Scott Cooper Miami and New Orleans Corporate Philanthropy

In 2005, New Orleans saw one of the most devastating hurricanes that ever took place in the United States. Although it affected multiple states, the eye of the storm passed only 27 miles from this beautiful city. With winds going north of 125 miles per hour, almost half of the $108-billion damage came from New Orleans. Even years after the fact, many neighborhoods are still recovering. There are, however, some positive things that came out of this tragic event. First, the entire nation united to help those affected. Second, many companies started practicing what is now known as corporate philanthropy.

Basic Meaning

Scott Cooper Miami, an outlet for philanthropic causes, explains that corporate philanthropy is an act where a company donates to a cause. Those donations can take place in monetary values or man-hours. Meaning, corporations can either write checks or motivate their employees to volunteer for the cause. So, how exactly did this take place when Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans and why was it important?

Walmart Initiated the Action

As the country's largest employer by a large margin, Walmart was one of the first corporations to start helping those affected. In order to provide the necessary funds that will start the relief process, the company donated $15 million as soon as the storm hit. More importantly, however, Walmart also contributed in a unique way by utilizing their expertise. They set up small stores in areas that were affected so that people could obtain food and water.

Such action helped set a precedent. It not only motivated other stores to do the same, it created a blueprint for future events. In 2005, these efforts by Walmart were focused on regions like New Orleans. They, however, repeated years later when another hurricane struck in Texas. Walmart reacted by also donating millions of dollars and establishing locations where supplies were sold. Hence why it is important to see the events in New Orleans as the poster child for the entire movement of corporate philanthropy.

Johnson and Johnson

Using the company's expertise was probably best shown by Johnson and Johnson. Although they started the venture by donating $5 million, that is not where their efforts ended. In fact, this giant pharmaceutical corporation invested another $250,000 in supplies. To nobody's surprise, those supplies included things like toothbrushes, shampoos, soaps, and pain relievers. This is a great example because it showcases how the company found a way to use their existing products to help those in need.

Today, years after New Orleans and many other cities were nearly destroyed, the example set by Johnson and Johnson lives on. They proved that corporate philanthropy is not limited to financial aid. Instead, there are ways that companies can help by using their current resources. Hence why this particular organization was able to utilize their state-of-the-art products and send them to those who may have a desperate need for them. After all, finding basic necessities like soaps and toothbrushes is practically impossible when trapped in a flood zone.

Employee Aid

According to Scott Cooper Miami, philanthropy could also mean helping those inside of a company. For instance, New Orleans is a home to countless large businesses. To name a few, Pelican Publishing Company, Gulf Air Transport, and Archon Information Systems are all headquartered there. During the hurricane, however, almost every company that had offices in the region was crippled. Given the flooding and the disasters that took place, employees were unable to work for months.

One way that many corporations aided those individuals is by providing them with the necessary time off. As Scott Cooper Miami states, this seems like something that companies are supposed to do anyway. Although that is somewhat true, allowing hundreds of employees to take as much time as needed to recover is costly. Given that most, if not all, corporations are in the business of maximizing revenues, those losses go against their bottom line. Thus, the fact that they accepted losing money in order to help people affected speak volumes. It also proves that corporate philanthropy can be done in a number of ways. Even helping the employees overcome psychological issues after the disaster could be beyond helpful.