For the second time in as many months, I’m disappointed in the Wall Street Journal’s choice to publish tired opinions and outdated views of corporate social responsibility. 

Sara Lee recently introduced a new line of whole-grain bread touting its innovative farming techniques that reduce the use of fertilizers. Natural food advocates and environmentalists can count another tick in the win column, right? Not so, according to The Cornucopia Institute.

The first time a client used the term “WIIFM” (pronounced whiff-um) in a sentence as though it were a real word, I thought perhaps she was speaking another language or using an industry-specific expression that I wasn’t familiar with.  I quickly learned that WIIFM is not only a part of the English language but also a concept that’s relevant to every industry and every project I’ve worked on.  WIIFM stands for “What’s In It For

“The business just doesn’t get what we’re trying to do here!” “The C-suite doesn’t have time to spend on this…it’s not at the top of their priority list.” “…We have a strategy.  We’re just looking for Marketing to help us with the tagline.” 

In continued affirmation of this year's CSR trends, Todd Cohen of the Philanthropy Journal wrote on Wednesday, "In an economy and marketplace undergoing sweeping changes because of the recession, experts say, companies increasingly aim to make their giving more strategic, collaborative and productive."

"...I’m here today to announce that the State Department is opening its doors to a new generation of public-private partnerships. We will expand current partnerships and embark on new ones. We’ll embrace collaboration and become more receptive to the ideas and approaches that you will bring to us. And we want to deploy the full range of tools available..." -Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the Global Philanthropy Forum (April 22, 2009) Source: US Department of State