Let me just say up front that this column will not be of interest to those readers who are selfish, egocentric, greedy, arrogant, know-it-all geniuses - even though they’re the ones who could benefit the most from this message. For the rest of you…read on.

Most business leaders want their peers and their community to say that their company- and society in general - is better off for having them at the helm of their organization. Building such a legacy is not a simple task; it requires more than just mastering the art of management, producing nifty products, or creating loyal customers. It requires building a healthy company that can continue to thrive long after they are gone, because they have understood the biology between their company and the community - or environment - in which the company exists.

This is an organic viewpoint of business, and even though I damn near flunked biology class in college, I’m comfortable explaining it. It’s easy to see that businesses are living organisms. No company is an island. It depends on an educational system to produce intelligent, trained workers and on an infrastructure of highways, airways, and communication technologies. Businesses take natural resources (inputs) to create products and services (outputs). They need raw materials, including people from the community whom they employ, to produce a product or perform a service, for which the companies are allowed to make a profit. In some cases, businesses take natural resources - timber or oil - from the earth.

Society allows businesses to do this and to make tax deductions. And shareholders and investors put their money in the hands of business leaders, trusting that they will grow it through opportunities in a capitalistic society.

Like other living organisms, businesses need an environment that is healthy. If a company is located in an unhealthy community or environment, it too will become unhealthy, stunted. It might even die.

So you see, there is a strong relationship between business and community, but it works both ways. Just as companies rely on a healthy environment, the health of a community often relies on corporate philanthropy to sustain and improve it.

I’m not talking about simply writing out checks. I’m also talking about getting involved by sharing our business experience and skills and making corporate philanthropy an integral part of business strategies. I hear people whine about poor service, inadequately trained workers, or inefficient managers. Yet, relatively few business leaders take the time to share their knowledge to make an improvement in the situation.

It troubles me when business leaders say they or their companies can’t afford to donate to charity, or that they are too busy to serve on boards of directors (or that new regulatory impositions scare them,) or that they can’t find the time or patience to serve as a mentor. Don’t they understand that it’s their duty - and really an honor - to give back a portion of what they’ve been given? I’ve always believed that giving back is simply the rent we pay for the space that we occupy here on Earth. Sitting Bull, the famous Sioux chief, said, “The white man knows how to make everything…but he does not know how to distribute it.” So this attitude of not giving back is a historical and nationwide problem - and it’s getting worse.

Charitable contributions by U.S. companies fell 14.5 percent in real dollars last year. Over the past 15 years, corporate philanthropy has dropped by 50 percent when measured as a percentage of profits. It’s not hard to figure out why.

The world is becoming more competitive, and it’s getting harder and harder to make a profit, so it is increasingly more difficult to share your profits and time. It is difficult to find the time to serve as a mentor or join a board or directors. It’s dif ficult to open up the corporate wallet when you are working hard to keep your company out of the red. But think about how much more difficult it will be in the future to run a successful business if your community becomes unhealthy or falls apart!

Some view corporate philanthropy as simply a public relations stunt. I call it “spotlight philanthropy,” when corporations try to enhance their profile through charitable causes. Although high-profile corporate charitable campaigns contribute to many worthy causes and do a lot of good, how much goodwill do you feel toward Phillip Morris when you learn it spent $75 million in charitable contributions in 1999, but then turned around and spent $100 million in advertising that fact?

A smarter, more effective way to give is through strategic philanthropy. By this, I mean giving as an extension of a company’s strategies, not as an effort to improve public relations. Many smart organizations realize that sharing their specific knowledge and skills along with charitable contributions, or focusing their contributions on communities in which they operate, can leverage those dollars into social improvements that surpass the ones made possible by individual donors, foundations, or even governments.

A leader in strategic philanthropy is right here in our own back yard. Tar get Corporation is at the top of the list of America’s most philanthropic companies, according to Forbes magazine. Target gave 2.51 percent of its operating income, or $85.8 million, to charity in 2001. What’s even more remarkable is that its donations go right back to the communities where its stores are located. This strategy improves the social conditions of its operating environment, which in turn improves the education of the students who eventually work at Target and the economic condition of the families who shop there. As you can see, when a business is strategic with its philanthropy, it creates economic benefits for itself. And I think it’s safe to say that Target spends only a tiny fraction of what it raises to tout the fact that it does it.

Strategic philanthropy is not just about handing out gobs of money. All organizations need experienced business people to guide them, so share your knowledge and business experience by mentoring a minority-owned or start-up company in your industry. Actively serve on a board of a for-profit or non-profit organization that could benefit from your experiences. Urge your employees to volunteer (on company time) for organizations that need their particular skills and talents.

If your company’s strategies include donating cash, products, or pro bono services, think about ways to light a fire under those donations by providing training for recipients in how to best leverage these gifts. Challenge yourself and your management team to understand your business in a holistic way, including the impact it has on the environment in which it lives.

Strategic philanthropy is not easy. It requires a strong commitment and the integration of philanthropy with other company processes. The CEO must lead the management team to develop and implement a strategic philanthropy plan that focuses on improving the company’s business environment. The payoff is that corporate philanthropy will become more effective and productive, and it will improve your business by making it sustainable. That’s how you can give back, and create the legacy you’ve been dreaming about. It’s all about corporate biology.