Leadership Cafe with United Way-CEO and president Michael Knight gives his speech
On Tuesday night this week, I was invited to an event called Leadership Café held by the Company of Young Professionals. The guest speaker for the event was the CEO and president of United Way of Lower Mainland, Michael Knight. After some great food and speeches, we were divided into teams of ten to brainstorm on one of three questions. My team was assigned the question, “What is the role of business sector in supporting the not-for-profit sector and social services?” I was glad that I had prepared for class 15 beforehand.
In the short time that we were given, our team agreed that businesses should “encourage, educate and facilitate” support for non-profit sector and social services. Personally, I thought this cliché answer was too general and weak. The discussion my team had was quite interesting, but I did not think we had nailed the answer.
Developing on the article by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, I have a strong feeling that businesses should regard supporting not-for-profit sector and social services as a new form of long-term investment. Investing in the support for these sectors strengthens community capacity, and in turn strengthens the purchasing power of the community. This will lead to an increase in consumer expenditures, and businesses will benefit from the increased number of customers and fame in brand name.
Of course, it is idealistic to think that all businesses will perform better by investing in the community. However, given the research by Havas Media that “most people worldwide would not care if more than 73% of brands disappeared tomorrow”, it seems crucial strengthen ties with the community and make a memorable, long-lasting impact.