Some tips on executing effective CSR

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I was on LinkedIN at the weekend and someone had asked how to execute an effective CSR campaign that addresses all stakeholders.  Actually I say CSR there, but in fact I prefer to use the term Corporate Citizenhip – in other words a company being a true member of the community.

I intend to write a fuller piece on this at some point, but I thought I would post the brief answer I posted on LinkedIN for now.

There is no magic formula for all companies to follow – it really depends on the specific business of the company. Gone are the days when a donation to charity ticked the box.

Smart companies will look to act as a good corporate citizen across all aspect of the business. The best examples are those where the efforts are well-aligned with the company’s core business – Some examples of business-wide corporate citizenship efforts are:

Natural fits / Proactive initiatives

- Example – Patagonia, the company that makes outdoor clothing – their customers obviously enjoy the natural environment. So they fund people and organisations who take radical and strategic steps to protect habitat, wilderness and biodiversity (among a very wide array of initiatives across the whole business).

- Example – Prudential leverages the expertise of its financial professionals to deliver financial planning lectures to underprivileged groups within society (I was one of the people that set this program up in China, it has since grown out across Asia and elsewhere)

- Example – HSBC encourages its employees to share their skills and engage in local community projects.

Operational efforts

- Again, a good example here is Patagonia - they use energy efficient lighting systems that rely on motion sensors to help conserve electricity. The carpet is 100% recycled polyester, the restroom counter tops 100% recycled plastic and portions of the office walls are made of compressed field straw that’s formaldehyde-free. Wallboard, paint, floor coverings and ceiling and shower tiles also use recycled content. All wood used is either reclaimed or sustainably harvested.  It is really truly aligned with their business – and so plays well with their marketing initiatives.

- Another example – HSBC recently announced that they are going to heat a community swimming pool using the heat from their new data-centre in the UK

So you can see you need to look at this from the business outwards, rather than trying to find a cause and make it fit, or than merely making a charitable donation.

I hope this is a useful if brief post, as I say, I intend to write a longer piece at some point.

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