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In the Community
Good Works
By Leeann Myers
Helping your community can help your bottom line.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) uses its language skills to aid refugees. Another U.K.-based company, BT, relies on its communications capabilities to address the digital divide. And the Oracle Education Foundation shares Oracle's internet expertise by sponsoring an international Web site competition for students. In each case, the organizations are finding that they can use their skills for the good of the community—and receive real benefits in return.
Sharing Expertise
Corporate philanthropy is nothing new. But many companies are now thinking outside the write-a-check philanthropic model. According to Michael Hastings, the BBC's head of corporate social responsibility, many refugees coming to the U.K. have very poor language skills. The BBC provides language specialists to work with the refugees one-on-one, assisting them with paperwork and improving their English. "We're using our natural language skills and our communication skills to help people learn English and take the next step in their own citizenship," explains Hastings.
Teaching Core Business Skills
As a communications company, BT is well suited to address the issue of the digital divide—the discrepancy between those who have access to internet technology and those who do not. Ian Wood, BT's digital-inclusion project manager, says the problem is far too complex for BT to tackle on its own, adding, "We needed an independent third party that could develop the programs and the ideas and actually run the projects." The company partners with Citizens Online—which targets disadvantaged communities in which access to internet technology is low—and trains the nonprofit in marketing and project-management skills. So far, the EverybodyOnline project, as it's called, has worked with eight communities in the U.K. to create programs that make internet learning more accessible—resulting in a 12 to 14 percent increase in internet use in several localities.
Supporting Collaborative Learning
The Oracle Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that uses Oracle's expertise in online collaboration, hosting, and data management to get students to work together. Its ThinkQuest competition invites students from ages 9 to 19 to design educational Web sites that are hosted in a free public resource called the ThinkQuest Library. ThinkQuest's focus—on project-based collaborative learning that spans regions, countries, cultures, and social groups—is a key benefit offered by the program, according to Colleen Cassity, director of the foundation. "We do more than support technology education with ThinkQuest. This competition gets young people from different walks of life to work together toward a common goal—and that gives the technology a soul," Cassity says.
Benefits Go Both Ways
Clearly, local communities benefit when corporations share their expertise as well as their funds. But what's in it for the corporation? Plenty, according to BT's Ian Wood. "It's all about our brand and reputation—we want to be seen as a brand that is doing the right thing for the U.K. economy and people." And a well-regarded brand can lead to more-tangible benefits: A BT report published in 2002 found that the company's corporate social responsibility efforts have a direct effect on the bottom line, because they contribute to how satisfied customers are with the company.
The BBC has also seen real benefits. Its social programs have allowed it to reach a younger audience. And Hastings believes that media outlets such as the BBC can understand and serve their audience's needs more effectively when they work closely in their local communities.
"It's not too hard for corporations to write out a check to a charity and say, 'There you go. That shows how we support what you're doing,'" says Hastings. "But when we can offer our skills and expertise to help solve a community problem, that is much more effective."
Find out more about these giving initiatives at
www.thinkquest.org/library/index.html, www.bbc.co.uk/info/csr, and www.bt.com/betterworld.
Leeann Myers, a staff writer for Profit: The Business of Technology, writes about corporate image development and employee issues.
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