Go About Corporate Social Responsibility, Responsibly
Set your employees up to give back impactfully
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a growing trend in the business world, and for good reason — consumers want to know that the businesses they contribute their hard-earned money to are doing some good in the world.
Obviously, it’s a great thing when companies are motivated to give back to their communities and make a positive impact on society.
But when it comes to engaging employees in community service, there are certain best practices that help ensure the experience is meaningful and impactful for everyone involved.
At Mission Edge, we believe there are three essential components of all effective community service opportunities: Education, economic support and engagement.
By incorporating these elements into their corporate social responsibility programs, companies can create a more meaningful and sustainable impact on the communities they serve.
1 — Education: Volunteers who understand the issues at hand have a more meaningful experience.
To ensure that volunteers feel connected to the work they are doing, they need to have a clear understanding of the “why.”
Especially as we seek to make a positive community impact, we don’t want our employees to feel like just another cog in the machine.
Instead, we want them to understand that their contributions make a significant impact. Let’s say your team is volunteering at a local food bank. If you jump right in without explaining the “why,” they’ll likely feel like they’re just cooking another meal. But taking a moment to simply share the organization’s mission and role in the community provides a connection point that makes the experience feel meaningful. Suddenly, the task at hand goes from monotonous scooping, measuring and packing to overcoming the challenges of hunger and industrial food waste.
Information is a simple, yet powerful, tool for connection.
For example, you could plan a neighborhood art walk to discuss the effects of gentrification on a community’s food access before ever stepping foot in the food bank. Knowledge is power, and community engagement offers a valuable opportunity to integrate valuable learning for your employees.
2 — Economic Support: Nonprofit organizations don’t run for free and volunteering costs resources.
The term “nonprofit” has misled many of us over the years to believe that the rewarding nature of these jobs should be their employees’ only form of compensation.
The truth is, economic support is a fundamental need for all of us to continue to do the work we’re so passionate about.
While volunteer work is essential, it’s not enough to fully sustain the operations of a nonprofit.
Sometimes the most impactful thing we can do to support nonprofit work is to provide funding and resources.
This kind of investment allows nonprofits to create a sustainable impact that extends far beyond the duration of a single service project.
Those of us on the corporate side need to do our best to supplement any volunteering with funding — especially if the nonprofit is going above and beyond to make that volunteer engagement possible for a large group of employees.
Sometimes the most impactful thing we can do to support nonprofit work is to provide funding and resources.
3 — Engagement: Get involved
After education and economic support have been addressed, the final component is engagement.
It’s important to be honest with yourself — is this opportunity for engagement coming from a place of genuine goodwill, or are you more interested in a photo opportunity?
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
As you develop your CSR strategy, consider:
Is volunteering an established component of this organization’s model?
Do they have group volunteering opportunities listed on their website?
Is the engagement proportional? (Is this going to be a team of 20 volunteers versus 3 full-time staff?)
Finally, it never hurts to ask. Reach out to the organization you’ve got your eye on and honestly inquire — would a volunteer opportunity be helpful, and if not, do they know of any other organizations that are better-equipped to take on the support?
In today’s world it’s essential that business leaders are practicing corporate social responsibility.
However, it is crucial to approach community engagement in a way that is impactful, sustainable and aligned with the needs and bandwidth of the non-profit organization.
By incorporating education, economic support, and meaningful engagement into their corporate social responsibility programs, companies can create a lasting impact on the communities they serve.
At Mission Edge, we are committed to helping companies achieve these goals and navigate nonprofit relations with grace and humility.
If you are interested in partnering with Mission Edge to help facilitate your CSR programs responsibly, reach out to kristenw@missionedge.org.
