3 Companies That Are Doing Philanthropy Right
Philanthropy is just one component of a company’s social responsibility, but it is a part that is highly visible and easily subject to scrutiny. As consumers increasingly care more about companies’ societal impact, corporate executives have a bigger motivation to increase their company’s philanthropic giving. Donations and volunteering don’t immediately offer the best return on investment, but they can help boost a company’s name recognition and even help a company’s success down the line. Plus, they help solve societal issues in the process!
Let’s take a look at three well-known companies that are respected for their charitable efforts:
Microsoft: Bill Gates is almost as famous for his charitable giving as he is for founding Microsoft, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Employees make a special push every October during their Employee Giving Campaign to raise as much money as possible, knowing that Microsoft will match their donations up to $15,000 per employee. Microsoft employees have volunteered more than 2 million hours of their time since Microsoft began the match program in 2005.
But Microsoft’s giving is even more impressive than that. Since 1983, its employees have donated more than $1 billion and Microsoft’s total philanthropic giving to nonprofits — including cash, services, and software — is more than $6.5 billion to date!
Fedex: Fedex is great at delivering packages, but the company is also great at delivering philanthropic money to places in the community that need it most. Fedex focus its donations and investments in three primary areas: emergency and disaster relief, environmental sustainability, and child pedestrian safety.
For example, in environmental sustainability, FedEx is focused on continuing to grow its fleet of hybrid and electric cars, which is saving hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel. They are also currently collaborating with EMBARQ to improve transportation and quality of life issues in Brazil, India, and Mexico. In the case of disaster relief, Fedex has sent shipments to help tsunami victims in Japan, shipped humanitarian goods to Ethiopia, and donated air supply flights to UNICEF in response to the Somalian famine.
Intel: Since 1988, Intel has advanced into one of the biggest tech companies in
the world, designing and creating computer chips that are used in some of the most advanced technology out there today. But Intel also excels at inspiring its employees to help out in underserved communities and donate to educational innovation. In 2011, for instance, 50% of Intel’s employees volunteered over a million hours and donated, with the help of Intel’s retirees, over $16 million to relevant nonprofits. The Intel Foundation donated $10 billion on top of that to help make an even bigger difference.
Intel has also done wonders for empowering girls and women around the world. The Intel Foundation partners with NGOs and nonprofits to help eliminate gender-based obstacles and give girls and women the opportunities they deserve to participate equally in the modern global economy.
