What is CSR and Why is it Important?
DEFINITION OF CSRCorporate Social Responsibility is a broad term used to describe a
company’s efforts to improve society in some way.
Examples include:
Donations to non-profits
Environmental efforts
Sponsorships
Employee cause-related campaigns
CSR BY THE NUMBERS
$17.8 BILLIONThe amount that corporations gave
to charity this past year
55% OF CONSUMERSprefer doing business with socially responsible companies and willing
to pay more
93%Of the world’s largest 250
companies produce annual CSR reports
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Improves Public Image
Creates Numerous Opportunities for Media
Coverage
Increases Employee Retention and Morale
Attracts & Retains Investors
How to Build a CSR Program?
CSR Programs • Sponsorships – based on your
guidelines, identify what type of sponsorships you want to do
• Volunteer – identify what type of volunteer activities you want to
offer – employees, limited number of hours, paid time, family
members, etc.
• Donations – how do you want to handle donations, amounts,
matching, etc.
HOW DO YOU BUILD A CSR?
Identify what causes are in line with your brand – don’t try to support too
many initiatives
Do you focus on youth, medical, wellness, community, hunger,
seniors, sustainability, etc.
Once you have decided, pick 3-5 “buckets”
Create guidelines for how you want to structure your involvement –
sponsorships, volunteer time, etc.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
• Employees – first communicate to employees and let them know what your CSR program is and how to get involved
• Marketing materials – create materials that highlight each program – i.e. partnerships, sponsorships, volunteer opportunities, etc.
• Tools - Use email, posters, flyers or even create an internal website to house all of the necessary information
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
• PR – announce new programs and each time you have an event/sponsorship, etc., draft a press release
• Social Media – talk about your programs, post pictures, and have your partners cross-promote
• Annual Reports/CSR Reports – create materials that highlight your efforts and demonstrate how you make a difference, etc.
• Recruitment – highlight your CSR efforts in your HR and recruitment materials
Key Takeaways• Clarify your brand position and
choose your CSR program based on your brand
• Create clear guidelines that will allow you to easily roll it out to employees
• Engage employees with your CSR programs and create incentives for them to participate
• Leverage CSR programs with external audiences and to build your reputation – create good will
CSR Case Studies
Chesapeake Case Study
Brand-Centric CSR
Overview
• Chesapeake clarified its brand position and wanted to create internal and external programs to reinforce the brand
• CSR programs needed to demonstrate how Chesapeake cares about its employees and community and helps people reach their aspirations
• Warschawski worked with Chesapeake to create and launch programs
Brand-Centric Employee Programs
• New employee programs designed to reinforce the brand
• Helps keep employees engaged with the brand
• Programs have grown from year-to-year and help employees live the brand
Internaland External
Programs
19
20
21
23
24
Nearly 200 Chesapeake employee volunteers dedicated approximately 1,000 hours to package and distribute over 3,300 holiday meal boxes to
families across our service areas.
Brand-Centric External Programs
• Chesapeake and its Business Units participate in a number of community engagement activities on a regular basis
• Chesapeake’s community engagement programs have grown since the brand roll out and demonstrate how Chesapeake personally cares about its communities and helps improve the lives of others
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
Pompeian Case Study
• Pompeian is America’s largest and fastest-growing olive oil brand, and owns 20% of the extra virgin olive oil market
• Headquartered in Baltimore since 1906, Pompeian imports more than 8 million gallons of olive oil through the Baltimore harbor each year
• Despite the brand’s deep roots in Baltimore and significant, economic impact on the community, not many residents knew that the national brand was based in the City and was a positive member of the community
• To change its lack of awareness in the City, Pompeian wanted to raise visibility for the brand in a positive way and show that it truly cares about improving Baltimore’s future
• Pompeian wanted to contribute $1 million over the course of 10 years to the City, and worked with Warschawski to help determine how to make their vision happen
Situation
• Develop an ongoing initiative that makes a positive contribution to the City
• Center the initiative around healthy living and eating – core values of the Pompeian brand
• Engage directly with local residents and raise awareness through PR and media relations
Campaign Goals
• We created a logo and branding materials for its new charitable initiative, and renamed it “The Olive Branch Project”
• As part of the initiative, we created an after-school program in partnership with a local non-profit that empowered Baltimore City children who had little or no access to health living resources or tools to lead healthier lives – naming it “The Living Healthy Program”
• The program showed kids how to make healthier choices in their foods and in life, from how to make a salad to potential career paths
Our Approach
• The program impacted hundreds of local children in its first year and positioned Pompeian as a business that cares about its community
• We secured more than 8.5M unpaid media impressions in local news outlets about Pompeian, its business and The Olive Branch Project over a seven month period
• Pompeian won its first local business award in 2016, the Maryland Business Breakthrough Award, due to its positive community impact
Results