Giving good for the soul... and business

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Winnipeg Free Press, Wednesday January 14, 2009
Reproduced with permission.

IF you want to find some of Winnipeg's most successful companies, simply check the donors list at the United Way.

You'll see the likes of James Richardson & Sons Limited, Great-West Lifeco, Investors Group, Pollard Banknote and many more.

Jo Wright, director of major giving at the non-profit organization, which aims to reduce poverty, provide opportunities for youth and create safe neighbourhoods, said in addition to benefiting the community, philanthropy is also good for business.

"Corporate social responsibility is all about maintaining economic success by building reputations and trust among people, be they clients, staff or customers. Employees like to know their company cares about the community they live in and surveys have shown philanthropy is important to many consumers when making purchases," she said.

A growing number of companies, she said, including many on the Fortune 250, now issue regular reports on how they're spending their philanthropic dollars.

Bob Silver, president of Western Glove Works and chair of this year's United Way campaign, will announce its fundraising total at a press conference on Thursday.

He said 99 per cent of its $17.8-million goal has been reached and money is still coming in.

Corporate giving has long been part of the mission statement at Megill-Stephenson Co., the Chipman-family enterprise composed primarily of nine automobile dealerships and a real estate division. It donated nearly $247,000 to the United Way this year through employee giving, a corporate gift and special events.

It had 57 "leadership" donors, who agreed to give $100 per month for the year, and six in the "major" donor category, who gifted $5,000 or more.

Mark Chipman, its president, said there is a strong link between a corporation's generosity and its bottom-line success.

"We try to hire and retain people who understand the responsibility that we all have to make (Winnipeg) a better place. They don't have to be coerced to be part of the campaign, but do so willingly. If you have people like that working for you, that ultimately leads to your success and your ability to continue to do that consistently," he said.

Chipman isn't above tugging at people's heartstrings if it helps them to buy in, either.

The last few years, the company has rented a couple of buses and taken employees on a tour of agencies supported by the United Way, such as MacDonald Youth Services and Villa Rosa, a residence for mothers-to-be and young mothers.

"I've been in the United Way cabinet for a long time. I get to see the stories, but it can be hard to articulate them. When you see it first-hand, it can be pretty moving. I say to our people, 'There are 80 of these groups (in Winnipeg); just imagine if any or all of them vanished tomorrow,'" he said.

Winnipeg is one of a select few cities on pace to reach its fundraising goal. Toronto, for example, recently made a public appeal to raise $4 million to match last year's total.

Considering the economic malaise sweeping the country, Silver said he's only slightly disappointed the challenge issued by him and nine other well-heeled business people -- that if 2,500 Winnipeggers would become "leadership" donors and contribute $100 per month, they'd each donate $25,000, or a total of $250,000 -- will likely just miss its target.

"My guess is we'll fall short by about 50 (people). We had 2,100 (leadership donors) last year and we gained 600 new ones this year, but we lost some who left the province, left the Earth or had financial difficulties. But to leave this campaign with 600 new committed United Way leaders, the challenge did its job," he said.

Silver said it's still too early to tell if his fellow philanthropists, including Hartley Richardson, president and CEO of James Richardson & Sons Limited, Sandy Riley, CEO of Richardson Financial Group and John Loewen, a director at TelPay, will get out their chequebooks.

"Some of the challengers will let their money ride regardless. I've put my money in and Sandy Riley has put his in. He feels like the exercise was a success. It looks like most, if not all, will leave their money in," he said.