May the Economic Downturn Affect Corporate Philanthropy? Exploring the Contribution Trends in Spanish and U.S. Companies

Abstract

The study purpose is to gain insight into changing diverse management approaches to corporate philanthropy in a period that spans both from economic boom and recession. First, the authors present an overview of Spanish corporate philanthropy and compare it to U.S. corporate philanthropy. The authors find a significant gap between the U.S. and Spain’s corporate philanthropic spending as a percentage of profits and different trends between the two. A significant similarity is that the economic downturn is having a lower impact on spending than was predicted. The authors then focus on eight Spanish companies to explore how firms manage their philanthropy. The authors present a management model matrix that provides a framework for philanthropy management types and throws up divergent results for both society and companies. It seems that those companies that are managing philanthropy in a more sustainable way are not cutting their spending in this field despite falling profits.