Corporate Community Investment: It's more than a 'chequebook charity'

Businesses looking for ideas to handle the many requests for assistance that come from individuals and groups in the community now have a handy publication that can point them in the right direction.  Called Creating a Giving Program: A Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Canadian Companies, this concise booklet walks a business owner through the process of developing and implementing a giving program.  Originally published in the United States, it was adapted and recently published by the Niagara Community Foundation.

"Local businesses were talking to us about donor fatigue - too many groups looking for too little money", said Welland Board member, Paul Leon.  "We wanted to provide them with some tools to assist them to become more strategic in their local community investment... a way for them to contribute to building a vibrant community."

"We included examples of Niagara businesses in the Canadian version of the booklet," said the Foundation's Executive Director Liz Palmieri.  "Canadian Tire Financial Services have a strong record of supporting a variety of community organizations.  They were recently awarded the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from Niagara College's Centre for Community Leadership in recognition of the company's work in support of community groups."

"We worked with Alderson Caters & Hardy from Thorold and helped them develop their corporate giving policy and guidelines using the steps outlined in the publication, " said Palmieri.  "They found this a very useful process to go through and are using the guidelines for their 2003 giving program."

Helping to raise the level of awareness about charitable giving is high on the foundation's plans for 2003. 

During the year, the Foundation plans to offer seminars to the local business community to help them establish more formalized corporate giving programs. 

The guide is available free of charge by calling 905-684-8688 or it can be downloaded from the foundation's website at www.niagaracommunityfoundation.org and going to the Features and Publications section.

Established in November 2000, the Niagara Community Foundation is a collection of endowed funds held in perpetuity given by caring citizens who have chosen to make their community a better place to live and work.  To date $1,900,000 has been raised in permanently endowed funds.

For release: March 24, 2003

For further information contact Liz Palmieri  (905) 684-8688