So What Does Charity Really Mean? The Business World Perspective

Corporate social responsibility has become big business these days, but what does charity really mean to people who are mega achievers and at the top of their careers? 

His father was a freedom fighter who left college to participate in the Quit India movement and gave away a huge chunk of his inheritance. Even though he had to start his life all over again, Argonaut MD Anil Khatod says his father had no regrets. “The values that he taught us seven siblings were focused on family. We were told that as long as we had each other, we didn’t need anything else. My father was a deeply spiritual person and we learnt about giving by looking at him. I don’t think any one ever left empty handed from his door, even in the days he didn’t have much to give.”

Anil says it took him a while to really understand what it means to truly engage. “I was so busy with my career, and while I made big financial contributions to charities like United Way, and some orphanages and widow shelters that my mother was very involved in, it was more of passive giving. Charity was not a priority in my life. Today it’s different. May be the fact that I’m older and more mature, I’m also more introspective and may be that is why I look at what giving means from a different perspective.”

Jeet Bindra, President Global Refining, Chevron, came from a lower middle class family. “My father didn’t have a lot of disposable income, but he would give whatever he could to the gurudwara (Sikh Temple) and help out in the community wherever and whenever he could. He would tell us-“Work hard and when you do well it will be your responsibility to give back to the community. I have always believed that those of us who have done well for ourselves have a fundamental responsibility to give back.”

Vivek Wadhwa, tech guru, entrepreneur, film producer and currently Executive in Residence, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, and soon to be Wertheim Fellow, Labor and Work life Program, Harvard Law School, Harvard University, says the sight of poor children as a kid would move him to tears. “I have studied for most part in Malaysia, USA and growing up I used to feel very sad when I saw poverty. It used to distress me to see how much of a disparity there was between the rich and the poor and I remember asking my mother why people were like that.”

For Stan Sthanunathan, VP Knowledge and Insights Coca-Cola, life began in the chawls in Bombay. “I grew up in a classic lower middle class family so when you find people around you having a lot more than you have, you start questioning the whole concept of imbalance. However while the units we lived in were small, the hearts of the people around me were fairly large. It taught me that not only does it not take a lot of money to be generous, you have everything to gain by being so.”

Anil says on a personal level thing changed when he met his friend Dr. Lucky Jain’s mother Saraswati Jain in Jaipur and saw how she was making such a huge difference in the lives of lepers in a haven she had built for them, complete with a temple, and how she had also adopted the Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur India, and brought relief and smiles into the lives of so many poor and ill patients. “Wherever she goes everyone just smiles. My sons have been pretty affected by what they saw there, and now my older son Sumit, puts aside a certain amount he earns even as an intern in a summer job for charity. It has made him realize how privileged he is. Today my work in large part is on three initiatives – assisting Mrs. Jain with the SMS Hospital, Leprosy Ashram and certain educational initiatives in India . I am in early stages of work on some micro finance initiatives as well as rural development initiatives focused on improving life in rural areas with technology.”

For Jeet Bindra several key areas in social responsibility have been of interest and education ranks very high. “ I have always felt very strongly about helping people who could not afford education. You have to help people to stand on their own feet and live a life filled with high self esteem and self worth.” That passion to help educate the underprivileged led to the establishment of a school in Rani Khet to honor his teacher who had a profound influence on him. From four classes, the school has four new classrooms thanks to the help given by Jeet Bindra recently, and new computers as well as furniture were added. Scholarships are given at the college level to underprivileged children. Bindra also donated a new roof to his old school, two new lecture halls were provided for the girls’ intercollege. “I feel especially happy about the contributions to all the educational institutions in Rani Khet because the people who live there are very poor people from Kumaon Hills who would just not be able to afford any kind of education otherwise.” Jeet Bindra has made donations to his alma mater IIT Kanpur, and also convinced Chevron to fund a chair in the Dept of Chemical engineering there. At the University of Washington where he went to school as well, . Jeet Bindra has established the Jeet and Janice Bindra fellowship. “ So I have covered every academic institution I have ever studied in, because what I learnt there made me who I am today.”

Bindra also says that he takes inspirations from his own personal heroes. “ I try to look at Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and others and see what I can learn from them when it comes to giving back and I realized that the best way was to chip in wherever and whenever help was needed.”

Bindra has also felt strongly about helping ethnic minorities achieve their dreams. He is very active with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the South Asian students Alliance, but his biggest satisfaction comes from helping create SAALT-(South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow), a non profit organization that works on all kinds of causes, from equality, immigration and immigrant issues, empowerment, and preservation of civil rights and so much more. “They have so many special events but one of their recent hall mark events has been “ Be the Change” event. Each year on the weekend of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, around 4000 to 7000 people across the country volunteer one day of their service to help the community. Some of them will work at homeless shelters, some will feed the poor, and others will clean parks. The needs of each community are determined by each local organizing group. Chevron has supported this initiative all the way. The organization started with a few hundred students, now we have thousands of dedicated youngsters from all walks of life.”

Vivek Wadhwa says what he learnt early on and through life was that giving goes way beyond just giving money. In fact giving someone cash may be more detrimental than beneficial. “You cannot let people become complacent and depend on you for money. You have to help them in acquiring skills that will help them stand on their own two feet.” Keeping that in mind, Vivek is focused on mentoring students, entrepreneurs and sharing his time generously. As executive-in-residence in the Master of Engineering Management program at Duke, Wadhwa has mentored students and done some path breaking work with them that has corporate and political America buzzing. “ That is really my way of giving back. I interact extensively with students who have no perspective of the real world and their views and minds are yet to be formed and I’m also giving back to the American society through my work, showing them how research is important in defining competitiveness and how to keep an edge. I’m also getting recognition for the Indian community by being a visible Indian who is part of an American establishment. We have to have more people who can show America that Indians are not taking their jobs away.” On a personal level for Vivek, charity began at home when he invested in his employees, pulling all the stops for them. “ When I had to let go of employees during a down turn, even those who had been let go came back to work for me for free.”

Stan Sthanunathan agrees. “ My mother would always say to me, if you give money to someone it can be used for the wrong purpose, but feed a hungry man because you will stop him for sometime from doing something bad to fill his stomach.” Environment is also very big on his list and he contributes extensively to initiatives that support planting of more trees.

So what does corporate social responsibility mean to them? Is it a buzz word, is it just charity? Or is there more to it?

Anil Khatod recalls that, while working for Nortel Networks he headed the division which took care of a lot of corporate social responsibility work throughout Nortel world wide. “In Nortel I remember being primarily focused on three things-education was one key issue and I remember giving a check for close to half a million dollars on behalf of Nortel to Georgia Tech in 1999-2000 time frame. We also did a match of a million dollars for the Gujarat earthquake victims. I also wanted to make sure Nortel was doing something for the local community wherever it had offices so we had a full time employee in each community to look at important social activities and invest in them. So we built parks, helped Habitat for Humanity, and we also gave all employees four days of paid leave encouraging them to invest those four days in community work. We had about 100,000 employees then and I think we got a lot done.” Anil would also speak at various schools including business schools to share his experiences first hand. ‘ It gives a human face to the corporation you represent.”

Vivek Wadhwa is very blunt in his response. “CSR doesn’t exist. In my experience, I see a sad lack of it. I don’t think America does enough. The way the system is set up, shareholders punish companies that try to be socially responsible. That is the dark side of capitalism-it is a very flawed system. Tatas in India do more for their employees than I have seen any American company do for its people here. There is no reason why a company or a country as affluent as America cannot take care of its people. Look at the millions denied health care. If a country can’t do it then the companies should be doing it, but that is not the case here. It goes back to having created a corporate system that is driven by profits not charity.”

“I wish I could persuade the government to make it a national policy to put its people ahead of everything else and that should be emulated by companies. It should be mandatory for the CEOs to develop a mindset where the welfare of the employees and of society comes before everything else. Businesses can make a little less and still survive as a successful company.”

Vivek also feels that social responsibility is more at an individual level today. “It’s when individuals have been pretty successful and made a lot of money that they decide to give back. Look at Bill Gates. He is one of the most ruthless businessmen you will ever come across but now he has made so much money that he has decided to give it away.”

Anil Khatod says he sees that kind of individual charity in India as well. “I find old corporate houses like Tatas doing a lot of social responsibility work, but among the new crop of businesses that are coming up I really don’t see much awareness of social responsibility. I see individuals doing a lot but it’s more on religious lines.” Anil adds that it is really important for corporations to understand that the communities they do business with are the very communities that support their existence. A socially conscious corporation will always be more productive and successful because its foundation will be built on loyal customers as well as loyal employees.

But is CSR only about charity? No, say Khatod. “I think what I have learnt in the past 10-15 years is that when it comes to corporations as entities, it has to fit in with their business objectives. Corporations have to make money for their shareholders but they have to remember that they can make money by being good to their community. It makes pretty good business sense to me. However corporations are also made of individuals, and if a company can empower its employees to do socially responsible work it can go a long way in ensuring business success.” Anil Khatod says that unlike Vivek, he feels that corporations in America are becoming more organized and focused when it comes to social responsibility.

Jeet Bindra and Stan Sthanunathan consider Chevron and Coca-Cola to be an example of what Anil is talking about. They say that both Chevron and Coca-Cola have always tried to give back to the communities, where they have their operations. Both say their companies look at the unique needs of each community and then act.

“For example in Kazakhstan, where we have one of the largest oil production fields we have contributed millions of dollars over the last decade to local causes whether it is building schools, establishing dairy farms, or helping local people set up small businesses,” says Bindra. “We were the first company to endorse the Global Sullivan Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa. Chevron is also very active in prevention of HIV in South Africa, and offers a significant amount of help to the HIV positive population around our refinery.” Bindra also points out that energy conservation is an ongoing initiative of the company. “ We have spent millions of dollars on global energy projects from 2002 onwards. We are the largest producers of alternative energy in the world.” The company is also a great supporter of women, and sponsor of the Society of women engineer and other women organizations.

Similarly the Coca-Cola Company is big on water conservation and working with communities in the 200 countries Coke products are sold. “I must share this interesting story, “ says Stan Sthanunathan. “In a survey done in South Africa about the most popular local company, Coca-Cola came in at the top. They had to give the award to the African company that came in second after telling the people, that Coke was not a local company-that is how strongly people identify with Coke.” Stan too echoes the same sentiments that corporate social responsibility is critical to a corporation’s business survival. “ At the end of the day, we are surviving because of the people who are buying our products and we have to ensure their well being in return.”

In 2006, as part of the company’s water conservation efforts, Coke used 3 percent less water than the previous year even though their business grew by 4 percent. “ We are talking about 1.5 billion servings sold every day. We want to be a water neutral business. We have a very senior level person Jeff Seabright to look after the water packaging on a global basis to ensure that we continue to reduce water consumption. In India we took a lost technology initiated by Rajasthani farmers to conserve rain water many years ago, revived it and have reused it.” Coke does a lot of work in the area of HIV/AIDS education in Africa, and endorses educational projects across the globe. In the USA the Coca-Cola foundation focuses on education of inner city kids, asking only that these kids sign up for a four year commitment. “ You should see the kids who stick it out and come out of that program. Many have gone on to college and we provide them scholarships or loans.”

The final word remains that whether it is CSR for business survival or individual effort, it has to be continued because every effort counts towards making this planet a better place.

He founded the multi billion dollar company Analog Devices, and for Ray Stata the earliest memories of charity were what he received at MIT. “That was the place I was in the greatest need for help. In fact I would never have been able to attend MIT if they didn’t have a policy of need based admission and I have always looked upon that as one of the greatest benefits of my life.”

For world renowned marketing Guru Dr. Jagdish Sheth, the earliest memory of an act of kindness was when they moved from Burma as refugees and tried to settle down in their native home in Kutch. “ All of our old friends and family supported my parents. I was a young child then but I remember my mother pawning off her jewelry to them which they kept safely. Many of them gave us milk and sugar out of their own rations. The second major act of kindness happened when I decided to come to America to do an MBA and needed 15 thousand rupees and didn’t have the money. A Rajasthani Marwari family stepped in to give me the amount I needed telling me to pay it back whenever I could.” Even Dr. Sheth’s marriage at the Hines Chapel in Pittsburgh was put together with a lot of help both financial and otherwise, from friends and Professors as well as members of the Indian community.

For Priceline.com founder and well known entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman, charity had a strange twist to it. “It was not as if I had any bad experience, but part of what shaped my outlook towards charity was the lack of it around me. I was appalled at the number of times people failed to reach out when a simple gesture could have made a dramatic difference in some body’s life

I grew up in Arizona and we had the issue of illegal aliens coming from across the border and it seemed to me that these were honest hard working people just trying to make a living and feed their families. Did they know they were in the country illegally? Yes they did, but was there a system even remotely conducive to get them into the country legally? Not really.

The simple truth was that these people were doing the work no body else seemed to want and yet what they were getting was criticism, hatred and a constant refrain of ,” Get these Mexicans out of here.” Why not create a solution that could work for every body? These people were working for under market prices and trying to save and send some money to their families. Why was there no compassion for them? Why was this being seen as a problem and not an opportunity?”

Deepak Raghavan the co-founder of the very successful Supply Chain Management company Manhattan Associates, says his earliest memories of charity are just growing up in India and finding strangers walking on the streets always willing to help each other. “You don’t think too much about it because that is really our culture, but I realize now how awesome that was.”

As they went through life, the question of giving back was always close to their hearts, and yet these four men chose to do things in interestingly diverse ways and by endorsing charities that were as uniquely different, but close to their hearts.

One of the benefits of having a surplus, says Stata, is that you can use that surplus to change the world and to influence the way, you would like the world to be. “ That has been the motivation for me-to see the opportunities to make things better.” For Stata who has contributed generously to his Alma Mater MIT, education has been a strong area to support and he has focused on education for inner city kids in the US. When he became aware of their lives, “ It created wonderment in my mind that such a rich nation continued to live with something like this. So it became an ongoing endeavor to understand the problems and not just contribute directly but also find ways to influence policies.”

Ray has also invested millions from his own pocket in Ventureast TeNet Fund, set up by Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Professor of telecommunications at IIT-Madras, to help bring wireless and internet into the villages of India as well as medical help through video conferencing. He also recalls going to see a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a student. Knowing fully well that there was not much Government help to support such art forms, Ray has been a loyal patron.

Dr. Jag Sheth says for him charity began at home for starters and then spread to other areas of his life. Not only did he help out when relatives faced financial crunches by taking loans and sending back money, but when he finally started doing well, he gave back generously to his discipline of marketing, because “ It was what created this identity for me.”

Dr. Sheth honored his Professor John Howard by establishing the first doctoral dissertation competition in his name. He has also contributed in excess of $ 600,000 towards consortiums, even taking out a life insurance policy to benefit the American Marketing Association. Dr Sheth also gave back to his Alma Mater, the University of Pittsburgh because of the help he received in so many ways when he was a struggling student. Dr Sheth’s wife Madhu and he head the Sheth Foundation which contributes both to education and also gives back to the community. The foundation is now expanding globally and will support future scholars and doctoral students in other countries as well and not just in the US, as it has been doing so far.

Thanks to Madhu’s commitment there have been contributions towards preserving the Jain culture and religious doctrines for future generations. “Jainism practices universal truths which are beneficial to humanity-be it non-violence, belief in non possession, and of giving back to society, as well as respecting others. Madhu felt these values were important and must be preserved and that we must create a location where people could meet and learn and the spiritual centre that is there now is a joy to see. People of all age groups come there and mingle, learn and pray and have a great time and there is a lot of positive energy.”

Jeff Hoffman was taught earlier on by a strong mother than he had to be the agent of change and not wait for others to take the initiative.” So I have always believed in the philosophy that life is not a spectator sport. If every body sits in the stands watching and nobody is out there being an agent for change, then I must.” For Hoffman upliftment of underprivileged children has always been a key priority. “ It makes me particularly sad when I see children who have to become adults too soon due to the unfortunate circumstances they were born under. “ An incident that impacted him deeply happened many years ago when Jeff acted as Santa Claus for some underprivileged children in the inner city YMCA in New York, at Christmas. All the kids were given gifts. “There was this 10 year old Puerto Rican kid who clutched at the truck we gave him but no matter what we did to cheer him up-he would just not smile. I finally took off my beard, sat down with him and said-“Okay I give up. At least tell me why can’t you have fun at a Christmas party?” The boy replied, ‘ Its not that I don’t appreciate the truck you guys brought me or that you gave my mom a turkey. My problem is I can’t make it through the next 364 days. Where were you guys when my dad tried to stab my mom and I was too small to stop him? There were gang members who broke into our house and beat up my sister- where were you guys then? Handing over a gift at Christmas in not what I need.” I was in tears when I heard that and from that day onwards I pledged to be part of charity efforts that were sustainable.”

Deepak Raghavan and his wife Priya support several initiatives. One of them is the Atlanta Zoo. “People think of the Zoo as a place created by humans out of their own selfishness and personal enjoyment at the cost of the animals. The reality is that the Zoos do a tremendous job in conservation of animals and create wild life habitats for them to thrive in. For example the Giant Panda was in great danger of becoming extinct, and had it not been for the initiatives taken by Zoos it would have happened a few years ago. Three years ago we saw a documentary that the sharks have been around on our planet before the dinosaurs and in just a matter of a few hundred years they will be gone. So here is a life we understand so little of and is on the verge of extinction. It is incumbent upon us to take responsibility.” Another area of interest for the Raghavans is children’s’ health and education. “ Priya has always wanted to give time and money to kids who are suffering from terminal illness and have mental disabilities. Another key area is education.”

Deepak says he came to the US in 1987 thinking he would be here only for a few years. “That was 20 years ago and initially my thought process was that home was India. Today I think differently and we’ve realized that while we must continue to support charitable work in India, we also need to do something here, and we want to support educational endeavors both here and in India. Of course in India a dollar goes a long way.” While they already support some schools in India, that are educating underprivileged kids, Deepak hopes to start a foundation as well. Another thing that has required a lot of thought is supporting Vedic education. “ We were reluctantly supporting all the religious endeavors of our parents and I even told them I’m doing this just to make you happy, but then I realized that we do want to preserve the rich Vedic culture that we had inherited.’ Of course a school where they saw inequality of gender, was not supported by them.

While the four men are involved in many charitable endeavors what do they think of the oft touted phrase that seems to have become the new mantra of many big business houses..Corporate social responsibility. What is their take on it?

Deepak Raghavan and Jeff Hoffman say the term has meant different things for them. Hoffman clearly remembers one of the events they did to raise funds for underprivileged children, where they contacted corporations for sponsorship. Much to his dismay, while they got the money, the corporations didn’t bother to even ask about where the money was going. “They were only interested in insuring that their logo was the most prominently displayed on our brochure and that someone else didn’t steal their thunder. I will still take their money because it is helping a cause I believe in but it was disillusioning to realize that all they thought was-oh there’s surplus money-lets give it away to this event so that we look good.”

Deepak Rahgavan recalls giving some money to a little beggar boy while visiting India. The boy’s face lit up with a heart warming smile but before they knew it 25 other young beggars had shown up. “ I realized that this kind of charity was not going to help anyone. These are able bodied youngsters who can easily work and make a living and people like us are encouraging them to take the easy way out.?” He says corporate social responsibility must be conducted like a business. “I don’t believe in doling out charity to people like that beggar boy. All those who are able bodied must learn to support themselves. You must create something substantial, make the person receiving that help feel a sense of self worth, and at the same time make him capable of giving back to the community while benefiting from it. For example, Indians are very good at spending millions on building so many temples. My endeavor would be to make these temples places that work on social causes than just being places of worship. Let’s make them places of learning, places where our elders can come and indulge in activities that are fruitful and joyful and other things like that. Some temples are doing it, but those are few.’

Ray Stata says corporate social responsibility is something he isn’t sure of. “It is a point I have been ambivalent about. To what extent and in what way does a corporation fulfill its social responsibility? Small and medium sized corporations are not known to be particularly generous when it comes to entrepreneurial charities, larger corporations seem to be more committed to it. I suppose part of it is based on the fact that the latter generate a surplus and look at how best to use that surplus.

For me one way to use that surplus is to reinvest it and create more growth and more opportunity within the company and another is to give it away. Over the years we have done the former- while I have personally carried the load of doing charitable work on my own. Of course we do have a policy at Analog Devices where we contribute by empowering our employees to invest in a charitable activity they want to contribute to in their communities. There is a committee that looks at their requests and decides which one of the proposals make sense and we contribute to that.”

Dr Jag Sheth, says that social responsibility has become a big deal. “There are two branches of CSR, and America has become a role model to the world. On one hand you have a successful entrepreneur who contributes to society like Bill Gates does through his foundation The other is when someone like Pepsi educates the farmers to do rice farming but also conserve water. The water saved by the farmers is then used by Pepsi for themselves. ICICI bank is doing micro-lending, which is a mutually beneficial arrangement between them and the farmers. So CSR and giving back to the community are two areas that are becoming a global phenomenon and are here to stay.”

“ My earliest memories of charity was seeing my grandfather give back to the community till the day he died, ‘ says Jane Nichols, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers in Georgia, one of the world’s largest nonprofit providers of education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages. “He didn’t want any one to know, he didn’t want any recognition. For him it was all about making a difference in the lives of people around him. I remember he didn’t much care for fishing but he would take me and sit with me for hours. If we weren’t catching any fish he would still encourage me. He derived great pleasure in making other people happy and had so many relationships with those who were less fortunate. I remember that anything that came from him was pure kindness. It permeated into all our lives.”

For her a most cherished personal act of kindness also came from a Professor who believed in her and encouraged her to get a Masters degree and embrace a career in banking. It gave her a new meaning of life. “My definition of culture today is a way of life in the whole embracement of charity of others no matter who is standing in front of you, no matter what the situation is. If you have an opportunity, or a chance to make a person better or more successful in what they are trying to do at that moment, do it. If they are in a business environment then obviously it’s a result oriented scenario. If its going to a grocery store and opening a door for that person that too is important.

There are several people who would be regarded for their “ management capacity”, but if it didn’t involve making others around them successful but feeding their own egos then its not worth anything.”

Today says Jane she feels privileged to be doing what she loves doing every day at Goodwill. ‘While I give to my church, and Habitat for Humanity, and I have a soft spot for youth from 8th grade to young college students, and I like to help them make choices, I realize that the work that I do at Goodwill would result in helping so many people with disadvantage, experience success in whichever way they see it.”

As for corporate social responsibility, Jane Nichols says the only way to make an impact is to be passionate about people and love others more than yourself. Otherwise social responsibility just remains lip service. “If you take social responsibility seriously and reach out selflessly and lovingly you can change the course of history. These changes don’t happen with one gift, or one big check. Kindness has to be repetitive. A child has to see its mother go to work, gain self esteem so that the child understands this is normal versus the mother who watched her mother and grand mother sit at home and get a welfare check each time she had a child out of wedlock, and never went to work.”

Jane firmly believes that corporate social responsibility has to be a business and run professionally. “Non profits have to be able to generate revenue and have long term sustainability, because if they don’t then they wont be able to hire the talent and high quality individual who can have any positive impact on a community. The non profit will remain a revolving door where people will come and go.”

Nichols says Columbus Georgia seems to be a much more charitable place than some other cities including Atlanta that she lived and worked in. “ We have large privately owned corporations like Aflac and Synovous , for example where the corporate heads set a pace for others to follow in giving back. They not only encourage but often mandate that their employees give back through their time and their money and its really powerful. I didn’t see a lot of that attitude in Atlanta.” Jane Nichols says that personally for her the most powerful realization when she is having a bad day and she is starting to internalize, is the fact that she can still step out of her office and reach out to someone in need and forget her own rough moments.

For Jasvir Gill, an entrepreneur from Silicon Valley, the memories that stand out are all related to his father’s kindness to friends who didn’t have much. ‘My father was a teacher and he believed in education being the greatest gift you could give any one. I often saw him paying the tuition fees, clothes and books for a lot of his students who couldn’t afford them. That touched me deeply. Some of the students were my classmates who could have never completed their education, if it had not been for him. Today the same students are big success stories in all parts of the world and they treat my father like God whenever he chooses to visit their city or country.”

Because that made a deep impact on him Jasvir whose company VIRSA was acquired last year by SAP for megamillions, decided to fund his father’s dream of co-founding a college for women very close to their village. “The parents in that area did not want their daughters to go to city colleges as they could either not afford the cost or were scared that the fast city life would have an adverse effect on their daughters. Most of the girls in that college are from underprivileged families. There is no funding given to them from the government and the college authorities have started calling me their finance minister in fun because I fund everything. Fortunately they have impeccable control and money is used wisely.” People have come to him to ask for money to build Sikh temples says Gill with a laugh, “ But I tell them we have plenty of religious institutions. We need more educational ones.”

As for corporate social responsibility, Gill says he feels it’s a great thing and very good for business. “I was in India for a big conference where we had top executives like Nandan Nilekani and others who were advising American companies how important CSR is for them to make an impact in the heart of India. They were told that unless they give generously to the underprivileged in India, their companies wont be embraced as one of our own there.”

Gill says his own employees in Chandigarh were so impressed by the efforts in their college that many volunteered their time to teach the girls how to operate computers and did a lot of hands on work with him and wife Kaval.

Raj Jaswa the Managing Partner of Jaswa & Company, a management consulting company dedicated to helping early stage technology companies become successful, says his first exposure to philanthropy happened as a student at the prestigious IIT Mumbai. “ A group of IITians asked me to come and see the kind of work they were doing in a village they had adopted. So I went and stayed there for three days, lived in a hut and ate what the villagers ate. The experience left a deep impact on me. I realized that there was a large mass of humanity whose standard of living was vastly lower than that of people in the city. I think since then I have always been interested in supporting initiatives in rural rejuvenation in India.”

Raj says their first serious involvement in any kind of philanthropy was giving to the Chinmaya mission, where they were exposed to Vedanta, the camps and the social work the mission does. This was followed by an involvement with the Blind Foundation of India. “What appealed to us was that the money was going to camps for blind people out there in the rural areas or for equipment in the rural hospital or to equipment to help kids read. We also started contributing to the Bidada Eye camp in Kutch Gujarat. It’s a medical camp where doctors from the US and India run a hospital out in the villages. My son and I went there and saw how people would suffer a severe toothache for months until the camp was held which was only once or twice a year. The only time they could see a doctor was when the camp were held. I think it had quite an impact on my son when he realized that all human beings are not equally privileged and that many live on very little.”

Talking of corporate social responsibility, Raj says it seems like a new phenomenon amongst US companies. “ I think having run companies before, the way I look at it is this- we all have to take care of the folks we are responsible for-that is our investors and our employees and then the community in which we live and work. Its only recently that some corporations have expanded beyond these three constituencies to go across the globe because the local community has become a global village, thanks to the internet.”

He grew up in a middle class family in Long Island, and while financially his family wasn’t able to shell out mega bucks for charity, Pete Sinisgalli, the CEO and President of Manhattan Associates a highly successful supply chain company says he helped out wherever and whenever he could in his own way.

Sinisgalli, says that for him corporate social responsibility begins by taking care of the employees along with customers and to apply the right strategy for his company. “ At the end of the day, I believe all great businesses have a couple of things in common. They focus very much on meeting and exceeding customer needs and expectations but at the same time do likewise for their employees. I believe that motivated employees lead to great companies, which leads to greater customer satisfaction, innovative products, innovative solutions and innovative companies. So we spend a lot of time at Manhattan Associates to develop programs to make it the best place for individuals to invest in their careers and that translates into social responsibility.”

The key phrase that the company lives by is, “Every customer, every employee, every day.” As a result the company runs programs for employees to improve their potential as well as credentials.

It is an idea that is fast catching up as an intrinsic part of corporate social responsibility agrees Traci Fenton, the Founder and CEO of WorldBlu, Inc., a company that focuses on organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership. Traci says growing up as a child of two public school teachers, and watching her father work with hearing impaired people made her very compassionate at a young age and also brought home the realization that everyone is valuable in their own way in spite of any differences that may seem visible.

Growing up she soon realized that the word democracy had diverse connotations but was often connected only with politics. “Democracy is really about design, and a way of organizing people. When you use the word “ democracy” people automatically think government and that is what I used to think as well. But in college I began to expand on the idea of democracy. I thought democracy seems to be based on the premise that people are inherently honorable and good otherwise you would not give them the opportunity to govern themselves or have a say. So if democracy is a good political system why can’t we put it to use in the business world with the same commitment and comfort level?”

Corporate social responsibility, says Fenton is an important component for every company in its evolution, and in how people think of business and its role in society, but the challenge is that CSR is just a start. “What has really been missing from the larger CSR dialogue is the piece about looking at how people are treated within the companies, because that in turn reflects in all areas externally, be it employee productivity at its fullest potential or inspiring those employees to give back to the community themselves as individuals as well as collectively, and even inspiring customers to participate in socially responsible initiatives.”

Traci has become a pioneer in assisting companies with the know how to design and build democratic companies. She has also created a WorldBlu list of the most democratic organizations to work for. “One of the most amazing companies is based out of the former Soviet Union. It has offices in India, Brazil and Eastern Europe and still operates in a very democratic way. I see similar companies everywhere and they are on the rise. However changing the mindset of people is a challenge and it started from the time that USA came into being. I’m sure people were wondering why not have a monarchy. Can people really govern themselves? We take it for granted today but when it happened it required a major mind shift. People must realize that power is an unlimited resource, and it is something that shifts around. When we let everyone have a voice we gain more influence and understanding and that in turn results in greater success and giving back.”

For Mitchell S. Kopelman, a partner at HA&W (Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP), the largest independent certified public accounting and business advisory firm in Georgia and among the top 100 firms in the country, giving back has always been deeply linked to his Jewish heritage.

“Some of my earliest memories are attached to 1973-I was 11 then and the Yom Kippur war was on. I had started working when I was 10 and had some money in the bank. I remember telling my father I wanted to send some money to Israel. At that time you could purchase an Israel bond, which was really a loan to the state of Israel at a low interest rate. Six years later, I actually went to Israel and cashed that bond and used it as spending money.” Mitchell bought similar bonds for his two sons and they will be receiving those when they turn 13.

Mitchell says that as a young teenager he also did some community service at a Jewish nursing home in Miami where you adopted a grandparent and spent time with them. It was emotionally very gut wrenching for him even though the nursing homes were well run. “I suppose their relatives came at different times to see them, but my memories are of seeing them alone and made me sad think about a lonely, aging community that would continue to grow, though it taught me to be more compassionate. I helped conduct religious services for the residents, but it was a very heart breaking work for an impressionable youngster. It was the toughest thing I have done in terms of community service.”

Mitchell and his friends also ended up at rallies held in Miami to free Jews in Russia and felt a deep satisfaction that their participation and individual donations helped the exodus of a million Jews out of Russia into Israel. The brilliant minds that entered the country have been instrumental in the tremendous intellectual capital that Israel possesses today.

When it comes to social responsibility, Mitchell says right from a young age the Jewish community is taught that they have to help make the world a better place. “ There are a lot of causes to contribute to, but my wife and I focus on Jewish related initiatives. There is an organization that is an umbrella foundation for Jewish fundraising called the Jewish Federation. That is our biggest charitable cause and the dollars get allotted not just for local causes but also causes in Israel. Jewish education is also another cause dear to us. We feel that by funding Jewish education we are building something for future generations as well.”

Talking about corporate social responsibility, Mitchell says he never puts all people and companies under one umbrella when it comes to charity. “ There are some big companies that are going to be here for a long time and are going to perpetuate in their own right. I think these are the companies that must give back to the community in many ways. Our company supports United Way, and we also have some clients who are very passionate about certain charitable causes and we participate in those charities every step of the way. I think the larger the company, the more important it is for the company to not just be a generous giver but also set an example for others in matters of giving back.”

Pete Sinisgalli says he is personally all for donating on an individual level but not in favor of the shareholders’ money going towards charity or society. “I have an issue with situations where a corporate head openly endorses a charity, funds it through the company and then is voted that charity’s man of the year. It’s distasteful. Instead I would like to care about my employees and encourage them to do their bit on an individual basis in the community and even help organizations like United Way, which we have supported.”

Mitchell and Traci Fenton agree. They say that it is important to think in terms of “ we” rather than “me”. Mitchell also adds, “Whenever I have worked with people and see them and their companies giving back to the community it makes me proud of working with them. The employees actually feel very good about their companies and about themselves. I have never heard anyone say, instead of giving more to charity, give me a fatter bonus. Many people have not grown up with mentors or parents who have taught them to be charitable, and it’s a good learning experience for them to be exposed to this. As long as people are adequately compensated, I think most of them by and large will be happy to share the extra their companies have than asker for bigger bonuses.”

Jeetan Singh a highly successful business entrepreneur recalls growing up in a poor village in a middle class family and charity began literally at home for him. “ It was always about “ us” and “ others”, never about “me”. So the core values were driven by that idea of being inclusive whether it was something like sharing a room with your kin or sharing your books with your friends. Those values continue for me as I live in the US, and I truly believe there is a greater joy in giving than receiving.”

Jeetan who started an IT company from a one bedroom apartment in 1993 has seen heights of success, but he says it has made him even more focused on the one thing that is most important to him-to help underprivileged children with the invaluable gift of education. “ About six years ago I met Dr. Shanta Sinha, (winner of the 2003 Ramon Magsaysay Award, and a leading anti-child labor activist), who is the cousin of a very close friend of mine, in San Francisco. I saw how selflessly she had taken up the issue of young children in India who are part of the child labor force there. Instead of going to school thousands of them are doing back breaking labor.

Dr. Sinha asked me to come to one of the camps and I was in tears when I saw these kids. It reminded me of my childhood and I realized that the only thing that would keep children like these from fulfilling their potential was lack of education. That is what had saved me because I too had grown up in a very poor village in the State of Uttar Pradesh.” Dr Sinha’s Foundation (the MV Foundation) has been instrumental in rescuing more than six to seven hundred thousand children from the shackles of child labor. Jeetan Singh has been involved in contributing and raising funds for the foundation through his company. He also supports other NGOS that are working on educating poor and underprivileged kids. ‘ Education is the biggest gift you can give a child. It gives them hope to rise above their circumstances and fulfill their potential. Other wise they have nothing to pull them out of a life of hopelessness.”

This focus led to the creation of HighPoints Learning Inc. “We have created multiple products and services which we are taking to inner city schools and rural areas where teachers and students don’t have access to quality education.” Based on his company’s work, the state of Georgia and the department of education as well as the State of South Carolina has approved their program to be used in schools by the students as part of their curriculum enrichment. “ We know there are so many kids who don’t have access to things like the sylvan learning center as their parents don’t have the means. In rural areas people are struggling just to make ends meet. We therefore provide laptops for every student who qualifies for this type of education.” Jeetan says it’s nothing else but social responsibility that motivates him. “ We have all come to this country and done well for ourselves and our families. But we must give back to the community to feel true fulfillment.”

While Traci Fenton says the idea of giving and social responsibility is slowly but steadily gaining momentum across the board, Mitchell and Jeetan say it’s key to endorse causes that you feel really passionate about. If it is something close to your heart, you will support it as passionately and will be deeply involved. “ Be charitable for the right reasons,” says Jeetan.

So are we more charitable here in the USA than in other parts of the world? Pete Sinisgalli says he feels it’s not America but the people who are charitable. “ I think it’s mainly because we are all immigrants and there is a basic empathy where people are connected by common struggles and issues. An immigrant society will always understand the trials others have gone through because they have experienced them as well. Homogeneous societies are less likely to be giving.”

Mitchell says he feels that charity and how you define it in your mind is based largely on your personal experiences. “ I know of people who don’t have much and are extremely charitable and others who have a lot and don’t give at all unless they are going to benefit by it. You see that all over the world. Still, to date, I have not met a single person across the world who didn’t feel good about giving”.