Community, Economy and Me.
November 5th, 2009 by Dharma SubramanianIt recently hit me that it’s been almost two years since I moved to Chicago, and I have yet to become actively involved in any sort of community outreach. The excuse of still being new to the city no longer holds true. But what got me started down this path of philanthropy in the first place? Well, one of our clients recently announced their sponsorship of a global safe, clean drinking water initiative, and we’re working with them to get their employees involved. It’s heartening to see that within less than two weeks of announcing the sponsorship, close to 300 employees have already signed up to help plan and execute programs to promote safe, clean drinking water.
Engaging in community outreach and corporate philanthropy is always important and necessary, even when times are tough. Unfortunately, as described in this Web edition of The Nonprofit Quarterly, many companies have dramatically cut back on their corporate giving budgets in these recessionary times. However, it’s important for organizations and corporations to cash in on the non-monetary expenditure of employee volunteerism. In his article, “Employees in the Community – A Global Force for Good,” David Logan explains:
“Employee community involvement…allows employees to become the ambassadors of the company all around the world. Company resources are matched by employee enthusiasm and above all, employees bring to the community the special skills and problem-solving abilities of the for-profit sector. While money and in-kind resources remain a vital part of the corporatize contribution around the world, the growing deployment of employees in the community is a majorly unexplored development.”
So while companies should stop making the excuse of not having the money to give back to communities, I need to stop making more excuses for not signing up to help out in my neighborhood!