When corporate backers helped Desa Burton get her software-coding academy off the ground in 2015, the primary goal was to bring good jobs and a brighter future to people who needed both.
As it turns out, her eager students would end up getting far more than they hoped for.
After arriving in Delaware and enrolling in ZipCode Wilmington’s training program, more than a few out-of-state students decided to make this community their home. Their embrace of Delaware was no accident – today’s corporate philanthropists say the ultimate aim of giving is to ensure the state remains a great place to live, work and pursue opportunities.
“ZipCode attracts people from outside our region here, and very few leave,” Burton said. “They are just so excited once they get here and they see this community, and they’re just like, ‘Oh, I don’t think I really want to leave. I have a great job now. My family is secure, and I’ve got this very community around me, so I don’t want to leave.’ This has happened multiple times.”
Burton’s experience reflects a years-long effort by major corporate donors to do more than simply hand out checks, panelists said Wednesday at a Riverfront Wilmington conversation about the role of corporate philanthropy in Delaware. The bigger aim is to improve the entire community ecosystem, so that success is brought within reach – for Delawareans, for the state’s economy, and for the corporations themselves.
“People want to live in communities with strong quality of life. So it behooves corporations to make sure we have that,” said Allison Taylor Levine, publisher and CEO of Spotlight Delaware, which convened the event. “When more people want to live here, that means a better pool of talent, a stronger workforce, less turnover, and more people to spend money.’’
Sponsored by JPMorganChase, the event brought together business and nonprofit leaders for a deeper dive into the shifting dynamics of philanthropic giving. Many recipients in the crowd are facing a new reality of less reliable funding streams, and came seeking a sense of how to sustain impact on leaner budgets.
“We are seeing the shift of trying to figure out how to do more with less,” said Burton. Revenue from its training programs helps ZipCode offset challenges when philanthropy wanes, Burton said. Nonprofits need to be prepared for those moments, said panelist Jac Rivers, vice president and program officer at JPMorganChase, where she leads strategic philanthropic investments in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Southern New Jersey.
“It can be challenging to find other funding sources or figure out a sustainable model. But that really is what needs to happen, because we can’t continue to fund program after program, year over year,” Rivers said.
At the same time, JPMorganChase’s commitment to community philanthropy remains strong, she said. Since 2019, JPMorganChase has contributed more than $22 million in Delaware.
“It’s not just the right thing to do – it’s good for business, and so we look to our partners and to the community to help us think about how to strengthen economies in a way that benefits everyone,” Rivers said.
The bank has worked for years to help local nonprofits improve the prospects of Delaware’s workforce, leaning on four “pillars” of philanthropy: Helping people adopt more healthy financial habits; pushing for affordable housing; supporting the small business ecosystem; and removing barriers to workforce training.
Such multifaceted approaches are core elements of philanthropy in Delaware, panelists said. Corporate donations often go toward supporting such “quality of life” components as arts and culture, or even public safety.
Corporate giving works best when partnerships between donors and recipients are more transformational than transactional, panelists said. Money may get things started, but it’s people and passion that make the difference.
“It’s all about the engagement piece, making that personal connection with the community,” said panelist Yvonne Deadwyler, president and CEO of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. Progress is made possible by deliberate and sustained involvement by the corporations, making them true collaborators in the process.
“Zip Code was founded because employers and business leaders and philanthropy got together and basically said, ‘We have a problem, and we need to solve it. Let’s find a way to do that,’ Burton said. “It’s not just writing the check, but sitting at the table and really engaging with nonprofits and finding ways to solve those problems.”
