The Spirit of Giving at UPS: Doing Well by Doing Good
by Kali Saposnick

from Leverage Points Issue 45

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Evern Cooper, president of The UPS Foundation for the last five years, oversees the strategy and implementation of all global philanthropic programs at UPS. In her role as vice president of corporate relations, she also manages UPS's relationships with major civic and community organizations nationwide. Evern will be a keynote speaker at Reshaping Corporations: Adding Value Through Responsible Business Practices, a hands-on, two-day workshop in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 25–27, 2004 (learn more about the workshop), where she will touch on the future of corporate social and environmental responsibility, its key challenges, and the opportunities it creates for businesses and society at large. The following article highlights some of the efforts UPS has made in the last 52 years to establish itself as a responsible corporate citizen.

Many large corporations today are engaged in formal initiatives to contribute to the well-being of their community and society at large, but the ability to effectively carry out such initiatives still eludes many organizational leaders. Part of the reason is that implementing responsible practices while managing the financial, social, and environmental bottom lines may seem too incongruent a goal. One company that might serve as a model for integrating the two is UPS.

In November, UPS released its first ever sustainability report. The report, called "Operating in Unison," provides a detailed look at the company's impact on communities worldwide, both progress made and areas where the company remains constructively dissatisfied (the company's report is available online). The third largest private employer in the United States, UPS has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to help nonprofit organizations address urgent human needs. Community service comprises 25 percent of the company's mission statement, and more than 30,000 employees volunteer their time to nonprofits each year. Today the company is known as a caring, responsible corporate citizen to the people and communities it serves.

A Legacy of Philanthropy
To what does UPS attribute its philanthropic legacy? According to Evern Cooper, a key reason the company has maintained its spirit to give is that it continues to aspire to UPS founder Jim Casey's goal of "doing well by doing good." She says, "In 1951, Jim Casey established The UPS Foundation because he understood that the financial bottom line and community service are not mutually exclusive and that, in order to do both, you had to do them together. He believed in doing the right things for the right reasons, and today's UPS leadership has built on his efforts."

Initially focused on endowments in education and then adult literacy, over the last 15 years the Foundation has expanded to include "just-in-time" philanthropic activities—that is, focused funding for emerging issues, such as workplace and family literacy, hunger, and volunteerism. For example, UPS's food rescue initiative has provided grants to nonprofits that focus on feeding the hungry. The company's support has helped to facilitate the safe collection and delivery of more than 240 million pounds of food to charitable food agencies. Besides donating substantial grant dollars to help nonprofits build capacity in delivering services to individuals and communities, UPS also contributes significant human resources through its volunteerism initiative. As part of the food rescue initiative, for example, UPS shared its expertise in fleet management by providing technical assistance to some of the grant recipients in the areas of vehicle purchase and lease and maintenance decisions.

A Focus on Volunteerism
Currently, one of The Foundation's focus areas is helping nonprofits to manage their organizations more effectively, including improving the recruitment, training, and retention of volunteers. "Volunteers are one of the most fundamental, yet underutilized, resources for the nonprofit sector," Evern says. "According to research commissioned by The UPS Foundation, many people stop volunteering because they feel their time and talents are not being managed properly. It's one thing to show up, and another to be trained and feel like your time has created value. But many nonprofits don't have the dollars to help build and strengthen their volunteers, so that's where we come in."

What value has been added to UPS as a result of the organization's focus on social responsibility? Evern believes that UPS reinforces its reputation as a desirable place to work and a positive force in the community. She cites the company's annual employee relationship index, a survey that includes a series of questions on how employees feel about UPS as a company. "A high percentage of employees indicate strong support for UPS's community efforts," Evern says. "The correlation we see in the organization is increased employee engagement and volunteerism and improved morale within the company because people are proud to work at UPS. In the final analysis, UPS continues to believe that companies can achieve business and financial success while also making significant contributions to the community."

Kali Saposnick is publications editor at Pegasus Communications.