Manila was the venue for a recent WINGS peer learning event on corporate giving, the biggest of our training events so far, with over 20 people from associations of grantmakers and other support organizations from all around the world. Our local hosts were the Philippine League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), whose CSR Expo was held in the same week as our event.

The WINGS meeting enabled some very experienced organizations to share learning and insights. Delegates were impressed with the work of LCF, Philippine Business for Social Progress, the Association of Foundations, and the Ayala and Petron Foundations, all showing the important contribution of corporate sector support in the Philippines itself, including partnerships with government and NGOs in education, health and the environment. Participants shared their experience of working with companies at every stage, from those with established corporate foundations to companies deciding how and what to give. Some discussion looked at the problems that arise if companies are not, in broader terms, good corporate citizens. But for any example of limited or cynical practice, there were many that demonstrated a healthy link between ‘passion and profit’ and positive examples of grantmaking experience strengthening corporate practice.

The meeting also explored how WINGS can assist the network’s activity in promoting and supporting corporate giving. The supporting role of grantmaker associations is complex – companies have many stakeholders and different expectations from other kinds of funder. The beginnings of a typology emerged that analysed different giving patterns according to the nature of the business, its scale, location and ownership.

Participants will soon share with the whole WINGS network their ideas for research and development, adding specialized resources to the WINGS website and sharing practical knowledge, for example on how multinational companies operate in different countries and regions.

For more information on WINGS, contact Gaynor Humphreys, Director, at wings@efc.be

WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support)
C/o European Foundation Centre
51 rue de la Concorde
Brussels B-1050 Belgium
Tel + 32 2 512 8938
Fax + 32 2 512 3265
Email wings@efc.be

Websites
http://www.wingsweb.org
http://www.wingsweb.org/spanish
http://www.wings-cf.org