All too often in today’s divisive political environment people all too often look for reasons not to buy a particular company’s product, the most widespread being the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement directed against Israel.
Additionally, liberals avoid Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby for being too faith-based, while conservatives turn their nose up at Nike and Target for being too woke.
How about looking for the good rather than the bad? How about looking for a reason to trade with a particular company rather than a reason not to?
Here’s Newsmax’s list of the top 10 U.S. companies that give back to the community, listed in alphabetical order. Some may set liberals’ hair on fire. Others may cause conservatives to fume.
But so be it.
Alphabet/Google:
Alphabet is the parent company of Google, which is no friend of conservatives, given its search engine that skewers results in favor of liberal news feeds.
However, it remains on of America’s top charitable givers by matching between $50 to $12,000 in donations per employee each year. Those matches not only include personal employee donations, but funds raised by employees for nonprofits.
It also offers free advertising space for non-profits and assists veterans who are transition back into civilian life by providing them tech training free of charge.
Bank of America (BOA):
Pretty much everyone dislikes big banks — we understand that. However BOA has an employee nonprofit matching program that’s nearly as good as Alphabet/Google’s.
Each Bank of America employee can request up to $5,000 per year in matching gift funds to nearly any nonprofit organization.
BOA’s matching gift program will match donations made to nonprofits up until March 15 of the following year, providing for both end-of-year appeals and start-of-year efforts.
Best Buy:
Everyone likes Best Buy, right? Like Alphabet and BOA, Best Buy has an employee-based charitable giving program — but with a twist.
It’s based on volunteerism.Groups of two or more Best Buy Mobile employees can earn up to $500 annually for any nonprofit to which they collectively provide volunteer services.
Similarly, when five or more employees at any other Best Buy location volunteer as a group, they can earn $1,000 for the nonprofit for that year.
ExxonMobil:
The mere mention of this one will make the left’s head explode — especially anyone who believes fossil fuels are the source of all the world’s ills. However, they can take some solace in the fact that it gives readily.
While may rake in enormous profits, it gave, for example, more than $250 million in 2015 alone. The company spreads its global donation efforts in a wide swath of programs, including education in STEM (science, technology, engineering mathematics), global health initiatives, women’s economic opportunity, and malaria prevention.
ExxonMobil also donates $500 for every 20 hours an employee volunteers his time to nonprofits.
Goldman Sachs:
Investments banks have acquired a terrible, Simon LeGree image from the start. However, Goldman Sachs is one of the largest corporate donors in America, working through its donor-advised fund, Goldman Sachs Gives. It has given more than $1 billion in grants to thousands of nonprofits in 80 countries worldwide.
McAfee:
McAfee will match dollar-for-dollar each employee’s fundraising dollars.
Also, if an employee participates in a fundraising activity, such as a walkathon or run, McAfee will match all money that employee raised, also on a dollar-to-dollar basis, up to $1,000.
Starbucks:
If your first thought when someone mentions Starbucks is overpriced coffee served by young, woke baristas, that’s only half the story.
Starbucks’ Partner Match Program provides grants to nonprofits to which U.S. and Canadian employees and retirees volunteer at least 25 hours of their time and services to nonprofits.
Verizon:
Verizon will match up to $1,000 in funds raised per team member raised by employees who participate in an organized fundraising event. It will also match up to $10,000 per team event.
The Team Fundraising Program is open to teams of ten or more Verizon employees who participate in any walk, run, or bike cause-related event.
Walmart:
Im addition to being the world's largest retailer by sales, Walmart is the largest donor in the retail sales industry.
Its charitable activities include cash and merchandise to nonprofits working on labor benefits, as well as food to the needy.
Walmart also sends relief to U.S. communities that are impacted by natural disasters such as heavy winds, flooding or wildfires.
Wells Fargo:
While this banking giant has come under fire in the past over questionable business practices, it also has a long tradition of charitable giving to for-profit organizations.
Wells Fargo supports national nonprofits, especially those involved in financial education. It also gives freely to any local nonprofits in the cities where it operates.
Honorable Mention: Diba Shoes:
But you don’t gave to be a huge multi-national conglomerate to make a difference. Diba Shoes is a small, family-owned company that manufactures shoes that it sells through retailers such as Walmart.
Its method of giving is its effort to to be a good steward of the be environment.
Its shoeboxes are made from recycled materials and don’t contain glue.
Each box carries the message, "This box is made and assembled without harmful glues to lessen the impact on our environment. Please repurpose and give it a second life."
Diba Shoes uses solar power and efficient lighting technology where possible, and provides electric vehicle charging stations for their employees and visitors.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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