The definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a voluntary involvement in the social and ecological aspects in everyday corporate operations and interactions with employees, customers, suppliers, local communities and the wider society. It is a widely known fact that investing in CSR pays off. Companies can achieve both greater employee loyalty and productivity, and also build a better reputation with their business partners. It is, therefore, no wonder that CSR is often being abused in favor of corporate public relations.
On the other hand, we have to realize that we live in the age of social networks where information is shared at lightning speed. For companies it is therefore increasingly difficult to only pretend that they are socially responsible. And that's good news. If you want to start seriously and correctly using CSR, read the following recommendations originally published on Entrepreneur.com.
1. Involve all stakeholders
Think about all the people who are affected by your business activities. Apart from employees and customers, these may be your investors, business partners and the general public. Before planning a CSR strategy, identify all these groups of people.
2. Be clear on your mission
Your company probably already has its mission. Your CSR strategy mission doesn't have to be the same as your corporate mission. It should, however, at least be based on the company-wide mission.
3. Determine what is important
Do not think only about profit, the goal of profit making is clear. Try to think about what is important to your customers. It must be something that will make sense for everyone and what you are really passionate about.
4. Find opportunities
Once you know what is important to you, you can focus on specific ways to help. Only sending money is not enough, you need to make a real difference - get actively involved. If you have no experience, consider partnering with another organization with similar values and goals. When you join an already working program, you can save both time and money.
5. Do something first and then talk about it
The essence of success in the field of CSR is to think seriously about everything you do. If you do not take it seriously, others can hardly take you seriously. When you accomplish something, do not be afraid to talk about it. Publish news about it, interact with the public. Be careful, talking without doing anything is a disaster.
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