Let’s remember that we live in a world where more people hold the words of Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, true “we cannot privatize profits and socialise losses”.

 

Gone are the days of only profits. Welcome to the new world of purpose. Granted the world is a different place from what we’re use with the politically correct societies maturing (or degenerating) to the “cancel culture” with so much do’s and don’ts, it may be hard to navigate the current storm without hurting someone’s feelings, even if it is unintentional.

 

Let’s look at some fundamental points on why supporting charity is good for business:

 

Sustainability

In its various forms sustainability can be perceived as an integration of throughout the value chain must not only do this or that but also impact business conduct and governance, and involve both our internal and external stakeholders. It is well beyond the sustainability of profits, but sustainability of an organization’s business-model. How sustainable is regular giving by a particular organisation year in, year out? Nowadays anyone can get a particular ISO certification, even if it’s just for two people talking to each other.

 

What is treasured by customers is something that an organizations earns and not bought. There are so many accreditation and affiliations out there. Hand-in-hand with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2030, we must all embrace sustainability not as a challenge but rather, an opportunity.

 

Giving back

We are not talking about the traditional ways of handing a one-off cheque for a photo-shoot, or bringing orphans for a group photo or just collecting trash from the beach – although granted all are important in their own way - but what today’s customers are looking for is a deeper meaning, a more impactful change and a way to perceive the giving as something sustainable, something with the word of the moment: purpose.

 

Don’t know where to start, refer to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 of the UN and for starters: “no poverty”, “good health & well-being”, “gender equality” and “reduced inequalities” among others. Lest we forget the environment and thinking beyond green with humanity’s constant damage we are doing, we live in a world where companies can offset their carbon-footprint and take action, yet another SDG goal “climate action”.

 

Value-seeking customers

We must remember that fans/customers/supporters/advocate are no longer who they were studied to be. Gone are the days where a sales person would spend 70 percent of his/her time convincing customers and only 30 percent left for the customer to think. Instead, thanks in part to the internet, customers are much more savvy and know exactly what they want and recognise the options they have. The value they perceived is at different levels but more of customer experience, price, quality and availability of the product or service. That is the value addition.

 

Customer is #1

Customers are able to recognise the difference between a gimmick and a veritable act of kindness, and that recognition must never be taken for granted. From the standpoint of customers, these are the what is being perceived ever more closely in terms of care to society; does the customer have CSR programs? Can I donate my reward points to charity? Is the company B-Certified? Does the company calculate its Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG) as set by the United Nations?

 

Differentiator

Ask yourself, what is the difference between your organizations and its competitors other than the usual suspects of customer service, quality, price and availability? Away from all the media fog and flashy banners, what good do you really do for society? That is a key question that stakeholders must be asking themselves. Once customer recognise a veritable act of kindness done by a company, chances are they will speak of it and inform their circles (including positive online reviews). That in itself must be good enough drive for any company to support. Imagine for a moment a company that does consistently good as per its mandate, not just out of irregular perceived CSR activities but well beyond. Companies which I’ve come across such as Nehmeh for example believe in “doing good by doing well”.

 

Even getting involved in free campaigns and movement be it on a national, regional or global level (such as the Giving Tuesday initiative which just launched in the Arab World for the first time).

 

So you see, businesses that are genuinely giving to charity inevitably head towards becoming a social enterprise, and that is where the future lies.

 

“Be the change you want to see in the world,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

This timeless statement should not only be consider valid for individuals but for now organisations and institutions too – regardless whether they are for-profits or non-profits or somewhere in between.