Corporate Social Responsibility – Engaging your Local Community

Corporate social responsibility has (rightfully so) gained a top spot in recent years when it comes to whether potential employees have a desire to work for a company, or whether potential customers will support a given company.

Fast fashion has begun to fade out over its blatant disregard for its detrimental environmental impact and organizations that do not actively speak out against human rights violations lose customers in droves. All of this because we stopped seeing corporations as these big, untouchable beings who played by different rules, and started treating them like entities who, just like us, must speak out against what is wrong, and stand up for what is right.

In all honesty, the concept (although inspiring!) can be quite intimidating to face as a business owner or leader. How do you not only develop a CSR strategy but more importantly, how do you ensure that it appears (and is) authentic? How do you become a leader in your sector and within your community; consistently demonstrating that you are both a place for business and a force for good?

These are all fantastic, inspiring, thought-provoking questions, and although we will not dive into CSR strategy creation today (that’s a lengthy topic for another time), we have laid out seven of the most effective ways to establish yourself as a positive, authentic CSR presence within your community, supporting and engaging so that you can go on to create a strong environment of respect and responsibility, for those you serve and beyond.

Tips for Engaging Your Local Community

Play Host Whenever Appropriate

Do you have a conference room, garden or common spaces that would work well for community meetings? Offer to host when appropriate! To ensure it makes sense and to avoid any accusations of favouritism or discrimination, set firm guidelines about what community events can or cannot be hosted. Inviting the community inward for productive discussions is a welcome way to give back and get involved.

Give as Your Time and Budget Allow

You are an expert – or you at least have advanced knowledge – in some field(s) – hopefully within the field(s) you work in. If this is the case, or if you feel one of your teammates could provide valuable assistance to community members, why not loan out company time, or funds, to strengthen community bonds, businesses, and individuals?

Get Involved with Youth

One of the most enjoyable, touching ways to establish your CSR presence is by developing a relationship with youth organizations in your area. Partnering with schools, mentorship organizations, camps, after-school programs and the like are some of the most fun, impactful ways to demonstrate your commitment to the future of your community.

Go Green

We’re to a point now where if you do not have a strong environmental component as part of your CSR strategy, no one is going to take you seriously. Sustainable strategies can be specifically tailored to your region if you are well-known for a specific natural resource, or you can just make a point to partake in, and share, honest, impactful changes that will leave your natural community better after you’re gone.

Offer Discounts

If you are unfamiliar, CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. Meaning corporations have a social responsibility to do good (or to at least act responsibly at a minimum). A simple way to do this while reaching a lot of people, that requires very, very little of you is to offer discounts to certain populations, seniors, veterans, essential workers, etc. Discounts still encourage businesses to come to you, while at the same time, showing customers that their time, services, and commitment are truly valued by you.

Sponsor Local Events

Help people play! Very few other things are more fun to give back through than sponsoring events. Car shows, sports teams, happy hours, economic development conferences; the list of things you can help facilitate is nearly endless, so find one(s) that suits your mission, vision or product and help individuals gain the ability to partake in something that may not have been possible without you.

Encourage Board Participation

If you do not already do so, encourage (by way of offering paid time off) employees to join community nonprofit or local township boards. This is a way to show both employees and your community members that you believe in the impact they can make, and you care about them being able to take a leadership role in causes they’re passionate about.

So, as you sit down today looking to create or fine-tune your CSR strategy, know that the heart of it all is quite simple; businesses should be a force for good whenever possible.

Whenever you reach an impasse at which you feel like doing good is not possible, pause, reevaluate, and consider the above list – or pop on Google. We promise that 9.5 times out of 10, you can find a responsible route. Your planet, your community members and your employees will thank you.