More Than Money: Top Business Initiative Ideas To Make Impact

According to a study by Double the Donation, companies donated more than $ 20 billion last year, and the world’s top 10 corporations donated more than $2 billion, most of which came from employee charitable contributions, 360matchpro.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies – it’s not just a trend or a part of PR-strategy. It’s rather an integral part of modern businesses, which aim for improving brand strategy, making a contribution to the world, engaging employees as well as attracting top talents. We have learned from our own experience at Refocus that business philanthropy is not always about financial donations. It is much more important to bring value to other people and give them new opportunities. So what impact can your business bring?

Educational initiatives

Providing an opportunity to gain new knowledge and, as a result, a job, expanding horizons and a chance to live better is a great idea for educational businesses. This is especially true against the background of the fact that 114 million people around the world lost their jobs during the pandemic. Since Refocus is engaged in education, we considered it our responsibility to help those in need acquire new knowledge and find employment in the future. During the quarantine in 2020, we launched free educational courses in marketing and web design for clients, who lost jobs. Also we support the Nochlezhka charity organization, providing the homeless the opportunity to master the professions in demand and get a new job.

And there are many examples of EdTech-companies charity. In June 2020 Coursera Inc. partnered with Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) to improve the skills of 50,000 unemployed young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone got free access to 3,800 online courses and were able to learn how to work with data, artificial intelligence, programming and other skills that are relevant in the modern world.

Educational platform Udemy Inc. provided 700 free courses for the talent exchange platform Eightfold AI to help those who lost their jobs in the pandemic.

We also cooperate with the orphanage, providing children with the opportunity to master digital professions and ensure a prosperous future for themselves. The duration of the program is 3 months. During that period teenagers receive the most practical skills.  The lectures are based on real cases from the Refocus agency, and all tasks simulate real situations that arise in practice. Teachers check their homework personally and give everyone detailed feedback. The total cost of the courses we have given out for free exceeds $1M, and our big goal is to give an opportunity to all children from orphanages to get an up-to-date profession for free!

So, if you have an education business, or you know how your employees’ knowledge can help other people, why not share your experience?

Fight against hunger

Around the world, more than enough food is produced to feed the global population, but as many as 811 million people still go hungry – Action Against Hunger.

Kraft Heinz, a leading global food company, has teamed up with Rise Against Hunger, the international hunger nonprofit organization, to fight hunger together. For example, in 2019, 15 Kraft Heinz offices and factories around the world packed one million meals destined for children and families in need in 24 hours. This year, the Kraft Heinz Foundation set a goal to provide 1.5 billion meals to those facing food insecurity by 2025.

Another example of how big companies are helping to end hunger is Panera Bread. Due to pandemic, the company has partnered with Chef José to provide meals nationwide – beginning with cities in the most critical situations. In addition to donating, Panera Bread provides its kitchens and resources to provide a complete food supply chain to those in need.

Companies such as General Mills, Walmart, Western Digital and many others have also joined the fight against hunger. But you don’t have to be a big company to deal with hunger. If you run a restaurant, small bakery, or produce cookies, you can partner with charities and share food. Be sure there are thousands of people in your city who need it!

Support the art

Renowned luxury goods manufacturer LVMH participated in the renovation of Notre Dame offering its architectural and design capabilities. The company also funds two major cultural centers in Paris, the Fondation Louis Vuitton museum and the upcoming La Maison LVMH.

Brands that are part of LVMH help art and education centers around the world. For example, Fendi donated € 2.9 million for the restoration of Trevi Fountain in Rome, and Ermenegildo Zegna participated in the restoration of the clifftop Podere Case Lovara landscape in Liguria. Ralph Lauren did not stand aside for refurbishment of the Beaux-Arts school in Paris and the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner flag in the US.

There are definitely cultural sites in your city that need financial support or your expertise. And here there is an opportunity for your business to manifest itself.

Go green

More and more businesses worldwide work towards creating a more sustainable future through environmental initiatives. For instance, Mattel, a famous company that produces Barbie, American Girl, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, Monster High, MEGA, UNO and others, announced  the PlayBack programme of recycling old toys.  The main goal is to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials by 2030, and it follows on from Mattel’s other efforts to become more sustainable.

Another example of a big impact in ecology comes from Danone. In the US, the companyhas reduced soil degradation and provided opportunities for dairy farmers to reduce their water consumption.Moreover, Danonestarted using maize-derived poly-lactic acid (PLA) packaging for its Activia yoghurts. Right now, more than 80% of Danone North America’s packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, which the company plans to rollout out worldwide by 2025.

Whatever you do, you can surely make your business more sustainable. If you have a clothing store – start a recycling initiative, if you have a manufacturing – think about how you can reduce your CO2 emissions. Every little move counts.

Summary

Corporate philanthropy it’s not only about money, but also time, people resources and expertise. Explore how to combine all those factors in the right way to increase the impact of your business as well as receive benefits from it!