Givers in good company: businesses look for causes that complement their mission.

• Author: Cada, Chryss

Giving away money seems like it would be the easiest job in the world, but business leaders often find charitable giving to be a formidable task.

"Successful businesses always have an objective they are trying to achieve, but it takes some time and thought to identify exactly what that objective is," said Carolyn Wollard, vice president of Rose Philanthropic Services, a Rose Community Foundation program that helps donors make strategic philanthropic decisions. "Businesses have a high interest in accountability and want to be able to leverage their philanthropic dollars for results. In the end they want to know their investment has made a difference."

Rose Community Foundation, an endowment funded by private donors, makes grants to organizations and institutions serving the seven-county greater Denver metropolitan area in the areas of aging, child and family development, education, health and Jewish life. Since its formation in 1995, with the proceeds from the sale of Rose Medical Center, Rose Community Foundation has granted those organizations more than $101 million. In the past, Rose Philanthropic Services worked primarily with individual donors, but in recent years the agency has seen more businesses express increased interest in demonstrating their corporate responsibility by giving back to the communities they operate in.

From using intermediaries like Rose Community Foundation for distributing funds to making direct donations to charities of their choice to setting up their own foundations directed at specific change, Colorado businesses are finding a way to make a difference.

The Denver Rescue Mission, which serves the metro area's homeless population, estimates that about 8 percent of its $14,533,610 budget for last fiscal year came from cash donations directly from businesses. In addition to that, businesses often donate in-kind services. For example, Qwest brings cell phones to the Mission's Lawrence Street Shelter on Thanksgiving so that people can get in touch with their families free of charge. "We work with businesses to meet their specific areas of interest," explained Jenny Whitcher, events coordinator for the Mission. "If they tell us they are specifically interested in helping working families prevent homelessness, we can direct their donations to programs that work specifically toward that goal." In addition to providing in-kind services and money, businesses are often a source of manpower. "A lot of businesses will send...