BEKANTAN NEWS: THE BRAND THAT CARES (Top 10 Most Philanthropic Brand in The World)

1) COCA COLA
Having established a purpose-built company foundation in 1984, the global soft drinks giant claims to have given back more than $820 million (£611.6 million) since. This is supported by its pledge to donate 1% of its previous year’s operating income each year.

In terms of where the money actually goes, Coca-Cola lists three areas of priority. These are:

• The economic empowerment and entrepreneurial development of women
• The education and youth development of local communities across the globe
• Access to and the conservation of clean drinking water in deprived areas

2) GOOGLE
Google gives back via Google.org, its philanthropic purposed subdivision of the company. In 2017, Google donated $255 million in cash to charity, which is 0.9% of its $27.2 billion pretax profit for the year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

In 2017, Google announced that it plans to give $1 billion in grants and contribute one million volunteer hours over a five-year period, according to Philanthropy News Digest. The charitable work will focus on “education, economic opportunity, and inclusion.”

3) WALMART
As we know, Walmart has staggering amount of annual revenue of $500 billion (£373 billion). And Walmart chose to be generous; therefore, their position as one of the most charitable business on this list is not entirely unsurprising.

As with most other large corporations, the main thrust of their philanthropy is focused towards economic development, environmental sustainability and the advancement of communities through construction and engagement projects. Their 2.3 million employees are also active, having contributed well over a million hours of their own time in 2016.

4) CITIGROUP
With the enormous swathes of money circulating throughout the investment banking sector, it’s little surprise that many large financial institutions give generously to charity. Citigroup is no exception, with the New York-based firm focusing especially on economic opportunities for young people, as well as urban transformation projects that create additional opportunities for low-income workers.

Citigroup actively encourages volunteer participation amongst its workforce, too, particularly within its signature Pathways to Progress programme where staff work with young people in urban areas to develop key employability skills.

5) JP MORGAN CHASE
Having established its own dedicated trust, JPMorgan Chase has been hugely proactive in donating money in recent years; in 2017, this sum reached $250 million, with a commitment to invest $1.75 billion (£1.35 billion) overall by 2023.

The firm currently prioritises donation requests within four specialist sectors: jobs and skills, small business expansion, financial health, and neighbourhood revitalisation.

6) GOLDMAN SACHS
Goldman Sachs Group gave $280 million in cash to charity in 2017. That’s 2.5% of its $11.1 billion pretax profit, Chronicle of Philanthropy reported.

Their charitable missions include 10,000 Women, which provides education, funding, and other resources to women entrepreneurs around the world, and 10,000 Small Businesses, which invests money and resources in people running small businesses.

7) MICROSOFT
Under the guidance of Bill Gates – one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists – Microsoft has sought to set itself apart from the crowd with its charitable giving; Microsoft Philanthropies was established in 2015 to build on this legacy, with jaw-dropping results so far. Microsoft Corporation works with more than 200,000 nonprofits. In 2017, Microsoft Corporation gave $169 million cash to charity – or 0.7% of its $23.1 billion pretax profit, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Although $169 million in cash was donated by the company itself, Microsoft’s employees also raised $149 million (£111.1 million) in matched individual donations in 2017. The company also gave well over $1.2 billion (£895.1 million) worth of free software and hardware to various non-profits during this time. It’s not just about the fiscal figures, either; staff gave up nearly 700,000 hours of their own time to work on projects, following the illustrious example set by their legendary co-founder.

8) GILEAD SCIENCES
Biotech firm Gilead Sciences donated the most money to charitable causes in 2017 – $388 million – according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s survey of charitable giving by major US companies in 2017. Considering that the company’s annual pretax profit is $13.5 billion, its giving takes up 2.9% of said profit, the Chronicle survey states.

Few companies are as socially conscious or prolific as pharmaceutical giant Gilead. Trough their foundation, they are responsible for the funding of numerous national and international public health campaigns (especially HIV and Hepatitis awareness and prevention), as well as working closely with non-profits and medical professionals in areas where their products are more difficult to access. According to a 2016 report by Fortune, the company also generally gives cash grants to health-related projects, such as the nonprofit Liver Foundation.

9) CHEVRON
As a major global oil and energy conglomerate, Chevron’s reputation is of vital importance for investors. One of the ways in which they, therefore, seek to maintain a positive image is by donating heavily to various charitable causes.

Primarily, this takes the shape of supporting economic development in the areas in which it drills, such as the west coast of Africa. Closer to home, Chevron is active in pushing STEM development opportunities within the education sector. According to Forbes, the oil giant also donates to the Clinton Foundation, as well as pursues economic empowerment for women in Latin America.

10) BANK OF AMERICA
Bank of America funds workforce education, community development, and more. This company has initiated two signature development programmes within the last 10 years, claiming to have invested over $200 million (£149.2 million) during that time. These programmes are targeted at arming external non-profits with the tools they need to build community projects, as well as offering internships and development opportunities to promising high school students.

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Bank of America ponied up $181 million in cash to charitable causes in 2017, which is 0.6% of its $29.2 billion pretax profit.

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