Genuine CSR Campaigns
Based on the past discussion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that Ashley’s post created, I wanted to mention a few campaigns that HAVE done a good job of appearing “genuine.” CSR is becoming such a buzz word now because, when done well, it can influence and impact a variety of business operations including building consumer trust and loyalty, building corporate reputation, access to capital, stakeholder engagement and recruiting/retaining top talent.
A few months ago, I sat in on a webinar by Cone. One of the most catching stats they started with is that in the U.S., $1 in every $9 is invested in a socially responsible company. Also, 74 percent of citizens are very interested in learning more about corporate initiatives (Environics, CSR Monitor, 2003). Someone must be doing something right with their CSR campaigns! Here are some of the things I learned that might be helpful to you all.
One thing companies can do is develop and distribute an annual corporate social responsibility report. These are also known as sustainable development reports, sustainability reports, or citizen reports (to name a few). These reports detail the company’s involvement in the community and its commitment to the environment. Some companies that currently do this are Gap, Nike, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Bayer.