Where Are Your Priorities? Time to Shift the Focus of Corporate Giving to Include Emergency Financial Assistance

Corporate giving is common for nearly every type of company, from the small family business to the largest multinationals. Every year, teams gather to allocate corporate giving dollars. Whether charity is focused internationally, nationally, or only on high profile workplace donation campaigns, the activity can be a great way to get employees involved with their community. Not only that, it is an essential part of corporate social responsibility.

With that in mind, most board members and CEOs would likely agree that the first priority in giving is the employee community. A particular point of emphasis is allowing them to give to and help each other. On any given day, someone on staff may be dealing with the financial aftermath of a personal hardship or natural disaster. Suddenly, this person is faced with balancing work responsibilities and the hardship of an unforeseen emergency. Aside from the obvious difficulties associated with these events, there can be a considerable cost to the employer in terms of workplace productivity.

It is true that employees in need are often helped by generous, but informal, “pass the hat” campaigns in the workplace. However, a formal and dedicated company focus on personal emergencies in the employee community can be much more effective. With the right level of company support, employees will know that their employer supports them in times of disaster or hardship.

Carving out even a small portion of the company’s philanthropic pie to create an employee emergency relief fund can a long way towards making employees feel valued. Further, it will help meet your company’s civic responsibility of giving. Another bonus is that donations to the fund are tax-deductible, creating further incentive for charitable giving close to home. For these reasons, including employees in the larger context of corporate giving makes good business sense, and is a great way to exemplify good corporate citizenship.