Corporate Social Investing: The Breakthrough Strategy for Giving and Getting Corporate Contributions

Over the past twenty years, Curt Weeden has been directly or indirectly responsible for the distribution of more than $1 billion in corporate contributions. He recently founded Business & Nonprofit Strategies, Inc. (BNS), which manages the Corporate Contributions Management Academy in Palm Coast, Florida. The academy provides management education to contributions, public affairs, public relations, and other business executives who interact with nonprofit organizations on behalf of their corporations. For seven years, Weeden served as Johnson & Johnson’s vice president for corporate contributions. Under his direction, the Johnson & Johnson multinational contributions program grew from $41 million in 1991 to $146 million in 1997.

Corporate philanthropy is on its way out. A new concept called "corporate social investing"-which requires that every commitment of money and/or product/equipment/land which a company makes must have a significant business reason-is taking its place. The transition has implications to every business and nonprofit organization in America. This book provides the strategic plan for making the transition to corporate social investing. By following the practical steps described here, businesses and nonprofits can forge creative alliances that can boost corporate profits while at the same time providing added resources for schools, colleges, cultural organizations, civic groups, and other important charities. Weeden's breakthrough plan, based on his innovative concept of corporate social investing, has the potential to dramatically change the way businesses and nonprofits interact. If widely implemented, it could substantially increase corporate support for nonprofits, turning the tide against cutbacks, offering profound benefits to businesses, and revitalizing the essential services nonprofits provide.

Foreword by Paul Newman Foreword by Peter Lynch Preface Acknowledgments 1. The Confused State of Corporate Philanthropy 2. A New Way of Thinking and Acting 3. Step 1. Moving from Corporate Giving to Corporate Social Investing 4. Step 2. Extracting Business Value from Social Investments 5. Step 3. Which Nonprofits Qualify—And Which Don’t 6. Step 4. Making a Declaration for Corporate Social Investing 7. Step 5. The CEO Endorsement 8. Step 6. The Annual Social Involvement Report 9. Step 7. Committing to the Corporate Social Investment Model: Part I, Percentages 10. Step 7. Committing to the Corporate Social Investment Model: Part II, Strategic Plans 11. Step 8. When Social Investing Should Be Postponed 12. Step 9. Building the Management Team for Social Investing 13. Step 10. The Day-to-Day Manager 14. Making It Work 15. The Power of Corporate-Nonprofit Alliances References Index The Author