Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a long existing practice in the business and corporate world. Many businesses can provide invaluable support to charitable and local community organisations, not only financially, but also through offering expertise and in many other practical ways. In this vein, here are few tits bits to be considered in enhancing a better CSR programme.
Define Corporate Social Responsibility for your company or industry:
It is a good idea to appoint a champion who is passionate about the issue of CSR, has sufficient time to carry out their role and has the support of the management team. More so, what works for a bank or furniture manufacturer may be significantly different from a bottling company or a grocery store chain. Thus companies should define CSR according to its peculiarities to the company.
Conduct extensive and continual research on the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility:
There is need to conduct a critical research on the idea of CSR before delving into it. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Global Reporting Initiative (www.globalreporting.org) are two excellent research sources.
Establish metrics for measuring the impact of the company’s CSR practices:
Virtually all actions should be monitored and impact accessed. Thus, companies should outline the aims and objectives of a particular CSR program before implementing it. For example, a telecoms company should outline the percentage of their profit that should be given back to the society and analyze feedbacks in terms of good goodwill messages and improved patronages.
Involve employees in defining and advancing CSR:
There is every possibility that employees are closer to the customers than the employers and board of directors. Thus the employees should form a crux of the ad-hoc group that decide how best to be appropriately socially responsible with the resources available. Give them the authority and responsibility to figure out a way to make it happen. They will do it far faster than some corporate committees.
Consider a partnership:
Sometimes there is no need to start a CSR strategy from scratch. If your company and your passion match up with another organization’s goals, don’t hesitate to cooperate with them to forward your mission. If you can integrate your efforts with an established program, your time, money and social capital will go that much further.
Keep track of all measurable costs:
Simply put, companies should be responsible in trying to be socially responsible. As much as the company wants to be socially responsible, it also has an obligation to be fiscally accountable to other shareholders.
Communicate to everyone – sometimes subtly, sometimes loudly:
Publicize your activities internally to all employees and externally to all other stakeholders as appropriate. Invite civic, religious, and corporate leaders in to show what you are doing and encourage them to join you in their efforts.
First, do good, then talk about it – in that order:
If you are doing good things as a company, don’t be afraid to talk about it once your CSR ball gets rolling. There’s no reason that you can’t earn goodwill for causes that you are contributing to as a company. Talking about your part in philanthropy efforts is good PR for your chosen cause, which in turn helps further your CSR plans.
Mean what you say:
As a famous reputation puts it, “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” So, back up your company’s corporate social responsibility mission with genuine passion, words, and actions. If you don’t take yourself seriously, nobody else will, either.
