Communicating Philanthropy: Multiple Representations to Multiple Stakeholders?

Why do firms engage in Corporate Philanthropy? What role does communication playin the giving activity? This paper examines the accounts given by 100 large firms inthe UK for their involvement with the Arts. Formal content analysis is undertaken ofannual reports, social accounts, websites and press releases. It finds that firms speakmost of wanting to be a good corporate citizen and attend to communities. There islittle overt marketing in contrast to other studies that find that corporate philanthropycan be aligned to advertising. This research finds support for strategic philanthropy,but that the strategic intent may be more about meeting a form of social contract orsecuring a licence to operate. This would support the stakeholder and political modelsof giving rather than neo-classical and altruistic models. This paper adds to theliterature by combining the corporate philanthropy and social accounting literatures.The ability to communicate may be an important part of the motivation for corporategiving.Paper presented at the 2003 Academy of Management Conference