Friday, July 13, 2012

Living & Giving

By Pam Hadder

We've all seen it -- in fact, sometimes we feel bombarded by it.  No matter where you look there is the contrast of need versus greed. Sometimes overt, sometimes barely discernible, the gap between the haves and the have-nots, in business and in everyday life, is growing.

On the subtler side we see large retail chains hawking products to support the Canadian Olympic team, to put an end to prostate cancer, to support breast cancer research, and so on...  On the surface, it all seems good and right -- we are shopping at Sears, Safeway or Canadian Tire anyway; sure we'll give a buck or two (or ten!), or buy a couple of cartons of something "for the cause."  Piggybacking sales on a charitable cause has become so commonplace that very few of us question the ethics of it; including just how much of the money actually reaches those in need, and how much cash is eaten up by administration and marketing. Thus we are gently misled into thinking we are making a positive difference in our communities.

Perhaps you've been wondering what happened to corporate social responsibility?  If a business is making a profit, shouldn't they give back to the markets that provided fertile conditions for their success?  Why should customers have to purchase a product before corporate donations are given? Isn't it really the customer that is giving in this instance, and not the corporation?

If your heart is shouting out "YES!" then you are onto the ruse -- yes, it is the customer and not the corporation that is giving when a product is purchased to support a charity.  For the corporation, the benefits are increased sales and PR -- see what a great company we are?  The corporations achieve all of this by giving nothing -- they just increase markups on the charitable products.  By paying the higher prices on the merchandise, the consumer allows for the charitable "donations" to happen without a cent of profit being relinquished by the corporation. If big business really cares about our future Olympians, or cancer, or poor kids, or any other worthy cause, they could just quietly write a nice fat cheque, and save all the hoopla!

What's the answer? From a consumer perspective -- give directly to the charity.  Choose an amount that works for your budget and select a cause or causes that are near and dear to you.  Low on dough?  Consider volunteering for a favourite charity -- just a few hours a month will make a big difference.  Sharing your time and expertise is not only valuable to the charity, it can be very rewarding for the volunteer as well.

From the corporate viewpoint, it's even easier to address charitable work -- simply give, give, give!  As with personal giving, add the charitable amounts to your budget and select causes that are important to you.  Profits too slim?  Don't forget that corporations can volunteer too.  Maybe your staff can donate cold treats for a day care or youth drop-in on a hot day, or serve at a soup kitchen once a month, or help the neighbourhood green team with litter clean up.

The most important thing to remember with corporate giving... NEVER guilt or manipulate staff or customers into buying your product or service because of a charitable cause -- it's unethical. Keep charitable fundraising separate from the daily business.  It's one thing to hang a poster for a charity event, or have a few handouts in your reception area, but beware the shame game!

The ultimate shame game example is likely pinkwashing.  Haven't heard of it? Pinkwashing was coined to describe the exploitation of the breast cancer cause by big business.  It has become very popular for corporations to slap pink ribbons on merchandise, but how much actually reaches the charities?  Even more heinous is the issue that some of these companies actually produce items that may jeopardize women's health -- so consumers really need to do their homework!

Breast cancer has become a billion dollar industry and has such high profile on the public agenda that many of us don't realize that breast cancer is not the number one health concern for women -- heart disease is.  But maybe breasts have more sex appeal; are more salesy?   By no means do I wish to devalue the serious health threat that breast cancer presents -- my sister is a survivor, I have lost two friends to the disease, and I have two other friends living with breast cancer.  The outrage is not with the cause, but with the exploitation and manipulation of the breast cancer cause by big business for their own profit and PR building.

Personally or corporately, GIVE generously because it matters, give because you can, give without thought of material gain - just please give for goodness sake.

Here are some links you may wish to explore:
http://thinkbeforeyoupink.org/?page_id=13
http://www.pinkwashing.org/pinkribbon/welcome/welcome.html
http://www.canadahelps.org/
http://www.whrfcinc.com/
http://sarasvati.ca/
http://www.unpac.ca/