Wal-Mart recently announced that it gave $467 million in charitable donations of cash & in-kind gifts to non-profits last year.

Some people will read that and say, “Wow, that’s a lot of money! Way to go Wal-Mart!”

Others will do the math and see that with $401 billion in annual sales for 2009, Wal-Mart’s donations to charity were a paltry 00.12% of revenue. “Geez Wal-Mart, is that all you have to give?”

The bigger question is… Where do you stand? Did you give more or less as a percentage? Are you supporting the non-profits in your town? Are you giving more than 00.12% or are you letting Wal-Mart take the high ground?

I only ask because $467 million is a big number and people like big numbers. You’re not making enough to give that much, but percentage-wise I’m betting you give more. Add it up and see where you stand. If you’re higher, you need to let the community know that supporting you supports them, too. If you’re lower, you have to ask if you’re doing your part to support your community. If nothing else, I guarantee that number will be enlightening.

-Phil

PS Full disclosure… for 2009 our charitable donations including cash & products totaled 0.55% of revenue – and yeah, I think that’s too low.