Benefits of CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility For Nonprofits
While it isn’t required for businesses to engage in CSR (corporate social responsibility), it definitely benefits them and the organizations they engage with in a variety of ways. Around 36 billion dollars was donated to nonprofits in recent years and it’s important to know how CSR could be a missed opportunity for your organization. We’re going to go over what corporate social responsibility is, how businesses and nonprofits alike benefit from CSR, and some examples of CSR-focused companies you’re probably already familiar with.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility refers to the efforts made by companies to help the overall betterment of society through their money or power. This might look like funding a tree-planting effort, providing higher education for employees, or in many cases, donating money to a nonprofit organization. CSR is a choice many businesses choose to engage in because helping communities creates a positive social image. Some companies even create their branding around their corporate social responsibility, advertising the communities they help. Since it’s completely optional, the social power CSR holds is even higher.
Why Engage in Corporate Social Responsibility?
We already know the basics: companies use CSR because it helps them gain social points through helping others. So what specifically does CSR do to benefit businesses and organizations?
- Benefits of CSR: Ethical Engagement
Because people have noticed the CSR a company is engaging in, they’re more likely to spend money at a place that aligns with their values. By proxy, spending their money at a business that goes out of its way to do CSR-related activities means they’re helping in their own way too. Depending on the type of CSR, the company can become more attractive to employees and lead to more interest in being hired there. It also gives employees a sense of pride in their workplace.
- Benefits of CSR: Business Strategy
Aside from the social aspect of CSR, it can be used as a business strategy for risk management and as a way to attract investors. If a company is outed in the media as doing something unethical or it’s suspected something similar might happen, businesses can help remedy the situation through donations or creating a plan to give back to the affected communities. Ethics are important now more than ever these days, so showing a history of engaging in CSR is attractive to investors as well.
Nonprofit Organizations Benefit From CSR
Knowing about CSR can be greatly beneficial for nonprofits looking for funding. Many corporations have programs available for nonprofit organizations that allow you to apply for grants among other things. You can get free access to tools and resources for nonprofits as well. One popular program for businesses is to match donations or use volunteer hours as a way to encourage their employees to give. All of these end with benefitting nonprofit organizations.
Using Corporate Social Responsibility
You can make your nonprofit attractive for CSR in a few different ways. These tips are meant to make doing work with you more in line with CSR practices, allowing you to attract businesses to help you.
- Set goals. Creating clear, achievable goals for your organization and the communities you help gives a clear view of what needs to get done. When advertising to businesses interested in CSR, this shows exactly how big of an impact they can have with the money or resources they can donate. They’ll also be able to say they contributed to your goal, adding to the benefit of their CSR.
- Research. Learn more about which businesses engage with what. More often than not, businesses have specific types of CSR they engage with as part of their business plan. Coca-Cola, for example, has an interest in empowering women, economic empowerment, and water conservation. Sony, on the other hand, likes to engage with arts, culture, and technology. If you find companies that consistently give money and resources to nonprofits that are similar to yours, you’ll have a better time discovering untouched benefits.
- Leverage your strengths. Unfortunately, getting benefits from a CSR isn’t as easy as it initially sounds. You do have to work for it, and the best way to do so is through your strengths. Think of it as a business pitch, you have something these businesses want. Coming prepared to show the results you provide and showing off what you can do best as an organization makes it all the more important to these companies. At the least, they should know the impact you have on the communities you serve is big enough to where they can mention you as one of the many they’ll help.
Corporate Social Responsibility-Focused Companies
Many companies are shifting towards CSR as its societal importance grows. If you look around on any major corporation’s website long enough, it’s likely you’ll find their page explaining what they do to give back. Here are some companies that focus on CSR:
- Starbucks. Starbucks’ CSR revolves heavily around environmental health, sustainability, sanitation, and education. The Starbucks Foundation gives out grants to nonprofit programs helping people within communities in Latin and South America, Africa, and parts of Asia where coffee and tea are grown. They also have an employee volunteer program through the Starbucks Foundation.
- Ben & Jerry’s. Well-known for being politically outspoken, Ben & Jerry’s does a lot of CSR related to sustainability, helping the LGBTQ2+ community, climate change, civil rights, and more. The Ben and Jerry’s foundation gives grants to hundreds of grassroots organizations that focus on social justice movements throughout the United States.
- Alaska Airlines. Instead of a traditional monetary donation, Alaska Airlines offers free travel options for those working within nonprofit organizations. You can apply to their corporate giving program to be able to travel for fundraising purposes, meet with other organizations, or do anything related to your nonprofit work.
How Acme Can Help!
Acme Ticketing’s point-of-sale service makes ticketing easier than ever. We’ve recently added a stand-alone donation page you can use to accept donations for your nonprofit organization on top of our easy-to-use membership application. Acme adds a level of professionalism that’ll get you noticed. If you’re interested, you can learn more about how we service nonprofit organizations here.