Report author Alison Rose reflects on the findings

 

 

Alison P. Rose
Manager, Standards and Measurement
Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy

October 27, 2011 -- CECP has had the privilege of collecting corporate giving data  since 2001. The last ten years have yielded a storehouse of information that illuminates the relationship between corporate giving and the macroeconomic and cultural factors that influence businesses and their communities.

In 2010, the looming threat of a double-dip recession and widespread unease about the future of global markets significantly affected those factors. With unemployment rates remaining high, many communities in the U.S. and abroad struggled to find their footing. Moreover, the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January was only one of several severe natural disasters that commanded an international response.

As 2010 was the third in a series of strained and uncertain years, this edition of Giving in Numbers not only presents a profile of corporate philanthropy in 2010, but also seeks to answer the pivotal question: How has corporate giving changed since the onset of the economic downturn? The multi-year analysis in the opening section of this report offers a short answer: Companies do not always move in tandem. While some have responded to community need at levels that far exceed their contribution levels in 2007, other companies have cut back.

Corporate Philanthropy is Looking Up
On July 13, CECP was invited to lead a VolunteerMatch Best Practice Network webinar, titled "Giving in Numbers: Emerging Trends in Corporate Giving." In this post, Jesse Fineman of VolunteerMatch provides a recap of the discussion. This post originally appeared on the VolunteerMatch blog. 

Jesse Fineman
Intern, VolunteerMatch
Guest Contributor, CECP Blog

July 21, 2011 -- Even as our economy recovers from a downturn, surveys show that corporate giving levels have risen. Alison Rose, Manager of Standards and Measurement at CECP presented these findings and more in “Giving in Numbers: Emerging Trends in Corporate Philanthropy” on July 13th. This webinar was part of our continuing Best Practice Network series.

Harnessing Corporate Philanthropy to Educate the World's Poor
On International Corporate Philanthropy Day, CECP partnered with the United Nations on a program focused on Millennium Development Goal -2, “Promoting Universal Education for All.” Following on this event, we wanted to share with you a guest blog post focusing on a recent report by the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, which specifically examines the role of corporate philanthropy in addressing educational needs in developing countries.

 

 

Justin W. van Fleet
Ph.D. Candidate and Fellow, International Education Policy, University of Maryland
Guest Contributor, CECP Blog

Author of Brookings Report: A Global Education Challenge: Harnessing Corporate Philanthropy to Educate the World’s Poor

April 5, 2011 -- Despite the undeniable benefits of education for society, the educational needs around the world remain strikingly great, particularly in the poorest countries. The global community pledged to enroll all children in school by 2015 but thus far, has fallen short.  And UNESCO estimates that over $16 billion would be needed in external resources to achieve this goal.  With estimates showing American companies giving over $7 billion annually to support global health, no data existed on corporate philanthropic efforts to support education in the developing world, until now.