Alaska Philanthropy: doing good, doing well.

AuthorStalzer, Cassandra
PositionSPECIAL SECTION: Philanthrophy in Alaska - Company overview

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"Do good and you will do well." That principle has attained the status of axiom in the business world. A singular focus on profits and the bottom line is old-school, say the business gurus, and it's no longer enough to ensure long-term success.

Consumers today expect businesses to provide societal benefits in addition to products or services; a national study released in October found that 91 percent of Americans believe companies should invest socially and operate responsibly.

This means businesses' efforts to ensure fairness and safety for workers, to care for natural resources, and to partner with causes to address problems or pursue opportunities can build trust and loyalty, improve employee morale and, ultimately, increase profits.

Consumer expectations are a compelling reason for companies to do good, but not the only one. Generation Y workers, in particular, expect their employer to be involved in good works and consider the company's corporate social responsibility program an important component in employer selection.

A study by Cone Communications found that nearly 80 percent of Millenials working fulltime "want to work for a company that cares about how it impacts and contributes to society, and 56 percent would flat out refuse to work for an irresponsible corporation."

Doing Good by Alaska

Everywhere you look in Alaska, businesses large and small are engaging in the world, whether it's a morn-and-pop supporting Little League or multinationals fighting hunger and offering microloans in developing countries.

Companies face what can be a bewildering array of options when it comes to doing good: straight donations, sponsorships, event support, employee match programs, donations of products and services, loaned executives and scholarships.

Many of Alaska's largest employers have staff devoted to philanthropy and social responsibility, as well as formal guidelines and policies to guide their effort. Others, especially smaller businesses, take a different approach, setting flexible criteria that make room for a wide range of community requests.

The latter describes the community service approach of Skinny Raven, a popular and successful Anchorage running store.

"We were always community minded. At first, it was just a few athletic events, but with time and focus, we've been able to expand that over the years," recalls Daniel Greenhalgh, now president of Skinny Raven. "Now we can reach deeper into the community unrelated to running events."

Greenhalgh said Skinny Raven hasn't formalized and still doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about or planning its strategy for giving back to the community.

"We do have a general budget, but it's flexible and driven by a variety of factors. We have a number we hit in cash contributions, and another for goods donated. We don't have committee meetings, but employees are actively aware of what we're doing," he says.

Skinny Raven sponsors a slew of running and walking events; contributes to charity auctions; and donates shoes to Catholic Social Services, Covenant House, the Women's Resource Center and school teams for students who can't afford footware.

Why do they do it? "We want to be a very active and supportive member of the community we live in. Because it's the right thing to do," Greenhalgh...

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