TMA Dispatch, Summer 2022

<<COVER STORY

A Beginner’s Guide to

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

By Alaina Sonksen, DMP Cares Coordinator

Mark Hillenburg, VP Marketing, DMP

If you’re asking yourself, “What is Corporate Social Responsibility?” … You’re not alone. Even if this phrase is foreign to you, I’m willing to bet that your company is operating with some level of Corporate Social Responsibility already. You might just not use that term to describe it.

Here’s a digestible definition and explanation, that way we’re all on the same page: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) describes a company’s conscious efforts to leave a positive impact on the world instead of a negative one. CSR can be exercised in a variety of different avenues – ethical business practices, economic decisions,

[14]Summer 2022 | TMA Dispatch

environmental impact, employee welfare, philanthropy work, and more. These efforts can be internal to your company or customer-facing. They can be localized to your community or have global reach. As you can see, Corporate Social Responsibility is a broad concept that can be expressed in a myriad of ways. With that being said, you get to decide what it means for your organization and what you want to do about it.

Before you get busy trying to figure out what kind of Corporate Social Responsibility you’re already doing or contemplating what you “should” be doing, I’d encourage any company owner or leadership team to pause and ask yourself a few questions first:

1. What does your mission statement say? What are your company values?

When it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility, it’s tempting to think about the outcomes. Sure, CSR can lead to increased employee retention, decreased carbon emissions, X # of dollars donated to charity, or a million other positive results. I urge you – don’t start with the end in mind. Start at the very beginning, with the foundational elements of your company – your mission, vision and values.

What if you haven’t established a mission statement, or don’t have any company values? Start there. You’ll be glad you did, and not just for this reason alone. Your mission, vision, and values make up the compass that guide your business and how you operate it – including IF and HOW you engage in this thing called “Corporate Social Responsibility.”

If you haven’t ever considered your mission statement or company values, here are a few questions to get you started: What is the purpose of your business? What qualities and characteristics would you use to describe your “star” employees and employees you want to hire in the future? What standards and expectations do you hold

TMA Dispatch | Summer 2022

“

Doinggood isgood forbusiness.

yourself to? What are your dreams and aspirations for your business? Getting clear on these things will serve you well in all areas of your business. They serve as clear guide posts for your future because you’ve already decided what really matters.

Next, ask yourself:

~ Richard Branson

2. Do you want to engage in any kind of Corporate Social Responsibility?

Call it “doing good” or “giving back” or whatever makes it feel familiar. Does “doing good” matter to your organization? Refer back to your mission and values. If the answer is no, carry on with business as usual. Just because the word “Responsibility” is attached to something, doesn’t mean you have to do anything about it. There is no Corporate Social Responsibility police. It’s your business after all – you get to decide how to run it.

If you’ve decided YES, you want to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility, you can move to the next step… Identifying and acting.

3. So, what do you want to do?

Gather a consensus from your executives, or poll your entire pool of employees – always keeping your company values at the forefront. What kind of Corporate Social Responsibility “matches” your organization? Do your people care deeply about sustainability and preserving the environment? Maybe you’ll discover a common passion for philanthropy and volunteer service among your employee base. You’ve already done the hard part – defining your core values and mission. Now you get to do the fun part – identifying the specific causes you care about and starting to pursue them.

Understanding the term “Corporate Social Responsibility” is a challenge of its own. Actually putting it into practice is no small feat. I’ll leave you with one last reminder and piece of encouragement: Focus on your why (your mission and values) before your what (activities and outcomes). At the end of the day, Corporate Social Responsibility is about leaving your community and world better than you found it. And that is work worth doing, no matter what you call it.

Does your company have an established CSR initiative?

If yes, please let us know. We’d like to share your journey with other TMA members.

How did you get started?

What challenges did you initially face?

Email a brief introduction to your story to communications@tma.us

[15]