Actioning your purpose as a brand has many challenges and is a serious investment. It takes vision, innovation and genuine follow-through from business leadership.  And while we are seeing more bravery, thanks to an era of conscious consumers, the business world is now facing it’s most public and tangible test, with the arrival of the COVID-19 virus.

Before we all knew what COVID-19 was, BAMM Global conducted a research study they called ‘The Uncertainty Project’. They highlighted ‘uncertainty’ as a powerful magnifier of inequality, something we are now seeing exposed in real time. They found this uncertainty results in people wanting to become more ‘groupish’ in their behaviors. But in a time of social distancing, that’s a uniquely unhelpful coping mechanism. So we need to adapt, because the solutions we generate now, may very well change the way we work, play, problem-solve and connect forever.

Brand generosity has historically been mixed and taken the form of giant checks or employee volunteer days. But now we have a purpose driven economy where one purpose has come to unite us all. Companies are finding new ways to intimately connect their core offering to the cause, weaving a more cohesive narrative and truly re-imagining what good they can do with their products, platforms and technologies.

This global pandemic has actually inspired infinite acts of brand generosity. In fact, some of those acts are already cutting through this climate of uncertainty. The fashion industry is poised to step up and take action in this unprecedented era. Whether it’s filling emergency product gaps by innovating their supply chain or providing access, comfort, entertainment and connection when people are at their most vulnerable.

Some have looked inward: LVMH took just 72 hours to swap production from luxury goods to a product that has become a new kind of luxury in France, bottles of hand sanitizer. The bottles were supplied to doctors and nurses across the country. Ready-to-wear brand, Reformation partnered with The City of Los Angeles and Mayor Eric Garcetti on LA Protects, an initiative to organize local manufacturers to make five million non-medical masks for essential workers.

Others are offering financial support to organizations on the front lines of the crisis. Ralph Lauren donated $1 million to CFDA and Vogue’s A Common Thread (he donated $10 million in total to the cause), Saks Fifth Avenue and Hudson’s Bay Company gave generously to New York Presbyterian Hospital, Girls Inc., Food Banks Canada, among others. Nike, pledged a total of more than $15 million to help fight COVID-19 with donations to Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Community Recovery Fund, and the Oregon Health and Service University.

And some brands are taking new and urgent action on the causes they have been connected to pre-pandemic. Kate Spade New York just launched a crisis line to provide counseling and emotional support for medical professionals.

So to all brands navigating this uncharted, uncertain time. When and where possible, lean into generosity. It strengthens your bond with your core audience, it invites new audiences in, it grounds you in the communities you serve, it provides a platform for authentic storytelling, and it forces a new kind of innovation (that IS kinder).

Let’s hope the business lessons of COVID-19 accelerate a new kind of capitalism where generosity guides brand actions, and the socially responsible path is naturally (and rightfully) seen as the prosperous path as well.

Matter Unlimited is a strategic and creative consultancy built for the purpose led economy. They are available to help brands and organizations navigate this challenging time and continue to action their purpose. Please reach out to alexandra@matterunlimited.com for a virtual coffee or brainstorm.

This article was originally written for Matter Unlimited’s blog and has been repurposed for CFDA.com.