COMBINING DOING BUSINESS WITH DOING GOOD

Altruism isn’t unique to any one generation or culture. The famous “Golden Rule” (“Do to others what you want them to do to you”) was enshrined in the New Testament as a way of explaining centuries of ancient Jewish teachings. Other versions of the same “law” can be found in Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Persian, and Indian texts.

What does change from generation to generation are the ways in which we make philanthropic gestures. These days it is difficult to help people one-on-one. Most prefer to let non-profit organizations develop ad oversee programs while individuals contribute in the form of donations and publicity. On top of that, people are looking to the for-profit sector to help tackle complex social problems.

In 2015 Cone Communications/Ebiquity did a Global CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) survey of 10,000 people across nine countries. The results showed that 91% of global citizens “expect companies to do more than make a profit, they believe companies need to act responsibly and address issues.” Furthermore, this presumption transcends the ethical and environmentally-responsible production of consumer goods. Even for companies not directly involved in manufacturing, consumers have the expectation that they “can serve as a catalyst for sparking donations, volunteerism, and advocacy by giving consumers a spectrum of ways to get involved.”

This study also makes it clear that consumers expect the companies themselves to be responsible for making transparent their CSR goals and achievements. 86% of those surveyed believed that “if a company makes CSR commitments, they should be responsible for producing and communicating results.”

Today there are many different business models that combine making a profit with making a difference. There is the “total giving” model of a company like Newman’s Own® which uses the sale of grocery products to produce profits (100% of which are passed on) for its charitable foundation. Then there is the “BOGO” model (Buy One, Give One) used by companies like Toms® which donates a pair of shoes for every pair sold or 140 liters of safe water for every bag of coffee purchased.

Go2s also puts giving back at the heart of its business model. In addition to providing a free space for passionate groups to communicate reliably and efficiently among their leadership and supporters, Go2s has a plan to use a portion of the proceeds from its business dashboard users to support charitable giving by ALL.

Every user on the Go2s network earns points for tasks like adding a new Go2s, starting a Discussion, or making a Request. These points are clearly tracked right next to one’s timeline. In the future, these points can be redeemed to make a charitable contribution to the cause of your choice, and, with your permission, your contributions will be tracked to inspire and remind others in your network about the meaningful issues in your life.

At Go2s, we see building stronger personal networks as both a means and an end towards corporate social responsibility. The more we reach out, connect, and participate within our communities, the more we give back to our communities, and the stronger our communities become. Connection builds greater connection. And that is something that benefits us all.