Disclaimer: This post is reflective of our company while under the name Pledgeling and the listed information may be outdated. Please refer to our main company website on Pledge for current information and resources.
Businesses are poised for impact. With customers demanding with their dollar that their favorite brands stand for something important, businesses are responding in stride with social impact and environmental programs. This week, this push for socially responsible business just received a big boost. The Business Roundtable, a group that represents the leadership of almost 200 global corporations, has stated its interest in promoting the future success of all stakeholders—individuals, companies, and communities—and not simply CEOs and shareholders, which is a bold step in the direction of a new role for business to play in the world.
The group says its members “share a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders,” and commit to doing well by their customers, employees, suppliers and local communities. “Each of our stakeholders is essential,” the group adds. “We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities, and our country.”
The statement might seem like a no-brainer to most individuals, but the fact that corporations are acknowledging the value of communities, employees, and customers is a huge deal. The challenge now is to help and set of tools for corporations to act on these bold intentions and measure their results, but how?
The Path to Peace and Prosperity
The United Nations has set out a list of Sustainable Development Goals that can serve as a baseline for corporations to follow. These goals, if met, will contribute to the peace and prosperity of all people.There are also member networks such as Pledge 1% that a company can join by committing to pledge 1% of product, time, profit, or even equity. The UN SDGs and Pledge 1% are a great ways to align a company’s employee engagement and community welfare goals while contributing to movements that seek to make our world a better place.
Achieving these goals does not have to be difficult. Whether a business is large or small, the reality is that doing good is good for business. When employees and communities are better, so is business.
As Tricia Griffith, president and CEO of Progressive Corp. puts it, “CEOs work to generate profits and return value to shareholders, but the best-run companies do more. They put the customer first and invest in their employees and communities. In the end, it’s the most promising way to build long-term value.”
A guideline of goals are available, but the difficulty then becomes how can businesses benchmark and measure the success of their initiatives that seek to bring greater impact for all.
How Pledgeling Can Help
Pledgeling aims to simplify corporate philanthropy and social impact by uniquely combining our technical infrastructure with a network of millions of charitable causes. Our technology enables all businesses, employees, and customers, to participate in charity and measure social impact through quantifiable ROI. Whether you want to offer customers the choice of donating at checkout or you’re running a large-scale donation or volunteer drive, Pledgeling takes care of the technology so that you can keep your mind on the vision.
At Pledgeling, we know that in order for companies to truly provide impact in the world, giving has to be woven into the business itself; it is not enough to just donate money or volunteer time. Companies need to tell the story of how they contribute to their community in terms of actual impact created.
It can seem like the world’s challenges are too large for one person, community, or company to address. Pledgeling offers your business, no matter how small, simple employee engagement and customer giving solutions. Contact us to find out more about how we can work with your company to enact real change.
If you’re not convinced, take a look at some of the companies we’ve helped to grow through giving.