For Closely-held and Family Owned Businesses
When considering a charitable giving program the first step is to clearly define the intent-- the purpose-- of the philanthropic activities.
Is it:
- To protect or reconstitute the company’s reputation?
- To build customer loyalty?
- To improve employee relations: hiring, retention or morale?
- To be a good member of the community?
All of these are valid reasons for corporate philanthropy. A business’s philanthropy is far more effective if it is synergistic with the corporate vision and aligned with the company’s marketing or business strategies. It should also respond to the needs and interests of stakeholders: the employees, the customers, the community(ies) in which the company is located.
We work with the key decision maker(s) to design a philanthropic process that achieves clearly defined objectives, tied to measurable benchmarks. If it is a family owned business the role and relationship of family members and their interests is always a consideration, but it does not drive the company’s charitable plan.
We help our clients incorporate their philanthropy into their marketing and outreach materials as well as communications with employees or customers. We provide the landscape analyses they need to make informed decisions about the best way to be a good corporate citizen within the demographic and geographic parameters they’ve established.
As a business and marketing strategy, effective and visible philanthropy can have an impact on the bottom line that more than returns on the investment.