Charity ratings are a fickle thing with highly rated charities holding the number 1 position today being overtaken by new charities coming from nowhere.
The way people view the role of corporations is constantly changing. Today many of the leading Fortune 500 companies have enacted pro-social campaigns. Everyone from Exxon to Wal-Mart have initiatives that engage non-profits and local communities. Corporate America’s sudden enthusiasm for doing good is being backed up by statistics as well. According to the 2008 Cone Cause Evolution Study, 79% of respondents said they would switch brands (provided price and quality were equal) to the one that is associated with a good cause. Carol Cone, one of the pioneers in the cause-marketing world attributes the change to trust issues and a changing demographic, “Consumers expect companies to have profits with purpose and there are many reasons for it. The first is because Millennials are the most pro social demographic since WW2. The second is because of the tremendous erosion of trust in big corporations. So companies are now expected to not just make a profit but also become engaged in social issues.”
