A post by Karen Mahlab over at Pro Bono made for interesting reading today.  She looked back over the changes in giving or donating that have occurred in the last ten years and I was surprised at what she found.

Whilst, over the last decade or so, companies have been more inclined to embrace the idea “corporate responsibility” and give back to the community, in the form of charitable donations, so too have charities altered considerably.

Where they have finely honed their skills in order to use the most effective, emotive and powerful language, marketing and advertising to extract funds from the community, they are also realising their tactics are being perceived more and more as bullying and manipulation.

Charities, in order to remain in public favour have been forced to become more personable, and with charities popping up on an almost weekly basis, as a donor it’s difficult to manage what and who you want to support.

Corporations, too, are making it easier for employees to support charitable organisations and, in the process, demonstrating their compassion and giving back.

The result is a mutual understanding between charities and corporations; corporations are no longer feeling pressured into donating, nor feeling like they ‘should’ be charitable in order to look good in the eyes of their consumers.

Charities are more at ease with the corporate world and better able to work with large companies for mutual benefit; a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction on behalf of the company, and much needed funds raised for the organisation in need.

The 1999 establishment of the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), further enabled workplaces to support charities of their choice, as well as enabling employees to choose their preferred beneficiary.

Making life easier for both the charities and companies only serves to enhance the experience for everyone involved, to better support charitable organisations and fulfil the needs of corporate responsibility on behalf of the businesses involved.