Getting involved with charities or community based projects might not be at the forefront of every business owner’s mind, but there are benefits as Neil Hopkins explains.
One of the biggest buzz-phrases of the moment is Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR for short. This is the notion that businesses of any size should be attentive to the economic, social and environmental impacts of everything that they do, wherever they are located or work. It’s certainly a nice thought – but on top of taxes, equal opportunities legislation and environmental drivers from DEFRA, what does it actually mean and is it just another hoop you have to jump through?
One of the main drivers of the CSR agenda is the Government, who (to their credit) have recognised the opportunities presented by a voluntary coalition of effort between the charitable and corporate sectors. So you might get a company helping to brighten up a run-down underpass, another letting their staff work for half a day a week with pupils at a special needs school or helping to plant a sustainable woodland. So, in other words, you’d be letting your staff get away from that which makes you money to achieve… What exactly?
There are a number of answers to that question – and most are largely intangible yet vital to your business. For one, there’s the ‘feel good’ factor, after all, doing something nice for someone else does give one a warm glow. However, if you look at the extension of this intangible, companies who release their staff for short periods of time to do something else have reported productivity and efficiency gains. The staff feel good about themselves – and more importantly, your business – and happy staff are productive staff.
Then you’ve got the slightly less intangible asset of brand development. Imagine that your company sponsors a local school to design a number of images to brighten up the façade of a run-down building while it is waiting to be sold/redeveloped. As part of the sponsorship deal, you get a plaque stating that you’re the ones behind the project. Passers by will read this and see that you’re doing something to brighten the community, noting your CSR credentials. This will make your business stick in their minds and they might be more likely to buy your products/services. Plus there is a growing ethical shopping movement, and this sort of community involvement will attract the ethically-minded consumer to your business above your competitors.
And then there’s the ultimate leap of association. As a business person, you’re concerned with two things: your bottom line and the continuation of your business. If you can’t get your bottom line right, the business will go under (see the above examples of CSR action that may help with this). And if you can’t get the staff to run your business and adhere to the high standards of quality that you’ve set, you’ll run yourself into the ground before watching the business slide. By getting involved with CSR opportunities, you’ll make your brand more widely known – and this will attract people to your business. But, and this takes a really long term view, you’ll be helping to build a better, more prosperous community from which you can cream the talent in years to come. You will be, in essence, an active contributor into the society around you – the society that buys your goods/services and the society that supplies your labour force.
Why not contact the following to have a chat about what they do and how you can get involved:
Chestnut Tree House – local hospice for life-limited children. Call 01903 871821 to find out more about their work and how your business could get involved.
The Wire Project (based in Wick) – The Wire Project supports children and young people as well as their families. They run after/before school clubs, and target their work to deprived/under-privileged young people. They need admin support and people to help with the children (CRB check required) as well as a range of other opportunities.
Call Gemma Herbert 01903 731796 for more details or log onto www.thewireproject.com
