In the news What's new in the world of work Corporate Philanthropy: Silicon Valley Businesses Answer the Call for Help The tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in December was a regional event that has had an international impact. Not since the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 have so many people been affected by a tragedy of this nature. The news coming daily from this region is bleak and distressing. Although the reports are grim, a message of hope comes through – Silicon Valley businesses are generously donating money and resources to help those affected recover from this disaster. It is amazing to see how quickly Silicon Valley businesses and groups responded to the call for assistance, finding creative ways to contribute to the cause. Ebay, for example, in addition to corporate donations also created a "Tsunami Disaster Relief" Web page so that buyers and sellers on the online auction site might link to charities, sell items through the "eBay Giving Works" (where 10–100% of a seller's proceeds are donated to charity), and buy items that would benefit charities. As of this writing, eBay and the "eBay community" have contributed approximately $4.1 million to the tsunami relief effort. The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) created a "TiE Tsunami Fund," which looks beyond the initial stages of relief efforts. They instead focus on the "crucial second phase of the relief in India, which involves putting survivors back into their livelihoods." Additionally, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce recently announced that it had raised $250,000 for tsunami victims.  As Jim Cunneen, president and CEO of the chamber put it so fittingly, "The severity of the damage compelled us to seek help from the people of Silicon Valley to help the victims." As of January 9, 14 days after the disaster, donations from Silicon Valley and nationwide totaled over $180 million in cash and resources. The generosity of Silicon Valley companies should not be surprising.  According to a recent study by Cone Inc., 22 percent of consumers stated that they wanted business to focus on solving worldwide social problems. More employees are also asking their firms to contribute to various social causes, and business school students are demanding curricula that address corporate ethics and social responsibility (Business Week, 2005). The result, therefore, is that an increasing number of companies are looking not only at the bottom line, but at how they can be good corporate citizens. The outpouring of tsunami donations, as well as the growing commitment by Silicon Valley businesses to support an array of social causes, is truly a wonderful aspect of the corporate world. There are, however, concerns that the tsunami crisis will overshadow other charitable causes. A fear voiced by some members of the national fundraising community is that funds typically designated for community charitable organizations and the like will instead be diverted to aiding tsunami victims. As the president and chief executive of the United Way of America, Brian Gallagher, stated, "This kind of event creates nervousness in the [philanthropy and fundraising] sector. Folks don't like to say it because it doesn't feel like the right thing to say in the middle of [the tsunami response]." In an article published in the San Jose Mercury News on March 11, Silicon Valley charities reported that cash contributions were down from last year. "The slowdown wasn't felt by every Silicon Valley charity. But some already have been hurt, and others are worried that upcoming fundraisers will fall short." This is not the first time non-profit leaders have faced this kind of worry, however. Many charities experienced a decrease in funding immediately after September 11, 2001, but by November 2002 almost 90 percent of those surveyed said any effect had disappeared. ©2005 NOVA. All Rights Reserved.

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