By Ryan Ayers
In the past, companies could mostly stay neutral on topics like politics, social and environmental issues, and other cultural concerns. Those days are over. Today, consumers expect companies to contribute to the good of society and take a stand against injustice.
In an era where brands have to be politically correct and activist in order to appeal to a millennial and Gen-Z population, companies have to get on board with social responsibility. Consumers will know if your company doesn’t have a plan and they will penalize you for it.
For some time, the topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has made the rounds through business circles. It’s clear that communities benefit when companies do the right thing, but what is the benefit of CSR for companies? Well, authentic and successful CSR initiatives can actually lead to improved profits and increased customer goodwill.
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As a business leader, your actions directly correlate to the success or failure of your enterprise. Today, social responsibility from corporations is a hot-button issue you can’t afford to ignore. As you build your organization, it’s important to create a CSR plan and stay true to your organizational values as you grow.
Moving beyond feel-good initiatives
Any company can say that they want to do the right thing. Many organizations only adopt CSR initiatives because they know they’re what customers are looking for. But these insincere, “feel-good” initiatives are usually nothing but fluff, and companies risk alienating customers by using CSR solely for their own interests or by sending inconsistent messages.
To really create the win-win situation that CSR can deliver when it’s done well, you need to move beyond feel-good initiatives. Companies need to really consider their organizational values and make concerted and consistent efforts to support those values.
For example, any company can create a cute marketing campaign about going green, but the companies that really value environmental stewardship take it much further and overhaul their everyday operations to become more environmentally friendly.
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Prepare for CSR success
Before you create a CSR plan, it’s important to understand what works and what doesn’t.
While you can align yourself with a cause that isn’t related to your business’s product or service, it’s generally much better to leverage your organizational competencies to contribute to social or environmental causes. A good example of this in action is Campbell’s Nourish, a product that was created to address hunger and is only distributed in food banks. The goal of reducing hunger aligns with the brand’s values and direct ability to give back.
Another way to prepare for CSR success is to realize you can’t spread yourself too thin. You might feel passionate about several projects, but it’s better to concentrate your efforts on one specific cause. You’ll be much more effective at creating real change if you’re not trying to do everything at once.