You’ve been asked to implement a CSR program. What common misconceptions should you avoid?

La filantropía tiene un carácter más bien individual y unilateral por el contrario la responsabilidad social nace de un aspecto solidario y recíproco, porque entiende que aquello que se aporta al entorno y a la sociedad, se es devuelto aunque con otras características. Es decir, la responsabilidad social interpela a la sociedad en su totalidad (no solo a los individuos que pueden donar dinero o bienes) y parte de un carácter colaborativo. La RSE, además, se ha demostrado beneficiosa para los grupos de interés, en cuanto a su mayor arraigo con el entorno, con los valores de la empresa e incluso con el desempe?o económico de la entidad.

Over the course of nearly 20 years working on the social impact of business, we have adapted a model developed by Jane Nelson at Harvard Kennedy School’s Corporate Responsibility Initiative. Philanthropic CSR can be valuable, but more impactful is where a company thinks deeply about how it can use its core business and its voice to enhance the lives, livelihoods and/or access to learning of the most vulnerable people. Examples might include a company creating a new product that helps people build their livelihoods, committing to paying living wages, or using its voice to advocate for the rights of marginalised groups. As a CSR leader in your business, you can be a driver of social innovation and social change.

When implementing a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program, it's crucial to avoid common misconceptions such as: Viewing CSR as merely philanthropy: CSR is more than just charitable giving; it involves integrating social, environmental, and ethical considerations into business operations. Treating CSR as a PR stunt: Authenticity is key. CSR initiatives should be genuine efforts to create positive impacts rather than mere publicity exercises. Assuming CSR is separate from core business goals: CSR should align with the company's mission and values, complementing business strategies rather than being seen as an add-on.

Quizás el asociar la RSE a la filantropía es una de las visiones más comunes. Sin embargo, y sin desmerecer la importancia de la filantropía, expertos como el Profesor Michael Porter de Harvard nos han ense?ado que un enfoque mucho más completo y estratégico es la creación de valor compartido, o lo que hoy desde Sistema B y las Empresas B llamamos triple impacto. Cuando una empresa o corporación desea generar valor o impacto social y ambiental, además de económico, lo puede hacer asociado a su estrategia central de negocio, a su modelo de negocio, y generando impacto en todas las partes involucradas, equipo de trabajo, accionistas, comunidades, clientes y el planeta!

CSR isn't just about writing checks or charity events. It's about embedding social and environmental values into the DNA of your business, creating sustainable impact beyond financial contributions. Don't think of CSR as a one-off project; it's a continuous journey of making meaningful changes in society while aligning with your business goals for long-term impact. CSR isn't a separate agenda item; it's an integral part of your business strategy. When aligned with your core values and objectives, CSR can drive innovation, enhance brand reputation. CSR isn't just for external stakeholders. Engaging employees in CSR initiatives not only benefits the community but also boosts team morale, productivity, and employee satisfaction.

In my experience, in order to implement a meaningful and value-added CSR programme, it is crucial to undertake a thorough social or community needs and impact assessment. This is because different locations and socioeconomic landscapes would have different critical needs, issues, requirements or challenges. Once the community critical needs are identified, it should be weighted against the sustainability aspect of the CSR, budget and the impact the identified CSR initiative would have on the communities or the environment.

La gestión de RSE es un trabajo artesanal. Cada profesional deberá comenzar con un diagnóstico personalizado, profundizando en el vínculo que la organización tiene con sus partes interesadas. Ese será el punto de partida para el desarrollo de una estrategia integral y única, acorde a la inserción de la organización en su comunidad.

El mejor ejercicio que podemos hacer es caracterizar nuestro contexto organizacional interno y el contexto organizacional externo, hacer un mapeo de lo que somos, cómo lo hacemos y hacia dónde vamos (visión), de esta manera entendemos el entorno y generamos iniciativas que respondan a nuestros intereses, necesidades y problemáticas económicas, sociales y ambientales, sólo si adecuamos nuestro enfoque RSE.

Certainly. Plus I believe that channeling efforts into targeted areas, whether it's the environment, education, healthcare, rural development, or others, amplifies the potential for a meaningful and lasting impact. It's imperative for organizations to pinpoint a cause aligned with their philosophy and objectives, ensuring they contribute effectively to positive change in that chosen direction.

Elaborating further, for CSR strategy to truly succeed, it must be intricately tailored to the nuances of local communities, cultures, and socio-economic contexts. This localization ensures that CSR initiatives resonate with local stakeholders, address specific needs, and foster meaningful engagement. High customization enables companies to adapt their CSR efforts to local challenges, opportunities, and priorities, ultimately enhancing their impact and effectiveness. Moreover, localized CSR strategies demonstrate a genuine commitment to social responsibility, fostering trust, goodwill, and long-term relationships with local stakeholders, which are essential for sustainable business success.

Myth: CSR drains profits. Reality: It's an investment. Responsible practices can boost reputation, attract talent, and cut costs, leading to stronger business overall.

CSR is an investment where return comes through an unexpected way. There are thousands of examples where companies have gained the competitive advantage and won legal battles through effective CSR practices. CSR is strategic and board driven. It helps the company to become a responsible company from a capitalist company. Hence, CSR is not a cost burden, rather an investment and a way to give back to the society where business operates.

CSR is a very important component and commitment towards developing resilient societies, low carbon economies and way to engage corporates under changing climate change scenario. As the earth will cross warming threshold this decade, it becomes imperative for everyone especially private sector to play an important role to create environmental and social values. CSR investments build corporate investors confidence and a positive brand image of a company through creating shared values that cares of society, environment and developing inclusive value chains within the segment CSR companies are operating.

In my opinion, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is often viewed as an investment rather than a cost or burden. Most of the organisations engage in CSR initiatives to experience benefits such as enhanced brand reputation, increased employee morale, and improved relationships with stakeholders, ultimately contributing to long-term sustainability and success.

Es tiempo de reconocerlo; la sustentabilidad es un costo y un agobio para las empresas cuando la aplican de forma equívoca. Cuando no la alínean con el negocio, cuando la confunden con filantropía, cuando se hace "lo que hacen muchos", cuando creen que el "esfuerzo" los hará "quedar bien", cuando "reportan" el cumplimiento de las reglas... se transforma en un gasto y en una gran frustración. La sustentabilidad mejora el negocio, enriquece a todos los actores involucrados, genera reputación, se transforma en un diferencial competitivo sostenible... solo cuando responde a una estrategia alineada con la del negocio, cuando es resultado del diálogo franco con cada stakeholder, cuando la dirección se involucra y convoca a los mejores talentos.

A good way of achieving this is through third party verification from an accredited certification body: for example, certification of environmental management systems, carbon footprints or carbon reduction plans. A golden rule is 'Don't let your Comm's department lead on CSR!'

CSR must include more than volunteerism and the reporting and marketing of hours served. While lending a hand is helpful, it often does not impact communities as advertised. Volunteers often return year after year to complete the same task and take the same photo. Organizations have an opportunity to shift volunteerism into impactful change however they must take the time to ask questions, partner (not dictate) with communities, listen to needs and work together to develop strategies that change outcomes long-term. Organizing a food pantry annually is great volunteerism. Partnering with communities to disrupt the dependence on food pantries is the impact worthy of sharing.

Definitivamente, y pensando en la sostenibilidad del negocio, es mejor ser que parecer. Lo segundo es sencillamente inviable.

I’m working on supporting communication of a client’s ESG/impact report right now, and what I really like about it is that it doesn’t “oversell” what it is, or try to big it up into something it’s not. Even the rollout plan for it is transparent but understated, because they recognize that it’s about accountability to their audiences and partners, not a press release. Makes me proud to support them with it.

En la actualidad las empresas deben de ser muy selectivas de quién y cómo recibir fondos para crear estructuras de RSE, un proceso de Diligence legal previo puede filtrar cualquier donación que no provenga de fondos adecuados.

CSR is a strategical decision, so workers have to understand that achieve and promote CSR principles is not an added job, but a key part of their job

There could be several misconceptions but the ones heard frequently are: 1. CSR is charity. Write out a cheque and be done with it. 2. CSR programs should be short term projects. This is not true because change on ground takes time. 3. CSR is for brand building. No doubt CSR helps the brand, helps company reputation and can facilitate license to operate but CSR is very different from PR/ marketing and should not be construed as brand building alone. 4. A donor's job is only to fund the non profit. So not true. There are several contributions a company can make through engagement with the community and non profit beyond the funding amount

Common misconceptions I have heard as a CSR professional are : 1) CSR is the charity that companies do voluntarily 2) CSR is the publicity and branding stunt 3) Only big companies have to comply to CSR 4) CSR is considered as waste of time and resources 5) CSR is done to save the taxes of companies 6) CSR is same as sustainability, ESG, and PR 7) Founders and chairpersons do CSR for the brand image

CSR is now a collaborative effort between implementing organizations and the community. In the past, simple innovations took time to reach communities due to a lack of digital connectivity. Today, with widespread access to the internet, social media, TV, radio, and newspapers, communities are well-informed. Organizations should not assume their ideas are unknown to the target audience. Instead, they should present their ideas and, before implementation, consider community input to create a collaborative action plan. This approach leads to better outcomes and project success.

CSR can establish clear metrics to prove its value. The results can be used in communications to unify the whole business under a single CSR mission. Various metrics can be used, such as: Social Impact studies, Employee Satisfaction Index, Sustainability Metrics, Customer Retention, supplier engagement, D&I, Corporate philanthropy & individual giving/participation.

Based on my experience, when implementing a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program, it's important to avoid several misconceptions: 1. CSR isn't just philanthropy: It involves integrating social and environmental concerns into business practices. 2. Avoid PR-centric approaches: Authenticity and genuine commitment are key. 3. Tailor initiatives: Recognize that CSR strategies should fit the company's context and stakeholder needs. 4. Consider unintended consequences: Conduct thorough impact assessments to mitigate risks. 5. Think long-term: Sustainable impact requires a commitment beyond short-term gains. By sidestepping these misconceptions, our CSR efforts will be more effective and have a lasting positive impact

Me gusta el resumen de lo que la RSE o sostenibilidad NO es. Me parece que algo central para una estrategia robusta es estar en contacto de forma constante con los distintos stakeholders, usando metodologías robustas de comunicación y relacionamiento. De esta manera, las iniciativas y proyectos son pertinentes para los desafíos y no construidas entre 4 paredes mirando sólo el criterio de la empresa.

Al implementar un programa de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC), es importante evitar algunos conceptos erróneos comunes que podrían obstaculizar su efectividad y compromiso a largo plazo. Aquí hay algunos de estos conceptos erróneos: 1. Ver la RSC únicamente como una táctica de relaciones públicas 2. Limitar el enfoque de la RSC a actividades sin abordar impactos sociales. 3. Desconexión de la estrategia empresarial 4. Falta de transparencia y rendición de cuentas 5. Falta de compromiso de la alta dirección Evitar estos conceptos erróneos comunes puede ayudar a las empresas a desarrollar e implementar programas de RSC más efectivos y auténticos, que generen un impacto positivo significativo en la sociedad y el medio ambiente.

Siempre recomiendo evitar la aplicación de cualquier programa estándar que desestime las particularidades del contexto. En la última década, comprobé que el interés creciente por contar con Programas de RSC ha llevado a muchas organizaciones a adoptar modelos “enlatados” que no lograron sostener en el tiempo. Por otra parte, uno de los errores que observo a menudo es la dificultad al momento de considerar los criterios para elegir a los colaboradores. Muchos programas de RSC no obtienen el resultado esperado porque no se ha tenido en cuenta la formación, las habilidades ni la vocación de quienes los llevarán adelante. Con el objetivo de ayudar a resolver este reiterado problema, llevo a cabo asesorías en Compromiso Social Aplicado.

Misconceptions arise when CSR and ESG are used interchangeably. CSR is solely tied to responsibility and shouldn't be confined to specific business categories. The moral imperative for businesses lies in their responsibility to society and the environment, given their substantial impact on both. In contrast ESG is primarily associated with the business dimension and originates from the realm of business risk assessment. It introduces additional perspectives for corporate evaluation, moving beyond traditional assessments based solely on business threats and opportunities. These added lenses consider interactions with environmental, social, and governance aspects, potentially uncovering significant threats and opportunities for the business.