I have long been an advocate that the more a business focuses on giving the more it will get. Focus on giving more value to customers, and they will pay you more. Focus on giving more to your employees, and they will give you more productivity. Now we have proof that giving to charitable causes can acutally improve a company's bottom line (USA TODAY ARTICLE).

Here are a few interesting stats from the article.

The percentage of people who think it's acceptable for companies to involve a cause in their marketing has increased from 66% in 1993 to 85% last year, Cone says. Almost 80% of people say they'd switch from one brand to another if the other brand is associated with a good cause, and the price and quality are about the same, up from 66% in 1993.

More than 75% of 1,100 consumers polled in August said companies should still support social or environmental causes and non-profit organizations during an economic downturn. In the survey, by Opinion Research for cause-marketing company Cone, respondents said businesses should give as much as ever — or more.

When asked if they had to choose between two gifts priced the same and of similar quality, 77% of 1,070 people polled said they'd pick the one supporting a cause, according to a November 2007 survey by Opinion Research for Cone.

While C-Corporations receive a deduction for donating to charity (which creates some tax benefit), it appears the largest benefit from such charitable giving is the increase in the top line revenue of the firm and the brand loyalty increases. If you would like to see if your company can benefit from charitable donations please contact our CFO Consultants.