Procter & Gamble (P&G) focuses their social investments on improving life for disadvantaged children and youth.  They have more than 100 programs taking place in over 60 countries every day. P&G uses their global reach and numerous different brands for a variety of initiatives.

• Children’s Safe Drinking Water is a program that provides PUR filter packets on a not-for-profit bases to people who don’t have access to clean water. Since the program began, more than 1.5 billion liters of purified drinking water in more than 50 countries have prevented an estimated 62 million days of diarrheal illness and saved more than 8,300 lives.

• Pampers has partnered with UNICEF to provide essential vaccinations to people who need them. With every purchase of Pampers Diapers, one dose of vaccine is donated.  Since the start of the campaign, a total of 45.5 million women and their babies have been protected against maternal and neonatal tetanus.

• Protecting Futures is a program associated with the Always and Tampax brands, which work with partner organizations to provide puberty education, sanitary protection, and sanitary facilities to help vulnerable girls stay in school. Since 2006, Protecting Futures has worked with 8 partners in 17 countries, reaching more than 80,000 girls.

• P&G Hope Schools is a partnership with the China Youth Development Foundation with the goal of giving children better access to education in poverty-stricken  areas of China. Over the past 12 years, 180 schools have been built, and 100,000 children have been educated.

These are only a selection of the programs and initiatives P&G supports. They believe that their people and their brands are their greatest assets, and together, they are a tremendous force that can make an impact that matters. For more on how P&G gives back, visit their website.

Starbucks is committed to use their size to bring about positive change. They are on a mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit, and they encourage and support their partners’, employees’ and customers’ involvement in community service.  In 1997, they created the Starbucks Foundation, and began giving back by funding literacy programs in the US and Canada. Today, they are still giving back through a number of different initiatives.

Starbucks believes in the importance of nurturing young leaders, and provides Youth Action Grants to do just that. In 2009, they awarded 71 grants, totaling $2.1 million, and were able to help almost 21,000 young people. They work with the International Youth Foundation and Youth Venture to help young people identify and address the needs in their communities.

The coffee giant is also involved in the PRODUCT (RED)^TM initiative.  Every time someone buys a STARBUCKS (RED) product, or pays for their purchase with a STARBUCKS (RED) card, a contribution is made to the Global Fund to help people living with HIV in Africa. Thus far, the fund has already generated contributions equaling more than 14,000,000 days of medicine!  Starbucks also works with the Ethos Water Fund. Whenever someone buys a bottle of Ethos Water at Starbucks, five cents goes to the Fund to help support water, sanitation and hygiene education programs in countries that don’t have enough clean water.

Starbucks is also the first company to partner with V2V to create an online community of people who want to enrich their communities, their lives, and the lives of those around them. The V2V site has a list of actions, which is defined as, “the collaboration around an event that will enrich yourself and those around you.” There are currently more than 2,300  actions, and more than 24,000 members of the Starbucks V2V community.

Visit the Starbucks website to find out more about their commitment to the community.

In a 2004 vote by its franchisees and team members, Domino’s Pizza selected St. Jude as its national philanthropic partner.  After four years of participation in the Thanks and Giving campaign, Domino’s Pizza has raised more than $4.7 million for the kids of St. Jude! The campaign involves celebrity, media, retail, and corporate partners, and asks consumers to “give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”  Domino’s is one of a number of companies involved in the Thanks and Giving campaign. They build awareness by putting the St. Jude logo on millions of pizza boxes, and make personal connections with St. Jude patients through regular hospital visits and pizza parties.

Domino’s is also committed to giving back to the communities where its franchises are located, and taking care of its employees. Local stores often donate pizzas or offer monetary support to community causes. The Delivering the Dough fundraising card initiative has helped non-profit organizations raise an estimated $8 million since it began in 2004. The Domino’s Pizza Partners Foundation was established more than 20 years ago to provide financial assistance to Domino’s Pizza team members in need. Nearly $7 million has been provided to team members who have been victims of fire, accidents, illness, or natural disasters.  Visit the Domino’s website for more on their commitment to the community.

The mission of the Taco Bell Foundation is to inspire America’s youth to graduate from high school and become caring, educated, and productive adults. They are committed to addressing the alarming number of high school dropouts in the U.S. by providing at-risk youth with mentors and real-world experiences that will motivate them to stay in school and graduate.

For the past decade, the Taco Bell Foundation has been the national sponsor for the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Keystone Club program. The program focuses on small group leadership development for young people ages 14 to 18.  The Boys & Girls Club is an official partner of the Taco Bell Foundation.

Recently, the Foundation joined forces with the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation for a national awareness campaign. You may recognize this television spot, which features the actor.

From June through September of this year, Taco Bell employees and franchises will join the Foundation in hosting its signature Graduate to Go Business and College Camps for teens in 11 cities. The business camps, held in five cities, are for entrepreneurial Boys & Girls Club teens eager to win start-up funding for their small businesses.  College Camp will take place on six campuses around the country to teach teens about college life, and steps to getting there.

Visit the Foundation’s website for more information on their work in the community.

“All of us at Ford consider corporate responsibility a key part of who we are as a business,” says Jim Vella, President of Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. The truth in that statement is evident in the work the company has done in the community over the years.  The goal of the Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services is to support initiatives and institutions that enhance and improve opportunities for those who live in the communities where Ford operates. They work with and support not-for-profit organizations in three major areas: innovation and education, community development and American legacy, and auto-related safety education.

As part of their education initiative, Ford awards deserving high school students a variety of scholarships and grants. One such scholarship, Heart Behind the Oval, recognizes students who share the values of giving back by volunteering.  In 1997, Ford opened the Henry Ford Academy, the nation’s first charter school created jointly by a global corporation, public education and a major nonprofit cultural institution. Today, the school boasts attendance and graduations rates that average 95%, and 100% of Ford Academy graduates are accepted into college.

In 2005, the Ford Volunteer Corps was created as a way to unify goodwill and individual efforts to improve the community. Today, FVC is comprised of employees and retirees across six continents.  Ford encourages salaried employees to dedicate at least two workdays a  year to volunteering. Several times a year, they participate in Ford Accelerated Action Days, with projects concentrating on a different theme each time. In September of each year, Ford sponsors a global week of caring, uniting volunteers across the world.  For more information on Ford’s volunteer programs, visit this website.

Read more about our Spotlight on Brand Philanthropy here!

Examples of Philanthropic-Minded Brands

Over the course of Q3, CPXample^TM will begin a new series called ‘Spotlight on Brand Philanthropy,’ which will feature companies who are leveraging their success and brand recognition to do good.  We have discovered that many well known brands are giving back to the community in unique and meaningful ways. Some work through their own foundations, while others partner with non-profits.  Causes run the gamut from education, to the environment, to cancer care. A number of companies not only do their own work in the community, but also help others give back. We will be featuring a number of different brands, outlining their philanthropic efforts and the causes they support.

This series is part of a larger CPX Interactive initiative to leverage our vast reach to help these brands promote global responsibility. CPX will design and execute an online campaign of interactive survey-style ads that ask users whether a high profile brand’s commitment to specific philanthropic initiatives affects their own impression of the brand, and to what extent these efforts make them more likely to engage such a brand. CPX will then make the results of the survey available to brands and their agencies.  CPXample^TM was developed under the belief that with power, comes responsibility, and we applaud these brands for using their power to help others.

Stay tuned for more!

At its core, CPXample is the philanthropic division of online ad network, CPX Interactive.  Giving back has always been very important to the leadership at CPX, and we wanted to share their latest philanthropic endeavor:

Last month, a group of CPX executives traveled to Ecuador for a very special event: the opening of the B.U.D.S. Community Center in Guayaquil. The building of the center was a project first invested in by co-founders Mike Seiman and Carlton Hickman, and its name comes from the acronym they gave their initial business venture, B.U.D.S. Inc.  It stands for “Brothas Unda Da Skin,” and it represents Carlton and Mike’s close personal bond, despite different ethnic backgrounds.  At the time the center project became a reality, several other members of the CPX Executive Team became sponsors as well. They are COO & President, Rob Rasko, VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, VP of Sales-CPA Division, Jeff Reitzen, VP of Network Operations, David Zapletal, and Emily Seiman, VP of Creative Development.

Mike and Emily Seiman’s connection to Children International extends back 12 years ago. It was then that they began sponsoring children, and they have since sponsored more each year. It was on a trip to visit Yosue, one of their sponsored children, a few years ago, that Mike first learned about the need for a better community center in Guayaquil.

“They took me to the community center, and I could tell it was in need of much improvement. The center served nearly 6,000 children, and was not properly equipped to give them everything they needed. I  saw a real need for refurbishment and expansion, and I have really enjoyed helping Children International build a place that can truly serve the community in Guayaquil,” Mike said.

Watch below as Mike and Carlton talk about working with Children International at the center’s opening ceremony:

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About: Glamour Gone Good is an organization that is activating glamour industry professionals to engage in philanthropy and generate new revenue sources for organizations dedicated to empowering women and girls to reach their fullest potential. Current beneficiaries include Sister to Sister: The Women’s Heart Health Foundation, Dress for Success Worldwide, and Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS).  Thanks to the generosity of glamour industry professionals, including makeup artists, hair stylists, manicurists, designers, and wardrobe stylists, Glamour Gone Good will award grants of up to $100,000 to these charities in 2010.

Take Action: Check out the GGG website to make a donation or find out how to contribute to their next charity auction. Tell your neighborhood salon or spa to contact Glamour Gone Good and find out how to get involved. Host a Girls Night Out! Help them spread the word and connect on Facebook and Twitter.

About: Children International has been providing assistance to children and families struggling in poverty since 1936.  Today they work in 11 countries: Chile, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States, and Zambia. With the help of generous sponsors and donors, Children International works to help children living in poverty become adults who have healthier habits, enhanced self-esteem, education and skills for a better life, and more opportunities. They strive to not only provide children with basic needs, but also to ultimately break the cycle of poverty.

Take Action: Check out the newly updated Advocate Center to get the resources you need to speak up for children in poverty. Print materials, download presentations and videos, and more. To find out more about sponsorship and donations, visit the Ways to Give section of the Children International site.