What are the neglected truths hidden in the 20-year public welfare road of an enterprise?
As a self-media blogger in the prosthetic limb industry, I often visit the websites of various prosthetic limb companies. When I was flipping through the company's annual report recently, I was suddenly shocked by the Ndelay public welfare archives. The dense list of public welfare projects over the past 20 years ranges from donating school fees to children from single-parent families to special education funds; from supporting assistive devices for the disabled to supporting prosthetic parts and components in disaster areas. This persistence is particularly special in the current impetuous business environment. As a self-media person who has been paying attention to corporate social responsibility for many years, I decided to dig deeper and find out what hidden truths this ordinary company has hidden in its public welfare path.
1. When public welfare is no longer about “showing off”, but about “problem solving”
When it comes to helping the disabled, Endele has completely broken the public’s stereotype of corporate charity. Many companies that do charity work like to hold large-scale donation ceremonies, take a few photos and send out a press release, and then it's over. But Enderai’s help to 8-year-old Pan Wenshuo was a continuous follow-up for more than ten years. From donating prosthetic limbs, to regular visits for adjustments, to paying attention to his growth needs, this kind of "accompanying" assistance is more like solving a long-term social problem. After the Wenchuan earthquake in 2009, their operation of donating 200 prosthetic limbs was also very "hardcore". At that time, there were many difficulties in the post-earthquake rescue. Many companies donated money and materials before withdrawing, but Enderai chose the most difficult task of fitting prosthetic limbs. You must know that prosthetic limb donation is not a simple distribution of materials. Each prosthetic limb needs to be customized according to the physical condition of the injured, and subsequent rehabilitation guidance must be provided. This kind of approach that pays no attention to costs and focuses on actual results is still worthy of praise in the current environment of "public welfare involution".
2. Educational public welfare: More important than money is “seeing”
In the field of educational charity, what impresses me most about Endele is not how much money they invest, but that they can always “see” those neglected groups. The orphan Mengyan from Endele [Care Center], this company provided companionship and care from childhood to college graduation, until she entered the society normally. The orphan little Mengyan wanted to learn dance, which may seem like an unrealistic dream to many people, but Endele not only funded her tuition, but also helped her contact professional teachers to fulfill the child's wish. This respect for individual dreams is more humane than mere material assistance.
What’s even more interesting is that they know how to “leverage” when doing educational charity work. The "Zhishan Cup" speech contest was co-organized with Northwest Normal University, which not only provided a platform for students to display, but also expanded the influence of public welfare with the help of university resources; established an education fund for the Middle School Affiliated to Northeast Normal University, and adopted the model of "corporate funding + school management + student benefit" to ensure that charity funds are used wisely. This kind of pragmatic public welfare thinking is worth learning by many companies.
3. Public Welfare Landscape: Evolution from “Blood Transfusion” to “Hematopoiesis”
If aiding the disabled and education are Enderai’s “basic foundation,” then their public welfare attempts in other fields demonstrate the path to advancement in corporate social responsibility. The voluntary tree planting project started in 2006 and has been continued for nearly two decades, turning a wasteland into a public welfare forest area. Although this kind of long-term ecological investment does not attract as much attention as disaster relief donations, it can actually improve the environment.
When helping unsalable farmers, Endele did not simply donate all the money. Instead, he helped farmers tide over difficulties by purchasing agricultural products. This "consumption to help farmers" model not only solves the urgent needs of farmers, but also avoids the dependence that may be caused by excessive charity. In the current context of rural revitalization, this kind of "blood-generating" public welfare is particularly important.
What is the underlying logic that has persisted for 40 years?
Many people may ask, why does an ordinary private small and micro enterprise persist in participating in charity activities for twenty years? Why should we establish a long-term cooperation endelai [love base] in the city where the brand headquarters is located? When communicating with people in the industry, I got an interesting point of view: truly far-sighted companies will regard philanthropy as a "strategic investment." This kind of investment is not for short-term brand exposure, but to build the company's "social capital."
Through twenty years of charity practice, Endelay has gained not only the gratitude of the recipients, but more importantly, the employees have a real understanding of life through charity volunteer-related theme activities, and has won the recognition of employees, the trust of partners and the respect of society. This kind of intangible asset can often play an unexpected role when a company encounters a crisis. More importantly, their actions have also led more companies to join the ranks of public welfare. The value of this demonstration effect far exceeds the influence of a single public welfare activity.
Write at the end
While writing this article, I have been thinking about a question: How should companies choose between business interests and social responsibility? Enderai has used twenty years of practice to prove that this is never a single-choice question. A truly outstanding enterprise can find a balance between commercial value and social value, and while creating economic benefits, it can also solve practical problems for society.
I hope this article can give everyone a new understanding of corporate philanthropy. You are also welcome to share your views in the comment area. What corporate charity cases have you seen that impressed you? Let's chat together.