"A company belongs to an individual when it is small, but is owned by the employees when it gets bigger, and is shared by the community and the entire country when it gets even bigger."
BACKGROUND
Mr. Zhang Jindong is chairman of Suning Appliance Group, which specializes in electrical appliances and Internet services. Mr. Zhang’s philanthropic contributions are directed toward disaster relief, poverty alleviation, education, and health. Though he does not have an established philanthropic foundation, he makes contributions through his company or directly using personal gifts. Some of his more notable gifts include donations in 2011, 2012, and 2013 to the Song Qing Ling Fund to support AIDS prevention. After the 2008 Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake, Mr. Zhang personally donated USD 8.3 million (RMB 50 million) to assist in relief efforts, and in 2010, his company donated USD 2.5 million (RMB 15 million) to aid earthquake victims following the Yushu earthquake.193, 194 Mr. Zhang is also a contributor to other philanthropic foundations, such as the China Poverty Alleviation Foundation, the Shanghai Love and Dream Charity Foundation, and the Jiangsu Province Charity Federation.
MOTIVATION
Mr. Zhang strongly believes in corporate social responsibility. He always says that “A company belongs to an individual when it is small, but is owned by the employees when it gets bigger, and is shared by the community and the entire country when it gets even bigger.” Since its establishment, Suning Appliance Group has valued the relationship among the state, enterprises, and employees and has sought to advance shared interests. Mr. Zhang also believes that in addition to undertaking the basic social responsibilities such as creating jobs and revenue, a key responsibility is to reallocate the social wealth through philanthropy.196 One of the popular slogans at the company is “Know the support from all walks of the society; know the success of Suning Appliance Group,” encouraging supporting and giving back to society. Mr. Zhang has also acknowledged that the value of an enterprise is not measured by how many resources it has but by how much it shares with society. Mr. Zhang’s hope for Suning Appliance Group is for it to become a resource for nonprofit social public welfare organizations and facilitate the development of a network of public charities. Ultimately, his vision is that public welfare organizations would operate with greater efficiency and with high professional standards.
IMPACT
One impact of Mr. Zhang’s philanthropy is encouraging corporate social responsibility and employee engagement in community activities. Since 2006, Suning Appliance Group has launched the 1+1 Sunning Action project and held an annual event during which more than 70,000 company employees participate in a wide range of volunteer activities. One example of services they provide is repairing household appliances at local nursing homes and orphanages. Another example is cleaning public areas around the local community. The company also encourages its employees to donate at least one-day’s salary every year to charitable organizations. Mr. Zhang and Suning Appliance Group are committed in the long term to creating an enterprise that positively impacts the community in many ways.