What makes a good CSR campaign?
If you're new to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), check out our previous blog What is CSR, where Alex discusses all things CSR and why businesses are staring to think more strategically about it.
However, for those more familiar with CSR, we wanted to take a closer look at what makes a GOOD CSR campaign...and where things can go awry...
Essentially, CSR incorporates all the actions a company takes to improve the well-being of its employees, the communities it serves, and the values it stands for.
There are several reasons why a company might opt for a CSR strategy. Such initiatives can boost employee morale, leading to a more engaged, proactive, and efficient team. On top of that, CSR strategies can shape a positive brand image, attracting customers who resonate with the brand's principles.
Additionally, CSR programs ensure that companies act ethically, being accountable to stakeholders and consumers. Most notably, these initiatives enable companies to use their resources and funds to make a lasting impact on society.
Now, that all sounds great...but what makes a CSR campaign successful?
Establish values as a foundation, and take it from there.
A study a few years ago from Cone Communications revealed that 87% of customers are likely to buy a product if a company supports a cause they care about. While 76% would avoid purchasing from a company that backs an issue conflicting with their beliefs.
What a company stands for is becoming increasingly important to consumers.
A decade ago, businesses could rely solely on their products and services, but the landscape has evolved. Nowadays, consumers tend to prefer aligning with companies that share their values, prioritise environmental sustainability, and uphold ethical standards. This shift underscores the growing significance for businesses to define their brand purpose, identify the causes they are passionate about, and establish their core values.
Step one: Spot the sore spots in your community.
The initial step for any company in developing a CSR strategy is to listen actively. By listening to employees, customers, and communities, companies can understand where help is required, identify the most impactful ways to provide support, and determine where resources should be directed. While donating money may appear to be the ideal solution, at times, contributing time or resources can be more impactful.
Get your ducks in a row!
Once a company has identified the necessary assistance and aligned its values with that support, it is essential to develop a clear plan on how to offer help. The process of creating a plan does not have to be complex, and businesses can start with small steps. For instance, if you own a café, have stock to donate to and a nearby food bank and a team willing to deliver the stock, consider the following in your plan:
Arrange transportation for the stock
Check the stock's expiry date
Verify if the food bank has specific acceptance policies
Determine the delivery schedule
Plan for the partnership's evolution and frequency
To create well-structured plans, it's beneficial to allow charity and community groups to take the lead, as they are experts in targeting and providing support effectively.
Stay nimble and roll with the punches if the plan veers off course.
Never be afraid to change the plan.
The best way to create an effective CSR campaign is to actively listen to communities about how the support is being received and change the support if needed. To use the previous example of the café, perhaps over the course of three months, the food bank no longer needs supplies of your product but instead needs equipment or volunteers. Being able to quickly and easily change your support to something that is more targeted will further enhance your relationship with charities and community organisations.
Track everything you can.
Like with many areas of businesses, evaluating can be the most effective way of evolving. It is crucial to monitor the impact of your CSR program on the supported individuals, your employees, and your customers – as this is the driving force behind the initiative. Gathering feedback on how the strategy is perceived will guide your future initiatives, refine support levels and focus, and enhance the alignment of employees and customers with your brand's mission. Successful CSR campaigns can be evaluated based on several factors, including:
Frequency of support
Relevance of support provided
Target audience receiving support
Engagement of community partners
Trust levels between you and community partners
Employee engagement
To track this data, businesses can use surveys, social media Q&A sessions, forums, questionnaires, or focus groups. Additionally, companies can enlist the services of agencies like Neighbourgood for impartial assessment of CSR program effectiveness through periodic reporting – monthly, quarterly, or annually.
And remember, don’t forget to let people know.
This is one of the most forgotten areas of a CSR programme.
Many businesses are doing fantastic work to improve their environmental footprint, bolster communities around the world and develop staff but they never talk about it. Forgetting to showcase a CSR programme is a big miss for companies. Discussing your CSR campaign will boost engagement with the programme, enhance accountability and most importantly, get the word out to people who may need to access the support. Companies can do this through dedicated landing pages on websites with lots of information about the programme and blog posts, social media campaigns, newsletters, reports and PR and marketing campaigns.
If you’d like to talk about a CSR programme for your business, get in touch with us at hello@neighbourgood.net.
