Community Foundation President Serves as Panelist at Corporate Philanthropy Awards
Why is Corporate Philanthropy Good for Business? This was the question that was the focal point of the St. Louis Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Awards, Friday, November 9, 2018.
A panel discussion led by St. Louis Business Journal Publisher, Robert Bobroff, featured local business leaders discussion of why giving is a must for every company. Panelists included: Amelia Bond, President & CEO of the St. Louis Community Foundation (STLCF); Julio Suarez, Senior Director of Community Fairs at Anheuser- Busch; and Jenny Hoelzer, Vice President & Manager of Community Relations and Special Events at Commerce Bank.
Corporate giving is one of the qualities that makes St. Louis special. The region was ranked in 2016 and 2017 as one of the top three most charitable cities in the U.S. by Charity Navigator and countless organizations have made it a goal to improve the community. Keeley Companies CEO Rusty Keeley delivered the keynote address on how the community can “Make a Difference Together” and how companies should embrace the culture of philanthropy.
At the St. Louis Community Foundation we help businesses of all sizes discover how they can effectively extend their generosity and talents to the community, and provide for the caring of their valued associates. One option for this is by establishing a corporate donor advised giving plan that supports your company as a strong public corporate citizen, and leverages your community leadership in areas where your company has expertise and skills.
Another option the Foundation offers is an employee care program, which provides compassionate, short term financial assistance to associates in need. This could be in the form of a natural disaster or personal emergencies. The St. Louis Community Foundation currently helps companies support over 30,000 associates, both locally and nationally, in times of crises.
The Foundation not only engages with corporations to help facilitate their grant making, but continues to support St. Louis in various ways through grant making. Grant making over the last ten years at the St. Louis Community Foundation has seen steady growth. With nearly, 6,000 grants dispersed in 2017, the Foundation and its donors contributed approximately $80 million into the community, with more than 85% of dollars remaining in St. Louis. Over the last ten years, the amount of grant making in communities is an impressive $357 million.
Interested in learning more about how your corporation can incorporate a philanthropy strategy into your corporate culture? Contact Christine Burghoff at cburghoff@stlgives.org or by phone at 314-880-4967, or Donna Frederick at dfrederick@stlgives.org or by phone at 314-880-4958.
Read a recap from the event by the St. Louis Business Journal