Grantmaker support organizations in the WINGS network are developing some services directly related to the support and promotion of corporate grantmaking. A first step towards this will be a peer learning event to be held in the Philippines from 7 to 9 July, bringing together people from those organizations in the network with the greatest experience in this area.

The aim will be to share the detailed methodology underlying their achievements in raising the level of corporate giving in their countries and introducing new companies to philanthropy – especially in emerging economies – and to consider how best to maintain a constituency within WINGS that fosters good practice in this field.

The WINGS network abounds with interesting examples of  such work. The League of Corporate Foundations will be our hosts in July, and we meet at the same time as their annual CSR Expo – a week of activity promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR). The League’s work includes training for corporates coming new to CSR issues.

Other interesting and important work in the field includes an APPC project to research the work of 40-50 major business schools in ten East Asian countries and then to encourage Asian business schools to encompass CSR and business ethics in their syllabuses. Philanthropy Australia publishes the Australian Directory of Corporate Philanthropy. Some 20 per cent of their members are companies and they undertake consultancy with companies on establishing giving programmes. Noshir Dadrawala of India’s Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy has recently published Merchants of Philanthropy: Profiles in corporate citizenship, while the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers has developed the Maryland Business Giving Workbook.

New on WINGS’ website: a report on our recent peer learning event for emerging associations. There is a direct link from ‘hot topics’ on the home page.

Gaynor Humphreys is Director of WINGS – Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support. She can be contacted at wings@efc.be

See http://www.wingsweb.org
http://www.wingsweb.org/spanish
http://www.wings-cf.org