This afternoon CNNmoney.com reported  that 351 businesses have contributed $146.8 million to the Haitian earthquake response. This corporate response is the third-largest to a natural disaster. 

57 companies have donated $1 million or more in cash or in-kind donations, including Abbott, Comcast Corporation, FedEx Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Microsoft Corporation, and UPS. 

BCLC’s Disaster Assistance and Recovery Program continues to manage the Office Depot Foundation-sponsored Help Desk (1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP, bclchelpdesk@uschamber.com) to connect companies who are interested in providing relief to the victims.  The Help Desk is a central hub for businesses to share information on the relief and recovery efforts and document corporate aid contributions in real-time. Read more about the Help Desk in action.

Last week, I opened my email and found an advertisement from Ralph Lauren featuring the Haiti Relief Polo with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the humanitarian effort in Haiti through the United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund. As I spent several minutes browsing through the choices, I was somewhat surprised that this was the first apparel company I had seen putting out a product to support the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.

Having my share of Project Red items from working for Gap Inc., products sold for humanitarian issues are nothing new; in fact, it is almost expected for apparel companies to give through what they know best — clothes. Much like GlaxoSmithKline donating medical supplies or transportation companies shipping relief products, companies can respond best through their core competencies.

My curiosity, however, was peaked last night while watching the seventh season of Project Runway which featured Campbell’s partnership with The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women® movement. I believe what intrigues me so much about this partnership is it strays away from Campbell’s core competency and instead brings a food company together with a nonprofit through the art of fashion.

Campbell’s joined the Go Red for Women campaign in 2007 through auctioning off a dress designed by Michael Vollbracht and worn by Lorraine Bracco with the proceeds going to support the Go Red for Women® movement. Since then, they have unveiled a signature dress every year to heighten the awareness of heart health in women.

This year Campbell’s asked for dress design submissions inspired by a “heart-health hero” with the three finalists showcased on their website and voted on by the public. In addition to the winning design being created and featured on the red carpet at the Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards, Campbell’s is also giving $1 for every click on their “Click with your heart” webpage up to $625,000 to the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women® movement.

Today, February 5, 2010, is National Wear Red Day 2010. I hope you remembered to wear red, eat your Campbell’s heart healthy soup, and clicked through Campbell’s website to read personal stories and help Campbell’s support those hearts that matter most to you.

The business response to Haiti has been extraordinary – in fact, it ranks as the private sector’s third-most generous outpouring of aid following a natural disaster.

BCLC has been offering regular briefings on the aggregate amount of giving, as well as cross-sector briefings to help coordinate business assistance. Now I’d like to give much-deserved attention to various companies that have found opportunities to leverage their core competencies to provide assistance in the earthquake response.

By no means is this an exhaustive list – hundreds of companies are stepping up, and BCLC’s full list of nearly 300 corporate donors is here.

Read more…

This morning BCLC’s Stephen Jordan broke via CNBC that business contributions for Haiti relief and recovery have surged past $100 million. “Mobilizing more than $100 million in just ten days is extraordinary,” said Jordan.

$106 million has been mobilized by 265 companies, and 44 of these companies have given $1 million or more in cash or a mix of cash and in-kind donations, including Abbott, Bank of America, Baxter, CitiGroup, Comcast, FedEx, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan Chase, UPS, and Microsoft. According to BCLC data, this is the fifth-largest corporate response to a natural disaster.

BCLC continues to serve as the coordination hub for corporate disaster response.  Through the Disaster Assistance and Recovery Program, BCLC directs the Office Depot Foundation-sponsored Disaster Help Desk for Business, provides regular updates, hosts coordination calls, responds to inquiries and requests from various partners, and shares information with the public and relevant partners about the current state of corporate disaster aid contributions.

BCLC has responded to more than 1,000 inquiries and requests, hosted three coordination calls with speakers from the American Red Cross, CHF International, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State, United Nations, United States Southern Command, and the White House, and continues to update the public on the level of corporate donations.

BCLC’s Gerald McSwiggan today announced via CNBC that business contributions to Haiti relief and recovery efforts have surged past $83 million. 203 companies have already contributed to the relief effort; 36 donated $1 million or more.

The CNBC segment is called “Corporate America Gives Back.”

For regular updates on the corporate response, follow @chamberbclc on Twitter.

The number of companies that have offered aid for relief and long-term recovery in Haiti numbers 175, as of 3 p.m. today (Saturday). The total amount of aid pledged — in the form of cash, in-kind donations, and employee/customer matching – is now $61 million. Yesterday afternoon we reported a total of $43.6 million in corporate aid.

As you can see, companies are responding swiftly and generously.

Why do we provide this information?

1) Because we’re asked.

2) Because this level of generosity should not go unnoticed or undocumented. In fact — in the interest of noticing and documenting – BCLC plans to set up a section of its website in coming weeks that focuses on the NGOs and relief agencies working on the ground in Haiti and how companies are supporting them. We welcome your recommendations for this portal.

3) Because every bit of support can help, and if our Haiti Corporate Aid Tracker can offer companies insight about how to give, where to give, how much to give, and with whom to partner on similar interests and goals, then we believe the corporate response can be highly effective.

At this time, 29 companies have contributed $1 million or more in cash or a mix of cash and in-kind donations. Please see the Haiti Corporate Aid Tracker for all donors we have documented.

As of noon today, corporate donations to the Haiti earthquake response reached $43.7 million — and the number is on a steady climb (making my job of keeping you informed by the minute very difficult).

A response coordination conference call will take place today at 3 p.m. EST with officials from BCLC, American Red Cross, InterAction, and the United Nations. The call is open to anyone interested in the earthquake response efforts. U.S. callers should dial toll free (866) 244-4616, while international callers should dial (703) 639-1175.

The Numbers

121 companies have so far pledged support in the form of cash and in-kind products services, for both immediate relief and long-term recovery. View the donors here.

22 companies have donated a minimum of $1 million. In addition to those 17 reported during yesterday’s evening update, new additions to the “million club” are General Electric ($2.5 million), Citigroup Inc. ($2 million), Crédit Agricole S.A. ($1.45 million), Alcon, Inc. ($1 million), and Comcast ($1 million).

It’s amazing how quickly so many companies have responded to the urgency and immediacy of this tragedy. However, please consider these wise words from BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan: “We are well aware that this is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, and we are committed to working closely with the authorities as the recovery process gets underway.”

In less than 24 hours, corporate aid for Haiti’s immediate relief and long-term recovery has tripled. We’re now looking at corporate pledges in excess of $31 million. Our last update at noon reflected $16 million; at this time yesterday we had documented just over $10 million. The level of corporate support for this tragedy is incredible.

The Numbers

17 companies have pledged at least $1 million in cash and in-kind donations. 

• Digicel ($5 million)
• Amgen Inc. ($2 million)
• Microsoft ($1.25 million)
• Abbott ($1 million)
• Bank of America ($1 million
• Baxter International Inc. ($1 million)
• The Coca-Cola Company ($1 million)
• FedEx Corporation ($1 million)
• Goldman Sachs ($1 million)
• Google Inc. ($1 million)
• Jefferies Group Inc. ($1 million)
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. ($1 million)
• Lowe’s Companies, Inc. ($1 million)
• Morgan Stanley ($1 million)
• Nestle Waters North America ($1 million)
• PepsiCo Foundation ($1 million)
• UPS ($1 million)

The number of companies that have pledged assistance has also seen tremendous growth. Check out the 24-hour progression:

Wed. (1/13) 7 p.m.: 20 companies, $10 million in assistance, 4 companies pledging a minimum of $1 million

Thurs. (1/14) 11 a.m.: 34 companies, $16 million in assistance, 6 companies pledging a minimum of $1 million

Thurs. (1/14) 7 p.m. 82 companies, $31.3 million in assistance, 17 companies pledging a minimum of $1 million

Visit our  Haiti portal for more information.

As of noon EST today corporate aid pledges have already exceeded $16 million, including cash, in-kind contributions, employee-matching campaigns, and customer-engagement, in response to Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti.

BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan believes the nature of the corporate response — fast and generous — “indicates the level of concern for the victims of the tragedy.”

BCLC continues to act as the coordination hub for the business response. Our Disaster Help Desk for Business, made possible by the Office Depot Foundation, is hosting information sharing conference calls, documenting corporate aid contributions, and informing the public and relevant partners about the current state of corporate disaster aid contributions.  Help Desk Manager Ines Pearce has already received scores of inquiries from companies wanting to help and people asking for help.

The Numbers

Six corporate donors pledged $1 million or more in cash or a mix of cash and in-kind support, including:

• Abbott ($1 million)
• The Coca-Cola Company ($1 million)
• Digicel ($5 million)
• Lowe’s Companies, Inc. ($1 million)
• Microsoft ($1.25 million)
• UPS ($1 million) 

Twenty eight other companies have already pledged assistance, including:

• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ($600,000)
• FedEx ($425,000)
• Eli Lilly and Company ($250,000)
• Kellogg Company ($250,000)
• National Bank ($250,000)
• ScotiaBank ($250,000)
• The Western Union Company ($250,000)

For a complete list of donors, see our Haiti Corporate Aid Tracker.

Corporate donations have become a crucial component of disaster recovery. The largest amount of corporate aid ever mobilized for an international disaster is $566 million, donated in response to the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami. Domestically, U.S. businesses pledged $1.4 billion in response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

BCLC’s Jordan said he expects the level of Haiti donations to “soar in the days to come as businesses learn more about what it will take to save lives and rebuild communities.”

BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan recently wrote a piece about 10 resolutions for CSR leaders. It’s definitely worth a read.

Resolution #8 was about signature CSR programs. ARAMARK and the Office Depot Foundation are two corporate citizens that run very successful signature programs. We’ll examine them here.

ARAMARK Building Community

Over the summer we published a full series by ARAMARK’s Bev Drivin about the company’s signature ARAMARK Building Community program – check it out. Here are some highlights.

Read more…