John Deere delivers record community investment in 2022

With an enhanced focus on ending hunger around the world, John Deere invested a record $55.5 million in charitable giving in 2022 to raise up its home communities and those in need. In a news release, the global equipment maker announced that total community investments represented a 30% increase over last year. Of the $55.5 […]

With an enhanced focus on ending hunger around the world, John Deere invested a record $55.5 million in charitable giving in 2022 to raise up its home communities and those in need. In a news release, the global equipment maker announced that total community investments represented a 30% increase over last year. Of the $55.5 million total, $22.1 million was contributed by the John Deere Foundation, Deere said.  The total charitable giving represents 1.4% of Deere’s average net income over the previous year – exceeding its commitment to invest at least 1% of its earnings every year toward civic initiatives.  “At John Deere, we have always believed that our growing success as a business creates an even greater responsibility to contribute meaningfully and sustainably to the lives of others,” Deere Chairman and CEO John May said in the release.  Both the total investments and the foundation’s share represent new all-time highs in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and giving by the Moline-based Deere, said Nate Clark, the foundation’s president and Deere’s CSR global director. In an interview with the QCBJ on Wednesday, Dec. 21, Mr. Clark said Deere’s community investments are up 30% from a record $42.5 million a year ago. He said the increased giving reflects the company’s growing financial success as well as its new CSR model.  “In 2016, the company set as a goal, as a benchmark, investing 1% of its net income every year” in charitable giving, he said. “We surpass that 1% goal every year, beating industry standards.” Additionally, Mr. Clark said the company has changed how it gives in recent years. “One of the ways is now the majority of our grant giving is wholly unrestricted or it is directed at capacity building (initiatives) as selected by the nonprofit organization. “Our experience is that we’ve seen nonprofit organizations – when they are entrusted and empowered by flexible giving – they produce sustainable, impactful results in ways we never could have envisioned,” he told the QCBJ.  For nearly 75 years, the foundation has been a powerful source of philanthropy for nonprofit organizations that serve Deere home communities and farm communities around the world.  In 2021, the John Deere Foundation built on its legacy by committing at least $200 million over the next decade to ensure that marginalized families and youth in Deere communities and smallholder farm households have access to the resources and opportunities essential to their prosperity and dignity. In its CSR report, Deere noted that the foundation made key investments in its pursuit of ending hunger in 2022. They included: 

• More than $3 million was donated to food banks and for emergency hunger assistance, which was the equivalent of 13 million meals. 
• Nearly $5 million was donated to serve 3.8 million farmers globally in an effort to increase their food security, incomes and resilience to conflict and climate change. 

“While the company contributes to global food security through products and services that promote the profitable, productive and sustainable production of food, we can do even more,” Mr. May, who also is the foundation chairman, said in the release. “Through the John Deere Foundation we can help ensure that all of the food grown reaches those experiencing hunger, and we can support the world’s most vulnerable farmers in feeding themselves and those around them.”   The increased giving not only reflects Deere’s financial success, but also comes as a response to the tremendous needs being seen today – many of which were exacerbated by COVID-19. “The last few years have laid bare the vulnerabilities in our home communities and the vulnerabilities of marginalized populations,” Mr. Clark said.  The foundation’s mission has always been strengthened by Deere employees, who in 2022 logged 174,518 hours of volunteerism and personally donated $5 million to charity. The foundation celebrated their generosity by donating more than $6.2 million to inspire, match and otherwise reward this employee giving, Deere said.  Mr. Clark said volunteer opportunities for companies and individuals were lessened by COVID-19 – and actually remain below the record set in 2019 of more than 200,000 hours. But he has seen the volunteer spirit again grow. 

In particular, he applauded the efforts of John Deere employees in its Quad Cities hometown. Deere employees in the QC, alone, logged more than 60,000 of those volunteer hours and personally donated $2.2 million to nonprofits.   In fact, donations from the foundation and Deere employees that directly benefited the Quad Cities hit a total of $7.7 million. Of that, more than $3 million in direct grants from the foundation went to Quad Cities organizations.  Deere also matched and rewarded employee donations and volunteerism in the Quad Cities through donations of nearly $2.5 million. Mr. Clark said more than 25% of the foundation’s investments benefitted the Quad Cities region.    “When we create opportunities for our employees to give, we make our communities richer,” he said.