EDITORIAL FEATURE
The Business of Giving
By Jeffery D. Wallace
A
bout ten years ago, I was at a crossroads in my career. An
intriguing opportunity arose that would take me out of
the private sector and into the non-profit arena - again.
The intrigue of the role matched the enormous level of
anxiety that I had in weighing the pros and cons of jumping
back into the human services field. I felt that the skills and
aspects of the corporate world that I loved would be lost and
that I would have to undertake a paradigm shift to reengage
and assimilate into a mindset that was all about the human
condition. I look back on that state of thought now and laugh.
Why? Quite frankly, there wasn’t a transition. There was only
an enhancement of my understanding of the commonalities
between the corporate and non-profit world and how the ideologies surrounding the two sectors are indelibly embedded in
the schemes of successful businesses.
The basic premise of most non-profit organizations is to serve
those in need (in one capacity or another). Most non-profit
practitioners would agree that when that service is received
well by the client, you have the foundation for a transformative
result stemming from that service. Now, if I asked you to provide the profile of a good customer for your business, I am sure
those characteristics would include the ability to pay for services, good attitude, reasonable expectations and other attributes that speak to a sound transactional relationship. Those
characteristics wouldn’t include arrogance, lack of response,
or an oblivious perspective of your business. Yet, there are
companies that operate without a sense of their community,
do not engage in issues pertaining to their customer base, and
(in what is probably the most egregious quality) don’t operate
in a way that reflects understanding of their customer base
(i.e. how are my customers created?). The simple point of this
editorial is to generate more dialogue within the leadership
of your company around investing in your business through
giving and to understand the symmetry between the quality
service model of a sound non-profit organization and a sound
business. However, the larger point looms regarding the more
penetrating question: Does embracing a “giving” strategy for
your business entail a complete deviation from how I currently
do business or is it more an extension of how I already do business?” Please don’t misunderstand me. Giving, in my opinion,
is an opportunity that manifests character, which manifests
living well. However, I understand that a small business look-
30 SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE [ SEPTEMBER 2015 ]
ing to generate profit has to look at giving in a strategic way,
even if the aforementioned value is the same for that company.
A “giving” strategy is probably optimal when you give in a
way that reflects the way you serve customers. Giving to organizations or projects with strong fiscal controls, embedded
evaluation models to determine a return of investment for
their labor, good leadership, relevant Z\