Corporate philanthropy: What is the strategy?

Strategic philanthropy, according to the literature, is becoming the state of the art in corporate contribution management. The term is defined in thi s study as the process by which contributions are targeted to meet business objectives and recipient needs. It represents the integration of philanthr opy into the overall strategic planning of the corporation. Given this tren d, this research examines the extent to which corporate philanthropy has be come predominantly a business deal with direct and measurable financial ret urns to shareholders. The study presents the results of a national survey o f corporate direct contribution programs. The 226 corporations that respond ed to the mailed questionnaire were primarily large corporations from over 20 different industries. The findings suggest that contributions made direc tly by corporations are primarily used in less tangible ways to meet respon sibilities to employees and their communities.