Maximize the good of giving

Companies have long made charitable donations to nonprofits, usually to those whose work matches the ideals of the company. Corporate giving, whether through monetary donations or volunteer work, has become a common practice for many businesses that strive to be good corporate citizens.

Establishing a corporate giving strategy can help companies ensure that charitable giving and volunteer hours are as meaningful and impactful as possible. A well-crafted corporate giving plan can provide opportunities for a business to partner with nonprofits that complement the company’s values and maximize return for their employees and the greater community.

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Why I give

“Give back” is a very common expression of giving that, personally, I don’t care for. Let me use George Propstra as an example. He provided a superior product at a good price and we, the public, responded. To me that is the American way. He didn’t take anything from us; he offered us something we wanted.

In my view, givers are givers. For example, the biggest giver of all in a church might be an older lady or gentleman living on a very meager pension and quietly sitting in the back row, finding five or ten dollars to give each Sunday. There are also those who live on very modest incomes yet spend an amazing portion of their free time volunteering for a Little League team or at a rest home. They are giving to the reasonable maximum of their capacity. My point is that when we think of givers in our society, let’s not forget the real givers who are often known but to a few.

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Charitable funds

Keeping ahead in a recovering economy often requires staying on top of human resources, because the competition for talent always heats up as hiring freezes begin thawing.

One proven technique in successful human resource management involves establishing a comprehensive Employee Value Proposition (EVP). This identifies the policies, processes and programs that showcase your organization’s commitment to its workforce. By preparing an EVP, your organization can augment your standard compensation package – which boosts recruiting and hiring efforts – and also increase employee retention by engaging, or re-engaging, your workforce.

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Heritage Bank: Giving back links philanthropy to economic success

Heritage Bank, chartered 85 years ago in Olympia, is growing – it will soon be adding a branch on 164th Avenue, bringing its total number of branches to 34, with eight of them in the southern region (Castle Rock, Wash., to Wilsonville, Ore.). Heritage Bank’s Vancouver office opened about two years ago, on the Vancouver center’s first floor at Eighth and Washington streets. It is in the process of building out regional headquarters on the seventh floor, where commercial banking, wealth management and regional administration operations will be located as of Nov. 1.

“We intend to grow by building branches in the Clark County area, and to acquire on the Portland side,” said Brett Bryant, Heritage Bank’s market executive for the southern region.

Another significant part of Heritage Bank’s business plan, said Bryant, is philanthropy.

“If you read the plan, it would be very evident that corporate philanthropy is central,” said Bryant.

“We have made a commitment to do something fairly substantial once every quarter, in addition to some lower profile things we do on a monthly basis,” he said.

Bryant joked that staff were still tired from Heritage Bank’s recent title sponsorship of the Wine & Jazz Festival. He said they were very excited about the success of one component in particular – a Thursday night venue with no entry fee, no alcohol and a focus on kids and families. The Thursday night event featured high-school jazz bands, and Heritage Bank matched audience donations – resulting in about $3,000 divided among the participating bands.

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