What Are The Organizations Doing For The Health And Welfare?

Many organizations believe that investing in community health is not only socially responsible but desirable, valuable, and necessary for everyone including the company, the employee, and the community at large. These projects range from programs for children (such as Procter & Gamble's $375,000 renovation of community day-care facilities) to programs for the elderly (like the $80,000 worth of time, materials, and money that members of the Northeast Florida Builder's Association donated to turn a private residence into a model-day-care center for people with Alzheimer's disease). But the amount of money spent doesn't have to be large. GTE Electrical Products in Danvers, Massachusetts, spent only $600 to reproduce an antismoking film that reached 22 high schools in the Boston area. And without spending a nickel, many organizations support community welfare by offering time off or otherwise encouraging managers and employees to do volunteer work for hospitals and health-care facilities.

The altruistic element of such projects is obvious, but community improvement also gives organizations the opportunity to exercise enlightened self-interest. For instance, health and social welfare projects generate goodwill in the community, which can help companies attract employees and influence potential investors. And in a larger sense, vibrant, growing communities provide better markets for the companies that operate in them.