Putting the Heart Back in Corporate Philanthropy
What most companies miss about giving back
As a veteran of corporate philanthropy, and as a long-time architect of strategic contributions, of late, I’m concerned about the lack of compassion and waning focus on impact in giving of legacy companies.
I worked for Sara Lee Corporation (and Foundation) at a time when companies were flush with money and had big contributions budgets. Those were the good ol’ days.
Sara Lee gave away a lot of money and I was responsible for identifying nonprofits to receive support. I had the privilege of executing the company’s community strategy and I managed several focus areas, including the company’s largest: Arts and Culture.
One of the most important things I realized during that time was that people cared deeply about the causes for which they wanted support. If you’ve ever been passionate about anything, you know how that feels.
I decided early on that whenever someone came to me for help, I would imagine myself in their shoes. And, even if I couldn’t provide the support they needed, I was responsive and tried to offer something. That something may not have been the cash or in-kind support they sought, it may have been advice or connection to another funder, but it was important to me that people left our interaction with something useful.
That habit built relationships and people still come to me today, twenty-five or so years hence, for advice, counsel and support. Not only did I believe in my approach to support seekers, I required my teams to adopt the same approach.
Since leaving corporate life, I now spend more time on what I call the “other side of the money.” I work with nonprofit organizations and on my own passion projects that rely on donations (cash or in-kind) to thrive.
Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a company about support for an event I’ve been planning. I architected a Leadership Series for a nonprofit that is doing impressive work to impact the Chicago community. I reached out to several people, who would have been my peers if I still led contributions, at different companies.
To my surprise, I discovered my approach to grant-seekers was very different from what I encountered and it made me wonder… have kindness and compassion left grantmaking?
One company had me jump through many hoops and, as of this writing, I haven’t heard from anyone in the contributions department. I had someone else in the company say, “it’s probably not going to work out;” a conclusion I had already drawn.
I, of all people, abundantly understand companies can’t support everything. What I don’t understand is, where did common decency go?
When I worked in contributions, I never wanted to waste anyone’s time, which is why my default was candor, honesty, and hopefully something of value to take along, even if it wasn’t why you came.
So I’m putting department heads, people who now hold the same jobs I previously held, on blast.
My advice is this: Respond. Show up. Treat people like you want to be treated.
As a long-time industry professional, I’m concerned about a new crop of philanthropy leads who seem more comfortable punching a time clock than helping organizations (and the people attached to them) address real and meaningful issues. This isn’t a blanket criticism of every person sitting in the decision-making roles, I’m speaking to the people who landed in the seat without understanding the professionalism and compassion that the assignment requires.
You see, in the absolute, everything comes back to how we behave and treat other people. I learned from my dad at a young age (and still believe to this day) that we should “treat people like we want to be treated.”
Companies, especially those with a large customer bases need to impart that mentality to their employees. Don’t allege that you care about customers and corporate reputation if you’re not willing to fully walk the talk.
Companies are super responsive when a customer complains on Twitter or when they receive bad press. They will overcompensate when the proverbial “you-know-what hits the fan” and apologize to make up for the terrible interaction with a customer because we all know the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, right?
So, my question is: “Why don’t companies focus on making positive interactions at every level their default procedure? Why not strive to provide positive experiences for every person you encounter? Why not be the same company all the time?”
My hope in asking these questions, and bringing up these examples, is two things:
One
That there should be a standard of service every company provides, and that emotional intelligence is embedded in it.
Two
That there is someone inside the company who creates and manages that culture properly.
I’ve often told my teams to imagine themselves on the other side of the transaction, no matter what it is. Even if you can’t get them what they want, leave people whole. Leave people with something they can carry with them. Think about how you want to be treated.
Every company has an ethics policy, something that provides a bare minimum for proper human behavior, but not every company has a “treatment” policy, a baseline of how to treat people.
People who actually care about making the world a better place will go above and beyond. Those who are punching the time clock as a means to an end will not.
Which one are you?
