6 Tips to Build a Better Social Responsibility Program

Why Social Responsibility Matters 

In a nutshell, social responsibility is the belief that businesses should do more than just contribute to the economy, they should add to society too by making a positive difference to the following categories (among others):  

• Environment 
• Poverty  
• Human rights 

Coming together to make this world a better place is something worth striving for, especially for businesses who often have the influence, money and employees to drive positive changes.  

What Benefits You Can Expect 

Social responsibility does more than just have a positive impact on the world, it’s good for business, both financially and morally! Here are some real benefits you can expect with a decent social responsibility program:  

Attracts customers – People desire to be a part of something more meaningful than just receiving goods and services from a business. When a portion of profits are donated or contributed to a local charity, customers feel better about doing business with you knowing their money is going towards social causes that they are passionate about.  

Increases employee retainment – Employees typically stay at jobs for three reasons: pay, culture and meaningful work. If your company can offer all three, you’re doing it right! But the truth is, most jobs only offer one, maybe two of these retainment options. Having a genuine social responsibility program positively impacts two of these retainment options, culture and meaningful work. It’s no secret that employees want to be a part of something far greater than working 9-5 each day – social responsibility is an employee attraction magnet.   

Attract top-tier talent – Playing off the point above, social responsibility not only retains top-tier employees but attracts them too. People are naturally drawn to company’s who give back to the community.   

Tips 

It’s time to look at some real-world tips to build a rock-solid social responsibility program, but also encourage it throughout your office for years to come.  

1. Create a mission– No fruitful social responsibility program is complete without a meaningful mission statement. What is your why? Or as Simon Sinek puts it, “WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?” Keep it short, purposeful and inspiring.  

Here’s the Avionté Hope Foundation (AHF) mission for reference:  “To help people help themselves by touching lives and driving change.”  

2. Partner with local and national non-profits – With over 1.5 million non-profit organizations within the US, there’s bound to be at least a few groups happy to collaborate with your company. Start with an idea like a meal packing event and reach out to see who wants to help. You can always start with the nation-wide non-profit, Feed My Starving Children – they’re always looking for volunteers! 
3. Offer paid volunteer hours – Allowing your employees a few days a year of paid volunteer time is one of easiest and frankly, best ways to grow your social responsibility program, especially since employees don’t have to take any additional time off to volunteer. 
4. Put the FUN in fundraising at your office – Fundraising can be so much more than selling cookies or beef jerky. Put some creativity and fun into it! Whether it’s organizing a trivia event that benefits a local charity or assembling a bake-off to raise some dough for those in need, make your fundraising events fun! 
5. Create challenges to raise more money – Competition is a good thing, especially when it comes time to raising money for a good cause. Whether this takes the form of an office contest to see which department can raise the most money or a charity bean bag toss tournament that crowns a winner – healthy competition never hurts! 
6. Reward and showcase individuals giving back– Make an example of those who go above and beyond to support social responsibility. From a simple shout out to a formal award program, let the world know that your company appreciates the commitment.
7. Be genuine – At the end of the day, being genuine is perhaps the most critical step in creating and then nurturing a social responsibility program. Be authentic, believe in your mission and support the cause.  

Conclusion 

Social responsibility truly enriches our society and brings people together as a community – all while keeping businesses afloat. There’s no downside to a strong social responsibility program, it just takes some love and support.  

About Avionté

Avionté is a leader in enterprise staffing and recruiting software solutions, offering innovative end-to-end staffing solutions to over 900 customers and 25,000 users throughout the U.S. and Canada. Avionté delivers a robust platform for clerical, light industrial, IT and professional staffing firms to maximize profits and boost productivity.