Diversity finds priority in corporate giving

Companies are aligning philanthropy programs to meet overall business objectives, and reputation and branding needs, according to a report from The Conference Board, the New York-based global research organization. Nearly half of survey participants see aligning the giving program with business objectives and corporate reputation/branding as the biggest change in their function during the last five years.

As part of their giving programs, more than two-thirds say volunteerism will grow in importance, while another third say the biggest challenge will be in measuring the results and outcomes of 2006 corporate contributions programs.

Diversity also will receive more consideration in 2006. Among giving decisions related to diversity, 22 percent of companies surveyed listed Latino organizations as being more important to their programs this year, while 17 percent cite African-American organizations as more important. However, many companies (40 percent) use the size of their workforce in local markets to decide where to make contributions outside their home country.