IS CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY A DATED NOTION?
Sometimes we hear people talk as if investments in greening internal business practices should take precedent over “giving money away.” We agree that it is imperative for businesses to make the changes they are capable of to improve the sustainability of their operations. But we also understand that options for affecting truly meaningful change are limited. Many companies are enticed by low-hanging fruit only to find that systemic change is out of reach. The relevant questions for a company to ask are: what are my options for affecting change? And which of these options can advance our strategic interests? Through this lens, investing in non-profit organizations has long been and will remain a powerful strategic tool for companies that are smart about how they make such investments. After all, it’s the work of activists and non-profits that has led to most of the significant changes we’ve seen in attitudes and behavior around the environment. Projecting into the future, it’s unlikely t
