Amanda Starbuck writes about the most charitable fortune 500 companies this year.

1. TheMostCharitable
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Amanda Starbuck

2. Recently, the Chronicle of Philanthropy has compiled a
comprehensive list of Fortune 500 companies that have
donated the most amount of funds to charities and various
philanthropic causes last year.
Goldman, the fourth biggest corporate donor of 2015, is also
guiding the market with regard to economic growth.
According to a report conducted by the Chronicle of
Philanthropy, the corporate giant gave $276.4 million in cash
in 2015. This donated amount is 10% more than was the firm
had given the previous year.

3. To compare, in 2014, the California based biotech
company named Gilead Sciences gave the most monetary
contributions. According to various reports, Gilead
Sciences had contributed over $446.7 million to a plethora
of causes. The other companies in the top five were not
industry specific, with brands ranging from retail to
international petroleum corporations. Within the top five in
2014 consisted of companies such as Walmart totaling
$301 million, totaling $281.2 million, and ExxonMobil with
$268 million.

4. Similar to Goldman Sachs, various other Fortune 500
corporations have reported that philanthropy and social
responsibility programs helped their business expand and
flourish in various internal areas. Specifically, these areas
include employee satisfaction, increasing overall
customer loyalty, and reducing issues or problems that
could potentially become liabilities. The prime example of
this particular success story is Walmart.

5. Walmart’s CEO, Douglas McMillon has guided the creation
of the company’s charitable arm, the Walmart Foundation.
The Walmart Foundation has unveiled a $100 million
pledge to make retail jobs more attractive industry-wide by
increasing wages and generating more flexible schedules
for their employees across the board.

6. “We want to accelerate mobility of frontline retail workers
not only within Walmart but in retail as a whole, and really
elevate the role that retail can play in workforce in America
and more broadly,” says Kathleen McLaughlin, who serves
as both chief sustainability officer and president of the
Walmart Foundation.
While some individuals may prefer to donate time or funds
from an altruistic standpoint, it is still important to note that
corporate giving as a percentage of pre-tax profits is slowly
declining.

7. Check out the full list of The 20 Most Generous Companies
of the Fortune 500 to see more about the non-profits and
charities that benefited from $3.5 billion in donations last
year.