Corporate Leaders Tout Philanthropy's Benefits Amid Grim Financial News

“If it’s about spare change, and pure generosity is the only measure of success, then it’s going to be subject to economic changes, up or down,” said Stanley S. Litow, president of the IBM International Foundation, in a meeting of corporate-philanthropy executives that followed the bell-ringing ceremony. “If it’s tied to your business strategy and is building shareholder value, then it will fare well because it will be about real change.”