This article examines an innovative philanthropic program instituted by a Midwestern U.S. manufacturing company during organizational downtimes. Rather than institute layoffs and unemployment, the organization chose to enact a policy of “loaned labor,” securing employee pay and benefits in exchange for work in local nonprofit organizations. This case study examines the tensions that emerged when a traditionally structured company instituted a program indicative of incremental shifts toward feminist organizing principles. In this analysis of traditional structures and feminist management principles, the authors examine the promises and problems of this philanthropic program. Lastly, the authors explore the pragmatic and far-reaching benefits of this program for the employees, the community, and the organization as a whole.
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