“We very often fail to think as carefully about helping others as we could, mistakenly believing that applying data and rationality to a charitable endeavor robs the act of virtue.” – Dr. William MacAskill, Doing Good Better

Corporate philanthropy can be a slippery slope, where there is either too little structure to a company’s give-back efforts, or else there is the impulse to take on too much. Even when it comes to businesses who prioritize altruism, the evidence suggests there is often a surplus of philanthropic activity but a lack of measurable impact. Therefore, to borrow from MacAskill, thinking “more carefully” about your brewery’s community outreach is essential to hitting your intended target.

That said—in a world where information is plentiful, but conflicting—where do you begin? Matt Stevens, the Vice President of Strategic Impact at Creature Comforts Brewing Co. in Athens, Georgia, will unpack the best practices of effective altruism, as well as the strategy his department has developed over the years, to provide a few helpful filters through which to evaluate your outreach programming.

Because, ultimately, every philanthropist should feel confident their generosity is being channeled where it matters the most.

Learning Objectives:

• We, not Me: Developing strategic partnerships across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors Becoming Data-Driven: Harnessing your community’
• s needs-assessment data
• ">Balancing Impact and Meaning: How to ensure your philanthropy is both effective within your community and meaningful to your employees Starting Small: Positioning (or repositioning) your brewery to better serve your community When Helping Hurts: Preventing your “
• solution”
• from doing more harm than good