“Take that criteria, attention to detail, intricate craftsmanship, function, quality of inputs, and maker, apply that across the board, and you’ll end up with people being the most valuable of all.”

I’ve been asked many times in my short career, does CSR (corporate social responsibility, or philanthropy, or taking part in community work, make business sense? The answer is apparent. Of course it does.

Here’s why:

Because it always makes business sense to chase value, be it shareholder value, customer satisfaction, profit, or loyalty. Actively making positive contributions to society builds a better society and this creates value, for individuals and organizations, that leads to a beneficial environment for business.

But more than making business sense, more than the obvious need, Charity, which comes from the word caritas another word for love, is a recognition of the value of people. If we can appreciate the the value of a well-engineered car, the creativity of a artistic masterpiece, or the aesthetic detail of a beautiful dress, how can we not recognize the intricacy, function, creativity, attention to detail, and manufacturer, God, of human beings?

This is why I spend a lot of time helping the poor. I’ve found the pearl of great price that makes everything else, though wonderful, seem insignificant. I’ve found the treasure that is people – the treasure God Himself purchased with His son, and just like with my businesses, I’m on a search to find the value that rests in the rejected places.