As a new vice president of corporate philanthropy, Jack Birke is looking forward

Question

As a new vice president of corporate philanthropy, Jack Birke is looking forward to the great initiatives and partnerships the company can create through his office. During his eighteen-year Freer, Jack has worked for several large nonprofit organizations and has earned an excellent reputation for his ability to raise funds, develop advisory boards, and, in general, work well with the business community. About a year ago, Jack decided to investigate other opportunities within the fundraising industry and started looking at companies that were formalizing their philanthropy efforts. He was hired as vice president less than a month ago, and is now in the process of developing an office structure, getting to know the organization, and creating a strategic plan.

His charge over the next year is to develop a stronger reputation for philanthropy and social responsibility with the company's stakeholders, including employees, customers, and the community. An executive assistant, director of volunteerism, and director of community relations are already on board, and Jack is looking for additional staff.

The position and office are new to the company, and Jack has already heard dissent from other employees, who openly question how important philanthropy is to the business. After all, the economy is slowing, and it seems that customers are more concerned about price and value than any "touchy feely" program. About half of the company's employees work on the manufacturing line, and the other half is employed in administrative or professional positions. Both groups seem to be equally suspicious of Jack and his office.

The company developed an employee volunteer program two years ago, but it was never very successful. A program to gather food, gifts, and money to support needy families at Christmas, however, has drawn strong support. The firm has had fairly good relationships in the community, but these have been primarily the top executives' connections through the chamber of commerce, industry associations, nonprofit boards, and so forth. In sum, while Jack has the support of top management, many employees are unsure about philanthropy and its importance to the company.

Jack is starting to think about short-term policies and long-term strategy for "marketing" his office and goals to the rest of the organization.  

Imagine you are Jack. What do you think these policies and strategies should contain?

Explanation / Answer

As a new vice president of corporate philanthropy, Jack Birke is looking forward

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