United States corporations annually give away over $11 billion dollars to nonprofits, or 1.3% of pre-tax income. Many corporations, however, do not give their money strategically. Philanthropic donations provide a useful, though seldom fully leveraged, channel for improving outcomes for both the community and the corporation. CWV's strategic philanthropy services aim to help corporations derive the maximum business benefit from philanthropic endeavors.

Strategic philanthropy can:

• Address issues of strategic importance to the company and its business mission
• Enhance company image among key stakeholders
• Develop corporate allies
• Support employee recruitment strategies
• Strengthen employee morale

CWV helps clients examine and improve their philanthropic activities. Our methodology involves auditing the corporation's current philanthropy, identifying community needs, determining employees' priorities, and identifying corporate business objectives that can be achieved through philanthropy. We work with corporations to determine the appropriate philanthropic focus, grant recipients, grant size, and public relations strategy to achieve the greatest impact on both community needs and business goals. We help corporate foundations shift from unstructured outlets for the CEO's pet projects to strategic business units.

CWV Strategic Corporate Philanthropy Approach

• Phase 1 - Assessment and Plan Design
  Deliverable: A strategic plan, with mission statement, supporting goals, program strategies, and resource needs.

• Phase 2 - Implementation and Evaluation
  Deliverable: A program and a set of organizational changes that meets the plan of previous phase, with defined metrics for ongoing program evaluation and monitoring.

To read about our work with corporations, click here.

Other Services:
Cause-Related Marketing

Employee Service Programs