Station Berlin, as the venue is called, is the event location chosen by the Federal Association of German Foundations. It is the first Foundation Day after the pandemic.
Station Berlin is an old train station, the former Dresden station. The red brick structure combined with steel constructions creates large halls – large enough for the expected 1,000 participants.
A moderated opening with an entertainer troupe. Networking rituals are practiced. The central man at the microphone radiates very good mood. A typical casual yet highly ambitious manager, suit with an open shirt and no visible hair. A good communicator. Classic approach with small groups of 5-7 people. “Who am I and what would I be if I were not what I am” and all within a maximum of 5 minutes. The first round includes the GF officer of the Bosch Foundation, a representative of the DFL Foundation (Bundesliga Foundation), a representative of a foundation associated with the Fuggerei and a somewhat quirky, elderly Berlin lawyer and notary. A good start, but that’s about it. We do not meet again later, and we do not exchange our goals for the day. The almost personal contact again loses itself in anonymity. The well-intentioned effect dissipates.
The large hall is large enough for a personal video greeting from the Federal President. Somewhat sarcastically, it was speculated beforehand about what he might say. “Civic engagement and continuing” is highly valued, but Frank-Walter is somewhat smarter and avoids the usual platitudes. However, he still remains Frank-Walter, so his thoughts are no longer memorable to me. But it was nice to be acknowledged.
The panels are well-staffed. Thoughtful and highly educated people speak as keynotes and discuss with the respective moderators. It is enjoyable to listen. The personal ambition to also be an intellectual increasingly wavers. There sit, speak, and weigh people who have read more than I have and who allow themselves and others the luxury of not only having a specific opinion. Ambivalence may shine through. The neighbor may also be right. Pleasant. I feel how my own thoughts begin to take shape on the topics.
The topics: where does the capital we use for “good” actually come from? How do the ethical foundations cope with the capitalistic goals of the companies whose names they bear and which finance them? It becomes clear that the world of foundations, especially that of the large, financially strong foundations, has only late and often superficially addressed the processing of their history and prehistory. The Alfred Toepfers, the Quandt family, or the Karg family are associated with the expropriation of Jewish property or with colonialism. Doing good today, however defined, is not an absolution for past wrongs and the associated horrors. The term “indulgence trade” has been mentioned. Which does not work. An event on Friday at the German Historical Museum makes this very clear. The question of the origin of the money remains relevant in the room. We as the CONTRACT Foundation should always be able to answer that.
Corporate foundations and their search for meaning were addressed. So how can the foundation’s purpose be lived and filled – also independent of the corporate purpose? The implicit assumption remained that doing business is not ethical. If legal regulations require it, companies also behave ethically. However, this all takes place “only” in the context of classic compliance. The belief remained that foundations should, if in doubt, emancipate themselves ethically from the companies and definitely not allow themselves to be corrupted.
The question of the ethical influence of foundations on companies was not raised. Only the managing director of the Wala Foundation hinted at it. The background was that Wala was fundamentally a philanthropic corporate foundation. Like the CONTRACT Foundation, the Wala Foundation is also a majority shareholder.
It was noticeable in the discussions that the foundation representatives came from a universe that has dedicated itself to something other than the economic processes of value creation. In one contribution, the transition to a foundation function was connoted with the transition from the dark side of power to the bright side. A shimmer of a healed world hung over the event. The protagonists are economically secure and live the privilege of dealing with good things. The awareness of this was certainly present, but it was not a problem.
What remains?
First of all, the Foundation Day is a good opportunity to ask larger questions in between.
The field of corporate foundations remains open. The interplay between ethical claims and active entrepreneurship, the promotion of acceptance of economic activity as ethically positive, and the Humane Economy as a possible proposition, these are open fields.
We can do something with them. We should do something.
JK 14. May 2023
