By now we have all heard the term CSR being thrown around the corporate world.\u00a0 But what does it all mean?\u00a0 And how do you do it effectively in 2019?<\/p>\n
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is essentially a self-regulating business model that helps businesses be more conscious of the impact they are having on the world around them.\u00a0 Obviously this will mean something a little different to each business depending on multiple factors such as industry and resources, but generally, it will focus on areas such as environmental, economic and social impact.<\/p>\n
Now don\u2019t worry, we aren\u2019t here to lecture you about CSR, but rather to help take the pressure off and point you in the right direction.\u00a0 To do this we have come up with a few quick and easy strategies to effectively address CSR in 2019.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of worthy causes that are looking for volunteers to get involved.\u00a0 Giving your team a chance to get hands on by volunteering for an organization and give back is 100 times more rewarding than them reading about a donation in the company newsletter!<\/p>\n
PUT IT IN ACTION:\u00a0 <\/strong>Develop a program that partners with local charities or organizations that look for volunteers to assist on projects and actively encourage your employees to get involved.\u00a0 This could be as simple as organizing for a group to volunteer at a local soup kitchen or assisting with a local charity event.\u00a0 You will be amazed at how many people are willing to get involved.<\/p>\n WHO DOES IT WELL?<\/strong> Deloitte<\/a> employees are offered up to 48 hours paid time to volunteer for charitable organizations each year.\u00a0 They have a range of charity partners that they work closely with and also have an annual day of service called Impact Day<\/a>, where more than 4,000 employees volunteer in over 400 locations across Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to make an impact that matters in the local community.<\/p>\n Consumers are becoming more aware of what the businesses they interact with are doing to address CSR.\u00a0 Thus it is important to actively engage in socially-responsible business projects that align with your company values and vision. Whether these projects focus on one area of CSR such as the environment or address multiple, it is important to set clear goals and implement a structured plan for how you will get there.<\/p>\n PUT IT IN ACTION:\u00a0 <\/strong>These projects can come in all shapes and sizes.\u00a0\u00a0 It could be something as simple as participating in a charity team building<\/a> activity that gives back to the local community twice a year.\u00a0 Or if you have the resources, you could look at partnering with environmental initiatives such as Clean Up Australia Day<\/a> or Earth Hour<\/a>.<\/p>\n WHO DOES IT WELL? <\/strong>Unilever<\/a> has undertaken its own Socially-Responsible Business Project through its Sustainable Living Plan<\/a>.\u00a0 Through this plan they have three big goals, improve the health and well-being for more than 1 billion people, reducing their environmental impact by half and enhance the livelihood for millions.\u00a0 Smaller projects are then run under each of these three big goals to ensure they are constantly improving their environmental footprint.<\/p>\n Cause-related marketing is a mutually beneficial collaboration between an organization and a non-profit organization designed to promote the former\u2019s sales and the latter\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n PUT IT IN ACTION:\u00a0 <\/strong>As a profitable business, you may consider creating incentives that see a portion of your product sales donated back to a nominated cause that ties in with your company vision or values. \u00a0Consider something a little bigger such as developing products or offers that partner with your selected cause.\u00a0 For example, a percentage of profits from product sales could go back to a selected charity.\u00a0 The size of the project doesn\u2019t matter, the important thing here is getting involved and giving back. The cause will, in turn, promote your brand\/product, so really, it\u2019s a win-win!<\/p>\n\n
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