the 40 percent reduction in foundation assets due to recent Wall Street events would significantly impact their ability to give in future years.

This morning I attended a breakfast sponsored by the Two Percent Club at the Denver Country Club.  The Two Percent Club is an organization actively promoting business involvement in the community.  Their website states: “The member companies of the 2% Club consist of a wide range of industry representation and include every size of business, from sole proprietors to the largest employers. They have supported hundreds of Denver nonprofits with donations, employee volunteers, in-kind support and pro bono services. These leaders encourage and demonstrate business involvement in the community through their support of philanthropic efforts within their own companies, through their own personal commitment and through their leadership and encouragement of others.  We encourage you to get involved—-it’s just good business.”

While we ate our breakfast, each of the six round tables discussed 11 questions concerning community involvement.  They were great questions – I suggest you take a minute and think about the answers to them from your own perspective.

1. Have you arm twisted your vendors or suppliers to get them involved in the community?  How did that work for you?
2. Are government projects and iniatives appropriately steering resources to causes or are they taking funds away from other community groups and causes?
3. Has your company tied your community efforts back to business goals?  If so, how?  Any cause related marketing projects?
4. How do you find time for community efforts – for yourself or your company/employees?
5. What impact is the economic situation having on your giving now or in the future?  What about the overall impact on the nonprofits and the community?
6. Is it OK to self-promote your community efforts, or is that being disingenuous?
7. Do you measure your community efforts?  If so, how?
8. Are your employees involved?  What impact does that have on morale/productivity?
9. Is it good to have a narrow communtiy focus or more of a broad-based focus?
10. Is it appropriate for nonprofits to be invovled in political issues?
11. Black-tie dinners-enough?  Or bring ‘em on?  Alternatives?

The keynote speaker for the event was Peter Coors.  Peter currently is Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Molson Coors Brewing Company.  He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Adolph Coors Company since 2002, and was Chief Executive Officer from May 2000 to July 2002. Peter talked about the unique philosophy we have in the United States concerning citizen (and business) involvement in philanthropy as compared to many other countries where the government is expected to provide all needed servcies in communities.  He talked about business philanthropy being not an obligation for companies as no one is making us do it – rather he feels it is the right thing to do and makes good business sense.  People want to do business with people they think care.

Peter highlighted eight things for companies to remember when engaged in community involvement.

1. Keep your corporate hat on when working with nonprofits – bring business thinking to addressing community issues.
2. Encourage nonprofits to measure their results and business can help with that.
3. Help nonprofits measure their effectiveness using both quantitative approaches while also focusing on the harder to measure feel good factor.
4. Offer in-kind resources
5. Encourage employees and their families to get involved in community projects.  Encourage them to have the same giving philosophy as the business’ leaders.
6. Effectively use your business leverage to make things happen.
7. Be creative, shake up the status quo and look at things differently especially during tough economic times when dollars available have diminished – right now by 40%!!
8. Never doubt the Power of One!  Adopt one school, mentor one child, help one neighborhood.  One person or one business – can make a difference.

It great to have been invited to participate in this event and meet leading local business people who are so committed to supporting their local communities.  The Two Percent Club has a new website and is now actively looking to engage even more businesses as part of its membership.  I am glad to be a member!

Last week I was in DC helping run the State Service Commissioner Institute presented by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Project TASC of JBS International, and the America’s Service Commissions.  As I sit here, back in Denver I am amazed that after my 14 years of working with state service commissions and AmeriCorps, how many people are still unaware of them.  When I mention that I train and consult with AmeriCorps, I often still have to say, “you know…it is the domestic Peace Corps.”  It is still a bit of a well kept secret and that is a shame.  One of the topics I have done extensive work on with AmeriCorps programs nationally is performance measurement and evaluation.  So what I know to be true is that the vast majority of these programs are providing fabulous service to their communities and making a significant impact - because I have helped them figure out how to measure it!

What is AmeriCorps? 

For those of you that don’t know, AmeriCorps is a National Service program that places members (aka volunteers) at nonprofits and state/local government agencies, often in teams, to provide volunteer service addressing identified community needs.  Full-time members give 1700 hours of their time, receive a tiny monthly living stipend, and at the end of their service commitment an educational award of $4725 to pay for additional schooling or past educational debt.  While the majority of members are in the 20’s, there is no upper age limit and it is not uncommon to see 20 somethings working alongside people in their 40’s, 50s, and 60s from a wide range of backgrounds!  The monthly stipend is great, in my opinion, as it levels the playing field allowing people of any financial background to participate – not just those whose parents can afford to support them while they serve!

AmeriCorps programs are designed by community agencies to meet specific local needs in the areas of education, environment, public safety, human needs, and disaster services.  Members provide direct service working with the beneficiaries of their hosting organization doing such things as tutoring students having trouble in school, running afterschool programs, cleaning up neighborhoods, developing neighborhood watch programs, assisting communities hit by disasters, running food pantries, and building homes – just to name a few.  All AmeriCorps programs are required to provide direct service to the community, provide the necessary training for members to effectively provide their service and become more civically engaged, develop partnerships among community organizations, and recruit other community members to get involved as volunteers. 

AmeriCorps is one of the National Service/volunteer programs funded by the federal government.  However, it is interesting to note that AmeriCorps programs are required to match the federal funds they receive with resources generated locally – basically dollar for dollar.  State-based AmeriCorps programs are designed locally and state commissions are able to tailor the allocation of their AmeriCorps resources to insure they meet that state’s most pressing needs.

What is a State Commission? 

There is a bipartisan State Service Commission in every state in the country except South Dakota, as well as Guam and American Samoa.  In 1993, Congress passed the National and Community Service Trust Act that created the Corporation for National and Community Service to administer and oversee National Service. CNCS is the umbrella agency for the old ACTION Agency programs – VISTA and Senior Corps (RSVP, Foster Grandparents, and Senior Companions) – plus the newer AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America programs.  As part of the Act, any state that wanted to receive federal AmeriCorps funds based on a population-based formula needed to establish a state service commission.  Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and commissions are run by a small administrative staff.  State Commissions basically have two main mandates.  The first is to administer the AmeriCorps program in the state to insure it meets critical local needs and second is to promote service and volunteerism as a way to address local issues.  Commissions are usually housed within state government (often in the Governor or Lt. Governor’s offices) or can be stand alone 501(C)(3)s.

Why should you care?

If your company is looking to get more involved locally or at the state-level with well run nonprofits and their programs, the executive director of your state’s service commission is a great person with whom to talk.  S/he will know about opportunities to volunteer in your community, regionally, and/or at the state level.  S/he can also point you to specific programs that could use your business savvy and resources to build their capacity to do even more good in the community.  Also the reach of commissions is wide – if you support their efforts, it is a great way to get your company’s name out there in a positive way!

AmeriCorps programs go through an extensive review and training process so you know when you choose to support one of them, they have been VERY carefully vetted!

The enthusiasm AmeriCorps members have about what they are doing in local communities is absolutely infectious.  It always reminds me that I need to get out and do more volunteer work myself.  Interviewing members for various evaluations I have conducted, I am constantly amazed at how much they have learned about local issues and how to be part of the solution, not just sit around and complain. 

Get involved!  To find your state’s commission, go to: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/contact/statecommission.asp.  From there you can click to go to your state commission’s home page which lists all the local AmeriCorps programs.  Be sure to call the commission’s executive director if you have questions or want to know more about how to get involved.  I know them all – and there is no finer group of people on the planet in my view.  And…feel free to tell them I recommended you call!

I continue to ponder the effects of this Wall Street mess on business philanthropy as I watch friends of mine whose hard earned investments are evaporating seemingly over night!  What is true is that at times like this there is a tendancy for everyone to tighten the belt - one way many companies choose to do that is by reducing their charitable giving.  But what a Catch 22!  Giving is down right at the time that the need for assistance skyrockets!  While on one hand such a reaction is understandable, staying “in the game” is also important.  Not only can your company truly “do good” at times like this but your reputational capital in the community and among customers and employees can be truly strengthened by continuing to give back, even if in smaller ways than previously.

Dollars are down for social service programs from all sources – federal grants, foundations, individuals, businesses…  There was an article in yesterday’s New York Times that I found interesting - Economy Expected to Take a Toll on Charitable Giving by GERALDINE FABRIKANT.  In the article, Fabrikant states, “Foundations are required by law to give away at least 5 percent of their assets a year. But when their assets shrink, their donations tend to shrink as well. Gathering enough money to return to their previous level is often hard.  At the same time, individual and corporate gifts to foundations and other charities generally slow during hard times. According to research prepared by Giving USA, donations did not keep pace with inflation for three consecutive years around two economic slumps, in 1973 and 2001.”

So maybe you don’t have dollars to give right now but stay calm – your company has other resources it can share with worthy nonprofits – many of which you probably take for granted.  Maybe you know how to prepare press releases, collect customer satisfaction data, set up bookkeeping systems, develop and manage databases, have a conference room or parking lot you could loan out…the list of possibilities is long if you think out of the box about your assets.

One problem is that as nonprofits feel the pinch, there is a tendency for them to default to begging for cash which you may not have available.  The dialogue of how you could partner to benefit both organizations and share some other resource you have can be cut short prematurely unintentionally.  If you are approached for a cash donation, if you don’t have cash, you can’t give.  But if it is a cause or organization you want to support, take the time to explore other possibilities and needs they may have.  Get beyond the knee jerk reaction of saying times are tough, how can they ask for money when we are sucking air here and your guilt at having to say no – to seeing what IS possible.

Your company can’t support all the worthy groups out there.  One pack of hotdog buns to every nonprofit that asks doesn’t really make much of a difference.  During times like these, it is essential that your company be very strategic and creative about how you give back.  Being strategic does not mean taking advantage or being crass and inauthentic.  It is certainly more than OK to develop giving criteria and say no to the masses.  Focusing your efforts on a small number of nonprofits that you have some mission connection with can allow you to make a greater difference – both in the community and show that you are one of the “good companies” that didn’t cut and run when times got tough.

Rethink your business giving but please, don’t cut it off completely!  Be part of the solution in whatever ways you can!!

Yesterday, in my Google Alerts for Business Philanthropy, I got a link to an article on Rethinking Business Social Responsibility posted by DanS on Political Groove Forums.  It turned out to be something I had already read sometime back but I think it is interesting to read, if you have not already done so.  DanS provides a transcript of the dialogue that between Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and world famous economist Milton Friedman and Cypress (semiconductor) CEO T.J. Rodgers.

Mackey states, “there can be little doubt that a certain amount of corporate philanthropy is simply good business and works for the long-term benefit of the investors. For example: In addition to the many thousands of small donations each Whole Foods store makes each year, we also hold five 5% Days throughout the year. On those days, we donate 5 percent of a store’s total sales to a nonprofit organization. While our stores select worthwhile organizations to support, they also tend to focus on groups that have large membership lists, which are contacted and encouraged to shop our store that day to support the organization. This usually brings hundreds of new or lapsed customers into our stores, many of whom then become regular shoppers. So a 5% Day not only allows us to support worthwhile causes, but is an excellent marketing strategy that has benefited Whole Foods investors immensely.”

Friedman stated, “I believe Mackey’s flat statement that “corporate philanthropy is a good thing” is flatly wrong. Consider the decision by the founders of Whole Foods to donate 5 percent of net profits to philanthropy. They were clearly within their rights in doing so. They were spending their own money, using 5 percent of one part of their wealth to establish, thanks to corporate tax provisions, the equivalent of a 501c(3) charitable foundation, though with no mission statement, no separate by-laws, and no provision for deciding on the beneficiaries. But what reason is there to suppose that the stream of profit distributed in this way would do more good for society than investing that stream of profit in the enterprise itself or paying it out as dividends and letting the stockholders dispose of it? The practice makes sense only because of our obscene tax laws, whereby a stockholder can make a larger gift for a given after-tax cost if the corporation makes the gift on his behalf than if he makes the gift directly. That is a good reason for eliminating the corporate tax or for eliminating the deductibility of corporate charity, but it is not a justification for corporate charity.”

So just a little tension, eh? They both had a lot more to say than the small pieces I pulled for you.  Read the whole thing and see which parts of these positions resonate with you!  Of course, I am on the side of strategic business philanthropy being an essential component of business social responsibility.  I also believe, especially in light of recent issues on Wall Street, it is only good that there is rising peer and consumer pressure on companies to rethink their values and operating practices and give consideration to the Triple Bottom Line – not profit at any cost.