Corporate community investment is a strategic management approach to a company's donation, philanthropy or citizenship program. It is "enlightened self interest." The core principle behind community investment is that a company's donation budget should receive the same rigorous attention as any other expenditure. There should be alignment with the business, clearly defined goals and objectives (both for delivering benefit for the community and the company), evaluation and a focus on results. Visit our definitions page for more information.

Try GrantStream's Resource section. There are useful links to web sites that deal with corporate community investment, corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder engagement, volunteerism and other related topics. We also have a list of books and articles that are excellent resources for new and experienced community investment professionals.

Corporate citizenship goes by several names: social responsibility, corporate responsibility and CSR to name but a few. Regardless of what it is called, it is the broad ethical accountability that a company or business has to the society in which it operates. First and foremost, a company's primary mission is to generate a profit while operating within the accepted legal, ethical and moral framework.  A socially responsible company  - a company that practices corporate citizenship - also looks to maximize the positive impact of its activities while minimizing the negative ones. Attention to issues of environment, human rights and human resources, community development, safety, health and business standards are crucial for a good corporate citizen. Visit our definitions page for more information.

A stakeholder is a group or an individual that has a "stake" - something to gain or lose - in your business. There are direct stakeholders who have an obvious interest, such as employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. But there are also indirect stakeholders, those who may have less obvious interests, such as special interest groups, the media, government, or the general public.

All stakeholders are important because they can affect the success of a business. While direct stakeholders have the most immediate impact (for example, employees and productivity, shareholders and market value), indirect stakeholders can have significant long term affects on the business. Activists can organize boycotts, a newspaper article can destroy a reputation and government policies can block access to new markets. Research shows that companies that manage stakeholder relationships are more successful than those that don't.

Absolutely! Corporations have a wide range of resources that can make a significant difference in the community. While cash grants are important to charities and nonprofits, donations of your company's products or services can be extremely valuable. In addition, by loaning your employees and their professional or technical expertise, you provide these organizations with expert advice they might not otherwise have. GrantStream can help you to design a program that makes the most out of what your company can offer.

Your company can benefit from a well-designed and implemented strategic community investment program by:

• Enhancing image and reputation;
• Influencing customer purchasing decisions;
• Improving attraction and retention of high quality employees;
• Increasing attractiveness to investors;
• Improving access to markets; and,
• Reinforcing corporate culture and values.

Yes. We provide the background support and services that will bring you up to speed quickly and make you and your program more efficient and effective. We can help you to deliver more value to your company's community investment.