Corporate philanthropy
The Community Foundation frequently works with executives and business owners to develop well-rounded corporate giving programs to support the causes that are important to the company and its employees. Our team works with companies to develop and administer corporate giving programs that deliver three important results:
Help boost the company’s brand and public image;
Increase employee engagement, as well as enhance talent recruiting efforts and retention; and
Most importantly, achieve meaningful results in the communities where the company’s employees live and work.
We are your charitable back office to help you support causes that matter!
Why is corporate philanthropy important?
According to the 2020 Porter Novelli Executive Purpose Study, more than 80% of large company executives believe for-profit companies have a responsibility to play a role in resolving social issues. The study also found that most executives believe a social impact strategy improves customer loyalty (93%) and helps motivate a buying decision (91%).
Corporate philanthropy solutions
The Community Foundation offers a variety of tools to help you build and grow your corporate philanthropy program, including:
Corporate Foundation
Establishing a corporate donor advised fund helps organize your company’s giving in a convenient, 501(c)(3)-qualified structure. Our team can help you set up an advisory board, grant procedures, and a strategy that aligns with both your community and business goals.
Executive Donor Advised Fund Program
Offering this elevated employee benefit to your executive team can help activate your senior management’s community involvement. You can even offer this program to any employee to help boost retention and engagement. The Community Foundation can help.
MATCHING GIFTS ADMINISTRATION
We can help you establish and manage a matching gifts program to engage your employees in the causes they care about.
EMPLOYEE GIVING CAMPAIGNS
From time to time, especially when a local, national, or international disaster occurs, your company may want to offer opportunities for your employees to help support relief efforts. We are happy to work with you to set up an online giving campaign, ensuring that the dollars flow to organizations that will responsibly address the urgent needs of affected people.
Corporate philanthropy program PRINCIPLES
The team at the Community Foundation works alongside your team to structure a corporate giving program that will work well for your company and its employees. Our team helps you build and activate a six-step framework for your program, made up of the following components:
Mission
Embrace and follow an overarching mission statement, consistent with the purpose of the business and integrated into the company’s objectives for success to reinforce the company’s values in the community.
Structure
Typically, a corporate foundation serves as the hub--or at least a key part--of the overall corporate social responsibility program. Companies are wise to evaluate what type of corporate foundation structure would be most effective. For example, a corporate donor advised fund at the Community Foundation can be established as a tax-advantageous “ABC Corporation Foundation,” allowing the company and its team to stay in the forefront as the face of the corporate foundation while utilizing the behind-the-scenes capabilities of the Community Foundation to process grants, handle accounting, receive and process gift transactions, and maintain records.
Alignment
A strong program includes a mechanism for ongoing cause identification and research to stay current with employee, customer, and community trends. It also helps when a company can make a case for why corporate causes are aligned with the business’s purpose and the needs of the overall population of its industry or marketplace.
Engagement
Employee engagement and participation in a company’s community relations and investment program will drive employee loyalty and retention and, in turn, consumer brand engagement. Companies should harness the enthusiasm of employee-led volunteer and fundraising activities.
Communications
Celebrate the company’s program in a manner that is integrated with, and complementary to, the company’s overall brand image and public relations strategies. This occurs in the media, through events, on the website, in printed materials, and social media.
Evaluation & Reporting
Best practices suggest ongoing monitoring of the results of the program against one or more indicators of success, including employee engagement, employee loyalty, operating efficiency, community impact of money invested, customer perception, and marketplace reputation.