Editor�s Letter

Giving Good & Smart

Charity as a business model? Like most small businesses, you�re constantly being asked to give money, buy candy, cards or other chatchkies, provide product, or distribute flyers for this charity or that.

But chances are you don�t �package� your giving into a planned program or make sure the community knows you�re supporting local groups. Tooting your own horn may sound self-serving (because it is), but companies around the globe are realizing that corporate citizenship is also smart business. As reported in Business Week, �In a weaker retail climate, philanthropy, and the image it projects, has suddenly become a competitive advantage.�

That explains in part why, according to the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy, retailers contributed 1.7 of their pre-tax profits to good causes in 2005, compared to just 0.9 for other companies.

While you probably can�t give away as much as some of the big boys, it�s not a bad idea to take some tips from them. For starters, instead of giving willy nilly, most say it�s important to focus on one or two charities�and to do so for at least a 12-month period.

Don�t just think dollars and cents, however. There are other ways to give. Could you or other staff members contribute your time? A product or eyewear makeover as a door prize? Your location as a fundraiser site?

One doctor I spoke with recently added a budget line he calls �corporate conscience.� And others say they�ve put charitable giving under marketing because broadcasting your giving will help position you within the community.

And, while your grandmother may have said virtue is it�s own reward, it�s crass but correct that giving away will also give back. Not just in terms of gratification, but in bottom-line business as well.

Stephanie K. De Long

Editor-in-Chief

Image courtesy of Oakley. Style shown: Radar