Corporate Giving and Social Responsibility – Should You Care?

S. Schuchart

Summary Bullets:

• Knowing the social responsibility position of the vendors you do business with is important; what they do can reflect on you as their customer.
• Keep an open mind and do your research; a vendor that aligns with your organization’s ethos and goals will help ensure a better relationship.

Corporate Social Responsibility – Keep It Real

Increasingly, customers are considering the social position of vendors from which they want to buy. Who you buy from reflects on the ethos of your company as well. Nobody wants to be doing business with a vendor perceived as evil or greedy. Therefore, many companies will not publicly reveal which vendors they use internally. The social position of your vendor is probably not even in the top ten requirements, but it should factor in somewhere. If you really want to partner with a vendor, your corporate ethos and attitudes should be at least roughly in the same direction.