Question: Would you happen to know the current level of corporate philanthropy?
ANSWER: As luck would have it, The Foundation Center recently released the 2005 edition of its "Key Facts on Corporate Foundations." This report analyzed the
nation's largest foundations and discovered that corporate philanthropy is alive and well.
The report discovered that nearly 2,600 corporate foundations gave an estimated $3.6 billion in 2005, a 5.8% increase from 2004. Exceptional situations such as the South Asian
tsunami and the Gulf Coast hurricanes were the primary causes for this increased generosity.
Among the funding priorities, corporate foundations split half of their total donations between education (26%) and public affairs and social benefit projects (24%). More than
half of the corporate foundations polled expected to increase their giving during 2006, while roughly one-third anticipated a rollback in their philanthropic gifts.
The report also determined that the Wal-Mart Foundation is the nation's largest corporate foundation, giving more than $154 million during its 2005 fiscal year and
significantly outdistancing the second largest entity in this area, Aventis Pharmaceuticals Health Care Foundation, which gave more than $114 million.
Question: What do you think could be a major PR problem lying in wait for unsuspecting small companies?
ANSWER: Lack of preparedness in the face of a natural or man-made disaster. The newly released "AT&T Business Continuity Survey" polled roughly 1,000 CIOs
and IT executives at smaller companies and discovered 28% did not have adequate plans in place to address disasters. Approximately 30% of those polled said their company already
went through a disaster.
There is good news and not-so-good news here, too. The survey found 48% of those polled updated their disaster preparedness plans during the past six months. However, for the
companies with plans in place, 40% said they haven't tested their plan in the past year.
And what's the number one disaster concern? The answer is cybersecurity, which scared 81% of the respondents.