Smart managers understand that corporate citizenship, the legal, ethical, and economic responsibilities to their communities, is the social role of businesses. From financial contributions to inclusive work environments, businesses everywhere have an opportunity to step upend support their local community.
Charitable work, volunteering, donations, and education support aren’t just left to the non-profits. In fact, for-profit businesses and corporations can make just as big of an impact as their non-profit cousins. In 2016, United States’ corporate donations amounted to $18.55 billion through a combination of charitable donations, fundraisers, and internal programs. Among the most popular of these programs is the tried and true matching gift. While many variations exist, in basic terms the matching gift program lets employees choose which non-profit to support and how much they’d like to support, all with the support of their employers who “match” the amount donated. Not only does this program put power, mindfulness, and a sense of charitability in the hands of employees, it helps make a bigger difference than one individual could make on their own. General Electric has one of the longest running matching gift programs and has matched more than $36 million in 2017 alone.Turning charitability into a team effort not only strengthens trust and collaboration among employees and management, but also opens opportunities for communities that have never been possible before.
With a goal of eliminating the destructive stereotype of large businesses “taking over” smaller communities, more and more for-profit businesses are stepping up to the plate. How does your company step up to support the disadvantaged and their communities? Take a look at this infographic for more about corporate citizenship and the responsibility that corporations have to bettering the lives of not only their employees, but the whole world as well.
Infographic Courtesy of Best Social Work Programs http://www.bestsocialworkprograms.com/big-companies-help-disadvantaged/