What are the key messages to include in CSR communication?

1 Why communicate CSR?

The first message to include in CSR communication is why your business cares about CSR and what are your goals and values. This message helps you establish your purpose and identity as a responsible business and align your CSR strategy with your core business strategy. It also helps you connect with your stakeholders on an emotional and ethical level and demonstrate your authenticity and integrity. To communicate why you do CSR, you can use storytelling, vision statements, testimonials, and case studies that showcase your CSR motivations, achievements, and impacts.

2 How do you do CSR?

The second message to include in CSR communication is how your business implements CSR and what are your policies and practices. This message helps you show your accountability and transparency and explain your CSR approach and methods. It also helps you highlight your strengths and opportunities and showcase your innovation and leadership in CSR. To communicate how you do CSR, you can use data, facts, figures, and indicators that illustrate your CSR performance, progress, and challenges. You can also use standards, frameworks, and guidelines that guide your CSR reporting and disclosure.

4 What are the outcomes of CSR?

The fourth message to include in CSR communication is what your business achieves and learns from CSR and what are the outcomes and impacts. This message helps you measure and evaluate your CSR performance and progress and communicate your results and achievements. It also helps you learn from your successes and failures and identify areas for improvement and innovation. To communicate what are the outcomes of CSR, you can use impact assessment, evaluation, and reporting tools that help you quantify and qualify your CSR outcomes and impacts. You can also use awards, recognition, and ratings that validate and benchmark your CSR performance and reputation.

5 What are the challenges of CSR?

The fifth message to include in CSR communication is what your business faces and overcomes as challenges and risks in CSR and what are the solutions and actions. This message helps you acknowledge and address the difficulties and uncertainties that CSR entails and communicate your resilience and adaptability. It also helps you manage and mitigate the potential negative impacts and consequences of CSR and communicate your responsibility and responsiveness. To communicate what are the challenges of CSR, you can use risk assessment, management, and communication tools that help you identify and prioritize your CSR risks and opportunities. You can also use crisis communication, apology, and remediation strategies that help you respond to and recover from CSR crises and controversies.

6 What are the opportunities of CSR?

The sixth and final message to include in CSR communication is what your business seeks and creates as opportunities and value in CSR and what are the aspirations and visions. This message helps you communicate your ambition and optimism and show your long-term commitment and leadership in CSR. It also helps you inspire and influence your stakeholders and create shared value and positive change through CSR. To communicate what are the opportunities of CSR, you can use scenario planning, forecasting, and visioning tools that help you anticipate and shape the future of CSR. You can also use advocacy, collaboration, and partnership strategies that help you leverage and expand your CSR network and impact.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?