You would think giving away $3 million a week might be easy for a company. But for Laysha Ward, who helps make the decision on where retailer Target Corp. sends its charitable contributions, the job includes some delicate choices. 
    Ward, Target’s Vice President of Community Relations, oversees Target’s domestic and international grant making, sponsorships and volunteerism. The company gives away 5 percent of its taxable income to support communities where it does business.

    Right now, Target supports programs ranging from giving grants to school teachers so they can take students on field trips to sponsoring free days at museums across the country.
    Ward said part of her job entails deciding which programs make sense for Target to get involved with.
    “You have to balance the community and business interest,” she said. “We try to do things that make sense for a company to do.”
    She added that you have to ask: “Who are you stake holders?”
    For instance, while a foundation might sponsor a 10-year study to derive in-depth knowledge of its cause, Target is looking for projects where it can get involved immediately and make an impact.
    She also said Target has a delicate line to walk when it comes to advertising its corporate sponsorship of events or items.
    While she said it is important not to turn off recipients by plastering the red Target bulls-eye logo all over a donation, she also said that consumers want to know that the places where they shop are giving back to the community. So she said that at times, it makes sense to incorporate the Target name or logo into a media campaign or on to a donation — but always discreetly.
    She also said that, with the prevalence of the Internet and the ongoing media focus on corporate governance, today’s younger generation of shoppers is much more aware of corporate responsibility and using that information to make decisions about where they want to shop.
    “There is a heightened awareness around the importance of giving,” she said.
    Next up for Ward and Target is national sponsorship of National Volunteer Week, which kicks off April 15. It includes a print campaign encouraging people to call 1-800-VOLUNTEER for suggestions on ways to get involved.