Having spent many years in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) world I'm always interested in what happens in that sector. So I make a habit of filling out a survey once in a while as which companies are asking what questions can tell you a lot - and I'm not adverse to a coupon for free stuff once in a while.
I was particularly intrigued last week however when I noticed a question at the bottom of the multi-page survey: a detailed query on which types of charities I liked to support. So clearly the folks at the survey company are either getting interest from the CPG firms in this kind of data, or they believe there's money to be made in having this sort of info available for the CPG firms. Either way it's another sign of how pervasive the links between corporate giving (and more broadly Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR]) and corporate business plans are becoming.
Whether this is actually good news for the charitable world is being hotly debated, but I believe the debate on the value of greatly increased direct corporate-to-charity giving boils down to simple question of motivation and leadership. If corporations jump on the bandwagon because it's the "flavour of the month" this will distort charities as they seek to access these funds, and hurt them when the next new marketing vehicle is found. Worse yet, there is the risk that other donors will see through this thin facade of corporate largesse (e.g. "pink-washing" backlash) and begin to believe that all corporate-charitable partnerships are selfishly motivated, which is thankfully and clearly not the case.
But if this is part of a broader move to deeper and broader partnerships between corporations and charities then we all benefit. In the long run the leadership of the CPG firms, and the CSR values that they infuse into their organizations, will determine the nature of this relationship for better or for worse.
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