IT Services and Corporate Social Responsibility, Part I: An Industry Report Card assesses the current status of philanthropy and cause-related marketing in IT services and provides concrete recommendations to help services marketers leverage the business value of existing and new initiatives.

Part I of this Update provides an industry report card based on a survey of ITSMA members. Part II, Leveraging the Power of Philanthropy and Cause-Related Marketing highlights a series of best practices from across the industry as well as specific ITSMA recommendations. Part II will be published in July 2000.

As NASDAQ-fueled fortunes pervaded the technology sector in the late 1990s, industry leaders began giving away substantial sums of money to their favorite universities, local charities, and pet projects. From Bill Gates on down, a veritable flood of multimillion-dollar contributions issued forth from Seattle, Silicon Valley, Route 128 around Boston, and other technology centers, challenging the generally stingy reputation of high-tech entrepreneurs.

Many technology companies also believe in giving something back to the community. Industry giants such as IBM, AT&T, and Microsoft maintain sizable corporate foundations and community sponsorship programs. Newer E-Services firms such as Lante, Scient, and ZEFER conduct pro bono work for nonprofits and organize volunteer days to get employees involved in community organizations.