Can a corporation really have a conscience? Can a company do more than business as usual? We think so, and we are very interested in the how’s and why’s some corporations exhibit a high degree of social responsibility and put their money to work in ways that matter to mankind. Thirsty is on the hunt and when we find one that does cool things, we’ll let you know.
Thirsty Asks:
THIRSTY: What is UPS doing to help mankind?
You know we do a lot and one of the most things I'm proud of is that our employees donate more than a million volunteer hours a year and our foundation gives $45 million to charities annually. We have loaned executives giving their logistics and management expertise to CARE, the UN and FEMA to improve disaster relief response. We have drivers testing alternative fuel vehicles that might one day lead us to a carbon-free fleet. We have scholarship recipients at colleges all around the world. We recently donated $1 million for microloans to women entrepreneurs around the world.
THIRSTY: How long have you been doing it?
100 years. We celebrated our centennial in August last year. It reminded us all of how our founder Jim Casey built in community service from the very beginning.
THIRSTY: What projects show UPS’ passion to help others?
You know what first comes to mind are our drivers who literally save lives. They've pulled children from burning buildings, they've rescued families from car accidents, they've even resuscitated drowning victims. They're everywhere on the streets in all parts of the world and when a problem comes up they're there to help.
But just as inspirational are our employee volunteers. Every year we have a top community service award. Some of the winners and finalists have done remarkable things: started foundations with their bonus checks and stock to help struggling women, starting battered women shelters, pushing for legislation to help foster care parents have the right to seek out medical care for their children, creating a team that helps farm families harvest and plant their crops when a medical emergency arises, a manager who uses her horses to provide physical therapy for disabled children, tutoring school children on their lunch breaks...the list goes on and on.
THIRSTY: What benefit does UPS hope to receive?
We see the benefit as both an obligation to the communities where our employees live and work and a business benefit. Volunteer activities and community service activities are great team building exercises, they build leadership skills in our employees and we think it cements the loyalty we have with our employees. It’s all good.
And increasingly, our customers tell us they are seeking out business partners like them – good citizens with socially responsible operations.
THIRSTY: How do you measure your impact?
We have a sustainability report with 5 year goals around our economic, social and environmental impact. Progress is reported every year on .
THIRSTY: Do you plan to continue your efforts and in what ways?
Absolutely, we have 425,000 employees around the world who carry the spirit of UPS forward and they're the ones who really localize our commitment to their communities and you couldn't stop it if you tried and why would you!
THIRSTY: Name one charitable organization you would recommend for the Give Something hut on Thirsty Beach and why?
We give to hundreds of charities so it’s a little like choosing a “favorite” child…however, there is one charity who is helping us help our customers go green. The National Arbor Day Foundation will receive a contribution from us for every customer who converts from a paper bill to an electronic one. The average weekly bill is 4-16 pages so that’s a lot of trees.
