The End of the Barking Dog
What’s your opinion on the purpose of corporate philanthropy?
Is it an example of the powerful partnership that can be created between business and nonprofits?
Or is it simply about writing a check – and checking a box?
I mentioned in an earlier post on The Changebase that I recently attended the 2009 Net Impact Conference at Cornell University, and one of the panels I attended tackled this question.
The panel was called “The Evolution of Corporate Philanthropy: Achieving Greater Impact through Strategic Giving” – and moderator Mark Kramer, managing director at FSG Social Impact Advisors, immediately set the record straight regarding the changing role of corporate philanthropy over time.
His hypothesis is that in the last twenty years, the purpose of corporate philanthropy has evolved from mere existence (he actually used the word “irrelevance”) to creating shared value for a company, its nonprofit partners, and its community.
To prove this point, Mark enlisted the help of an impressive corporate philanthropy panel:
- Anne Bronson, director of US Corporate Citizenship at Accenture
- Jason McBriarty, senior manager of Worldwide Community Affairs at Levi Strauss (and a Boston University MBA!)
- Hasting Stewart, vice president at Shell Oil Company Foundation.
Here’s what I learned:
Ashley Jablow is a 2nd year MBA student, former nonprofit Fundraiser and Corporate Philanthropy Intern, and a motivated Changemaker.