Helping Others on a Corporate Level

It's easy for us to get wrapped up with our own lives. It is in the nature of humans to consider our own needs before that of others, whether it be our car, home, or recreation. This isn't a negative thing. It's hard-coded into our genes. This pattern continues into our work as well because it is our work that supplies the resources to provide for ourselves and our family. Take this concept further and we'll see that corporate entities follow this direction as well, supplying and nurturing their own needs before all else.

This isn't wrong nor should we ever feel guilty for prioritizing ourselves, individually and corporately, before others. It is only when our own needs are met that we can begin to help others. Many people do this by donating their time to charities like Goodwill, soup kitchens, or church projects. Personally, I've been blessed to have helped with some non-profit causes in Africa and post-quake Haiti.

How do we take this concept of charity to the business level? It starts with Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR for short. This can be as simple as a company giving money to help charities. However, that misses out on opportunities to accomplish some organizational goals such as team building or employee appreciation while giving.