• http://www.ideafutures.com We all know of the derivatives market where speculators gamble billions everyday on what the future price of wheat, gold and pork bellies will be, so how about speculating on what year extraterrestrials will be discovered, or whether or not Lord of the Rings will be the highest grossing movie of all time, or how long Bill Clinton’s Marriage will last. It’s a bit of fun, but hey, is it adding any less value to the planet than trying to guess the future price of the inside of a pig.

Many corporate organisations already make annual donations to various charities as part of their corporate policies and the charities that receive their support are more than grateful for that generosity. And I am the first to congratulate those organisations for their support.

However, the decision to support particular charities is normally made at a senior management level and tax considerations often form part of the decision making process.

What may be a better option for companies, is to involve members of staff in choosing which charities to support and also to decide what form that support may take. Support does not simply have to be the writing of a cheque, although charities are never so flush with funds that donations of the monetary kind are turned away.

Many benefits can be realised by supporting charities in other ways. The Salvation Army’s annual Red Shield door-knock appeal is always in need of volunteers, as are many other charities that conduct door-knock and street appeals. So why not get a team of staff members together and door-knock your business district together, then meet up for a barbeque afterwards. It’s so much more fun than doing it on your own.

Another option is for your company to support a child overseas through World Vision or a similar agency. In fact, why not sponsor several children from different parts of the world. This way, members of staff can take turns in writing letters to the children and even the staff member’s children can write letters. The personal learning and satisfaction that occurs in sponsoring a child overseas is immeasurable.

Supporting a charity has a three-fold benefit to business. Firstly it is a simple means whereby businesses can put something back into the community that it derives its income from. Secondly it is a wonderful opportunity to bring work teams closer together by focussing on a worthwhile project, and thirdly it provides an opportunity for individuals to fulfill their personal contribution and community goals.

Given that more and more management texts are referring to a company’s ‘triple bottom line’, supporting a charity goes some way towards achieving the ‘social responsibility’ side of that triangle.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

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