A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article titled Corporate Culture and a Greener Tomorrow in which I covered the importance of community in modern culture and the growth of corporate involvement in socially active causes. This week I stumbled across an ad on yahoo for what American Express is calling the Members Project, in which cardholders and guests of the website can submit Arts and Culture, Community Development, Education, Environmental & Wildlife and Health projects for people to vote on the winners.

Its interesting to see the cause and effect relationships develop between a companies values and the people in its community. American Express is essentially a small company in relationship to some of the larger credit card companies such as VISA and Mastercard, and a program such as the Members Project brings a lot of attention to their company brand, while creating a sense of community among it’s cardholders, who have always had a lot of exclusivity wrapped up in their members only mentality. It is yet another example of modern corporations trying to build the community around their brand while championing social affection in the modern workplace. Both customers and employees want exposure to these programs, and activities such as these allow them to interact with the company and drive social change, influencing both the ideals of the company and the community at large.

I would expect to see more of this in the future as everyday people are allowed more and more say in how companies conduct themselves.

For more information on the American Express Members project visit the site:

www.membersproject.com