Of the many areas of branding in which my company works, I’m most proud of our work in community engagement and corporate social responsibility (CSR). As an agency, we practice what we preach in our investments of time, talent and money through a variety of community efforts. Community engagement is simply part of our DNA. I know that participating in philanthropic collaborations is good for our culture and the communities in which we work — and frankly, it’s good for business.
A myriad of actions are involved in building and fostering a CSR program. Numerous factors may need to be taken into consideration to develop an effective approach, including industry, communities where employees are working and living, sustainability, community impact requirements, executive will and business culture. Consequently, it’s a bit difficult to condense the process down to a step-by-step approach. In our work with clients across multiple industries, we’re often asked to guide this process.
But if we could crystallize the process down to key steps, below are the most significant in achieving success.
Step 1: Engage Internal Stakeholders
The internal stakeholders most often driving CSR development include groups and people such as the C-suite, human resources, public affairs, HSE (health, safety and environment), diversity and inclusion, business development, risk management, investor relations and general counsel. Regardless of where the pressure comes from or which business team will lead your CSR plan, discovery is often required to compel stakeholder groups to participate in discussion and execution.
By discovery, I mean the process of internal data mining. One-on-one interviews, email surveys and focus groups can reveal shared values and areas where negotiation might be necessary to find common ground. Discovery has another benefit: buy-in. As it’s often said, people support what they help create. The process helps pave the way for messaging and goal-setting, and it’s the foundation of “permission to play” standards that can shape the program and impact the company.
Step 2: Create A Communications Plan
As with any marketing campaign, formalizing a written document that’s accepted as a doctrine can help align activities with goals, measurable objectives and key performance indicators. Without it, you run the risk of deviating from your purpose and the return on investment it’s meant to provide — internally and externally.
In your communications plan, include strategies for consistent internal and external messaging using any and all forms of communications. This process frequently includes the development of communications tools like messages, reports, program guidelines, content marketing strategy, external stakeholder and advocate prospect lists, employee engagement programs, media relations and investor relations strategies, partnership prospects and program budget.
For example, if one of your goals is improving your brand’s reputation, then you’ll likely need a public relations resource that can activate reporters and influencers. If your goal is boosting employee morale, include identifying an internal communications channel to keep your team informed (e.g., email) in your plan.
Step 3: Build Partnerships That Engender Pride
Employee pride is a key factor in community engagement. Regardless of whether you work for a global business or a mom-and-pop shop, offer opportunities and share good news that employees can embrace. Similarly, take into consideration your vendor, investor and client interests, as well as those of the communities where you do business, as you consider community partnerships. Too often, I see businesses make social investments that don’t align with one or more of these groups’ passions and interests. This usually results in a one-time engagement and a failed relationship.
Step 4: Activate Third-Party Endorsements
When helping brands develop partnerships, we identify the assets the partner can bring to the table. Do they have a strong social media following? Are they often mentioned positively by the press? Do they have a robust newsletter that reaches your target consumer? Can they provide a unique experience to your employees or stakeholders? Then, we negotiate the best collaboration possible. More often than not, we’ve found that a proper acknowledgment of a client’s partnership is overlooked. Ensure that you negotiate investments and community programs with partners who are willing to endorse the goodwill of your exchange just as you endorse their role. The external marketplace and the media world often ignore self-promotional press releases, pitches and campaigns to attract attention about your good deeds. Effective storytelling is an important part of CSR success both for the donor and recipient. If a respected charitable organization, a school district leader or a civic influencer can be given the tools to thank your business and extend public appreciation, people will likely take notice.
These tools could be a suggested messaging tool kit, images portraying both sides in a positive light, suggested language to acknowledge your investment or a video you create that could be played publicly at an event.
Step 5: Measure, Tweak, Repeat
The measurement component of CSR programming is often neglected or simply not addressed in communications planning. Even if hard numbers, such as benchmarks dictated by the business operating environment, are used as metrics, some of the measurements of soft goals and associated brand-forward work can be unwieldy. Further, the bar can shift over time as the environment and leadership change. Evaluate your metrics for success on an ongoing basis.
Ask questions such as: “Are we seeing success?” “Do we need to tweak our strategies or tactics?” In the act of doing good, we should have some sense of what success looks like because it affects business reputation, from the inside out. Refresh your strategy for measurement at least annually. Without it, one bad quarter or year may put your CSR program on the list for budget cuts.
Most importantly, be open to evolving your CSR program with time, and respond to the interests of your team and community. The dialogue, which is organically embedded in all aspects of building your CSR program, is a sure way to become and stay relevant to the people who matter to you.