Doing Good By Doing Good: Why Creating Shared Value is the Key to Powering Business Growth and Innovation

Chapter 3 BUSINESS BENEFITS OF ENGAGEMENT

Not too many businesses are established for the sole purpose of supporting charities. There are exceptions, and smart charities are recognising the possible benefits here. Rather than relying on someone standing in the street shaking a can for donations, charities are creating ‘for-profit’ enterprises to support their charitable work.

I entered the charity sector in 2005 by forming the charity Hands Across the Water as a direct result of my exposure to a need that existed in Thailand following the Boxing Day tsunami. To say I was naive as to what was involved in establishing and running a charity ...