Social make-over for the corporate bottom line

Private wealth - its sources, scale, distribution, and the uses to which it is put – is a fundamental driver of the ways in which our society functions. Recent years have seen enormous growth in wealth in many parts of the world, and – notwithstanding the global financial crisis – a growing awareness of how private wealth might be more equitably shared and more effectively used socially. This is being expressed in the wishes of more businesses to return something to communities in which they have prospered and on whose goodwill and health they depend. Combined with a trend for government to reduce its community resourcing and a realisation that neither the market nor the state can relieve us of all challenges and problems, more people are looking to the corporate sector to support and create community partnerships. Similarly, business is responding to needs and opportunities that make corporate philanthropy a worthwhile investment.