Jul 27, 2009
Corporate Giving in Times of Change
On the heels of the 2008 economic downturn, MIPH and most other
nonprofits I know of are re-thinking how they approach for-profit
corporations for philanthropic support.
One thing’s for sure: times continue to change. Danish author Isak
Dinesen observed that “God made the world round so we would never be
able to see too far down the road.” Our plans can’t be written in
granite; more like with a No. 2 lead pencil.
I noticed in a recent issue of The Nonprofit Times that an emerging
trend among for-profit corporations is to better align their giving
with their own best business interests. So you see Home Depot providing
building materials and money for Habitat for Humanity; you see Ben
& Jerry’s Ice Cream creating a new flavor Imagine Whirled Peace,
presumably with a share of the proceeds going toward the nonprofit
organization Peace One Day.
What this means, I believe, is that nonprofits need to become more
strategic in their asking. We need to read, align, and focus our
requests to make it a win-win for corporate philanthropy.
So at MIPH, we are re-thinking, aligning, and focusing our development
efforts in a way that is likely to be more successful. How is YOUR
nonprofit addressing this?
--JJ
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