“We want our neighbors to see TSMC Arizona as a big contributor to the growth and prosperity of the community,” says a spokesperson for the microchip manufacturing giant that has established a (huge) campus in Northwest Phoenix. Noting that thousands of jobs will be created to run the semiconductor fabs in the coming years, with talent recruited here in the state, she goes on to say that deeper community relationships will increase the awareness of the industry and TSMC’s role, iterating the philosophy underlying TSMC’s commitment to corporate community responsibility. “We want the community to view TSMC Arizona as a responsible corporate neighbor, and a place where they would be proud to work and grow a career.”
While dollar donations often make the headlines, corporate community responsibility manifests significantly in other ways as well. As Jackson Fonder, CEO of UMOM New Day Centers, explains, “At UMOM New Day Centers, corporate partnerships go beyond financial contributions. They extend to event volunteers, board memberships, and collaborations with community groups and other nonprofits.” He credits partnerships with volunteer programs, such as the Scottsdale Leadership Group, as key in projects like organizing UMOM’s warehouse and on-campus Clothing Closet, thereby helping ensure families experiencing homelessness have access to essential items. He also cites board membership as another critical avenue of support. “Corporate leaders bring valuable expertise in areas like finance, marketing, and strategic planning, which helps us expand our impact,” he points out.
Additionally, Fonder says, “Collaboration with other nonprofits like the Arizona Pet Project has also allowed us to address unique needs like providing pet care for families, ensuring that pets can stay together with their owners during times of crisis. These partnerships strengthen UMOM’s foundation, enhance programs and ensure sustainability, helping 2,710 clients secure permanent housing last year.”
It’s a win-win-win for the nonprofit community benefit organization, the for-profit business and the community. Brandon Michaels, president and CEO of OneAZ Credit Union, makes that clear in sharing his company’s experience: “At OneAZ, community impact and engagement are at the heart of our strategy to drive prosperity and growth throughout Arizona. By actively supporting local nonprofit organizations, we’re differentiating ourselves as more than a financial institution — we are truly a partner for our members with the goal of building stronger communities for all Arizonans. When Arizonans see the OneAZ logo, we want them to immediately think about the ways we’re inspiring dreams and driving prosperity for themselves, their families and their community.”
Some for-profit organizations create an affiliated nonprofit aimed at benefiting the community in a very targeted focus. The HonorHealth Foundation, for example, was created to support and advance HonorHealth’s mission, which is to improve the health and well-being of the community.
In fulfilling its mission, HonorHealth assembles a team of medical professionals expertly trained and with a passion for delivering patient-centered care. The HonorHealth Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of HonorHealth, sharing in the mission to improve the health and well-being of the community. Explains HonorHealth CEO Todd LaPorte, “By aligning Foundation goals with HonorHealth’s strategic priorities, the Foundation ensures donations address what HonorHealth and patients need to best serve the community.”
This practice of creating an affiliated nonprofit arm is a practice of many businesses but often aiming their philanthropic efforts to broader community service. An example is the OneAZ Community Foundation.
“Because our team is passionate about making a difference in the lives of our members and their community, we have created an organization that is a leader in giving back to the community,” Michaels says, describing the OneAZ Community Foundation as committed to bringing about change that ignites growth and makes a significant impact on the lives of Arizonans. “Since 2016, we’ve donated nearly $2 million to organizations and causes across the state, impacting hundreds of thousands of lives.” And he notes contributions go beyond monetary donations. “We also have a robust volunteerism program that provides each associate with 16 hours of paid volunteer time off. This results in thousands of hours of community service from our team members every year!”
All this, of course, strengthens the nonprofit. As Fonder notes, “Corporate support fuels our mission, not just through funding but also through volunteerism, expertise, and advocacy. Event volunteers from corporate partners play a vital role in projects like warehouse efficiency and managing donations, while companies can contribute to specialized skills clients need for employment.” And nonprofit organizations also create specific programs to engage businesses in their community.
Describing two such programs, Fonder shares, “Through the Preferred Employment Partner program, UMOM connects motivated, qualified candidates with employers who offer livable wages, regular hours, and opportunities for professional growth. This initiative prioritizes long-term stability and success over simple job placement. Programs like Homegrown, an 8-week restaurant-industry job training initiative, ensure participants receive job readiness training and career-matching services, offering partners a pool of high-quality, career-prepared candidates.”
Reaping Benefit
“By investing in the communities we serve, we aren’t just checking a box; we’re creating meaningful change that drives long-term growth for Arizonans,” Michaels says. And as part of this win-win-win, businesses accrue benefit and strengthen their brand from their focus on the community. “By supporting local initiatives and championing causes that matter to our members, we create something that transcends banking and finance — we build a legacy of positive impact and trust with our members and their community,” Michaels continues. “By aligning our business objectives with a purpose-driven mission, we ensure that our success is measured only by yours; allows companies to directly impact critical issues, such as homelessness, while fostering goodwill among employees, customers, and the wider community. Whether it’s through financial support, volunteering or in-kind donations, these collaborations showcase a company’s commitment to making a difference beyond their bottom line.”
TSMC Arizona lost no time in incorporating its community efforts as it established its presence here. Describing its overall meaning and value, the spokesperson says TSMC’s “Environmental Social Governance” vision is a simple one: “It is to ‘Uplift Society.’” To achieve this vision, the company directs its ESG efforts in five areas: green manufacturing, a sustainable supply chain, a diverse and inclusive workplace, developing talent, and caring for the underprivileged.
“These ESG focus areas are engrained in the culture of the company,” she explains. “In Taiwan, where we have been in existence since 1987, our ESG commitments are well known and felt in local communities. However, when we announced plans to build our first advanced chipmaking operation in the U.S., we understood it would take effort and time to build this same awareness and impact in the Phoenix community.”
Regarding its green manufacturing/environmental footprint, she points out TSMC’s Phoenix site encompasses more than 1,100 acres of land, and acknowledges that semiconductor manufacturing is energy and resource intensive. Therefore, she says, “It is important that the Phoenix community understands our strategy and plans for environmentally responsible manufacturing.
“We plan to earn their trust not only through action, but through transparency. For example, we know that water scarcity is an issue consistently on the minds of Arizona’s residents,” the spokesperson continues, noting that TSMC also takes this concern seriously, and has deployed various water conservation approaches at all its global sites. “In Phoenix, we will build an industrial water reclamation plan with a design goal of ‘near zero liquid discharge.’ This means we will be capable of reusing nearly every drop of water back into our facility operations. It is deeply important to TSMC Arizona that the community understands our seriousness about responsible use of resources.”
Community Connection
The community connections that contribute to corporate strength can be built in different ways.
“Our TSMC Arizona employees are eager to contribute to the community. It’s exciting to see how this is coming to life as our employees are finding ways to represent us with local volunteer activities and more,” says TSMC Arizona plant president Rose Castanares. “Today, we are in the early stages of community engagement. Just like the adage, ‘You have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run.’ But we plan to be here for many decades to come — and we are deeply committed to the ‘run.’”
Shares LaPorte, “The Foundation offers donors a voice to shape how HonorHealth develops its programs and practices across a comprehensive span of specialties such as heart, cancer, neurologic, orthopedic and trauma care. Through educational and social events, and through volunteer opportunities, the Foundation brings local people together to contribute toward initiatives that directly address our community’s evolving needs and create a lasting impact for future generations.”
OneAZ emphasizes corporate culture as a factor. Says Michaels, “Building an organization that is focused on strengthening our communities starts with a strong internal culture, one that’s united by a strong sense of purpose.” But below that shared purpose is another layer that contributes to the culture. “As an organization, when we treat our team members with dignity and equality, we empower them to bring those same values to the community we serve. The way we treat our members is an outward expression of our internal values.”
Ultimately, Michaels says, “At OneAZ, we are united around our Winning Aspiration: to be the financial trailblazer, inspiring dreams and driving prosperity and community growth through innovative solutions. With that as our North Star, we are empowering associates to dream big and create outcomes that affect a positive impact on members and our community.”
Creating channels for its employees to connect with the local community is one of the ways that TSMC Arizona is working hard to engrain its company culture here. According to the spokesperson, one of the first things the company did when it moved into its new North Phoenix campus in 2023 was form an employee-led ESG task group. “Since then, we have initiated many internal and community focused initiatives,” she says, offering the following examples:
- “Inside TSMC Arizona, two of our first employee resource groups formed included an Arizona chapter of “Women @TSMC” and the company’s first-ever employee resource group focused on military veterans, “Veterans@TSMC.” We have a unique opportunity in the early days of TSMC Arizona’s to build workforce on a foundation of diversity, equity and inclusion. We expect to form many new ERGs in the coming months and year.
- “We have also been active with Phoenix-area groups with a focus on such areas as youth and STEM education, support for families experiencing economic hardship, first responder support, healthcare services and environmental sustainability. One community program with great momentum is our partnership with Borderland Produce Rescue. This nonprofit organization focuses on ‘rescuing’ vegetables and fruit that have been discarded by the produce industry as not commercially sellable. With Borderland, we co-host a Saturday market in our campus parking lot for employees and local area residents to purchase prepackaged boxes of produce for a small donation to ensure local access to quality food and minimize waste.
- “One of our ESG focus areas is ‘developing talent.’ TSMC Arizona has committed employee and company resources into local programs that inspire future innovators and also create new pathways into our industry. Our employees have supported STEM-oriented programs at our neighbor school district (Deer Valley Unified). And we announced several innovative workforce pipeline programs for TSMC Arizona Semiconductor Technician Apprentices. These new programs will reach students in schools such as West-MEC and Maricopa Community Colleges.”
Michaels suggests a way companies can get started with their own efforts is to connect with nonprofits by reaching out directly to learn about needs and opportunities for involvement. “Participating in events, offering volunteer services, or even exploring sponsorships are great entry points,” he says.
HonorHealth is an example of a business creating an answer to its own need. “In a healthcare ecosystem of dynamic technology for diagnosis, treatment and therapy that operates through complex reimbursement mechanisms and regulations, HonorHealth must rely on community philanthropy to generate the funds necessary to cover operating costs and to invest in the growing needs of the community,” LaPorte says explaining the HonorHealth Foundation nurtures that philanthropic generosity and helps HonorHealth stay very close to what the public desires. He notes that Foundation donors enable HonorHealth to fund many critical initiatives, such as driving innovation and research, supporting underserved populations, and addressing social determinants of health.
“The HonorHealth Foundation works hand in hand with HonorHealth, creating a unique and powerful partnership that sets it apart from other nonprofits. By raising funds that stay within our system for advanced medical technology, education, research and community health programs, the Foundation drives our ability to quickly innovate and amplifies HonorHealth’s expertise, resources and reputation as a trusted healthcare partner,” LaPorte says.
LaPorte reports this collaborative relationship delivers measurable results and strengthens the connection between caregivers, patients, donors and volunteers so that the business community can rely on a healthy and vibrant workforce for its commerce. “Together, we’re not only making it possible to provide high quality health outcomes, but as a result we are contributing to economic vitality.”
“Connecting with local nonprofits provides immense gratification knowing you are filling gaps in the community,” Fonder says. For instance, supporting local nonprofits like UMOM New Day Centers allows companies to directly impact critical issues, such as homelessness, while fostering goodwill among employees, customers and the wider community. These collaborations showcase a company’s commitment to making a difference beyond their bottom line, he points out, whether it’s through financial support, volunteering or in-kind donations.
“No matter the size of a company,” says Fonder, “partnerships create a ripple effect of positive change for the community and the businesses themselves.”
