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Your CSR Strategy Needs to Be Goal Driven, Achievable, and Authentic

• Tabitha Upshaw

Six steps to ensure you make a meaningful impact.

As more companies commit to adopting CSR strategies that address environmental and social issues, it’s becoming more important than ever for these strategies to be goal-driven, ambitious yet achievable, and authentic. The author outlines six tips for companies to develop this kind of CSR strategy: Get buy-in from executives, determine material issues, align goals to company values and culture, establish a goal framework, create a system of implementation and accountability, and deliver transparent reporting.

We are in the era of impact investing and big pledges as companies step up to tackle the toughest environmental and social issues of our time. GM has vowed to be carbon neutral by 2040, Apple is investing $100 million in their Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, and Target plans for 100% of its owned-brand products to be designed for circularity by 2040. These types of commitments are critical because big problems like climate change and inequality require big, systemic solutions. Today’s consumers and investors are also demanding change: 71% of U.S customers want to buy from socially responsible companies, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s landmark global warming report is prompting investors to take more aggressive action toward lowering their portfolio’s carbon footprints.

• Tabitha Upshaw leads NI’s global corporate impact strategy. Prior to NI, Tabitha was the first chief marketing officer of Global Wildlife Conservation . She also created and led Dell ’s CSR marketing function and did the same for SunPower . Pulling from these experiences, Tabitha built and led the development of NI’s first Corporate Impact strategy, a series of goals and commitments to realize a vision of a more sustainable and equitable world where diversity is embraced to drive innovation.

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What Is Corporate Social Responsibility? 4 Types

• 08 Apr 2021

Until fairly recently, most large businesses were driven almost exclusively with a single goal in mind: maximizing profits.

In the past few decades, however, more business leaders have recognized that they have a responsibility to do more than simply maximize profits for shareholders and executives. Rather, they have a social responsibility to do what’s best—not just for their companies, but people, the planet, and society at large.

This realization has led to the emergence of companies identifying as socially responsible. Some even carry designations or seals, such as B Corporations (B Corps), social purpose corporations (SPCs), and low-profit limited liability companies (L3Cs).

But what is corporate social responsibility, and what are the different forms it can take?

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What Is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the idea that a business has a responsibility to the society that exists around it, according to the online course Sustainable Business Strategy .

Firms that embrace CSR are typically organized in a manner that empowers them to act in a socially responsible way to positively impact the world. It’s a form of self-regulation that can be expressed in initiatives or strategies, depending on an organization’s goals. Many organizations communicate these efforts to external and internal stakeholders through corporate social responsibility reports .

There are various examples of what “socially responsible” means from organization to organization. Firms are often guided by a concept known as the triple bottom line , which dictates that a business should be committed to measuring its social and environmental impact, sustainability efforts, and profits. The adage “profit, people, planet,” known as the “three P’s,” is often used to summarize the driving force behind this concept.

Check out our video on corporate social responsibility below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more explainer content!

Types of Corporate Social Responsibility

CSR is traditionally broken into four categories: environmental, philanthropic, ethical, and economic responsibility.

1. Environmental Responsibility

Environmental responsibility is the belief that organizations should behave in as environmentally friendly a way as possible. It’s one of the most common forms of CSR. Some companies use the term “environmental stewardship” to refer to such initiatives.

Companies that seek to embrace environmental responsibility can do so in several ways:

• Reducing harmful practices: Decreasing pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, the use of single-use plastics, water consumption, and general waste
• Regulating energy consumption: Increasing reliance on renewables, sustainable resources, and recycled or partially recycled materials
• Offsetting negative environmental impact: Planting trees, funding research, and donating to related causes

2. Ethical Responsibility

Ethical responsibility is concerned with ensuring an organization is operating in a fair and ethical manner. Organizations that embrace ethical responsibility aim to practice ethical behavior through fair treatment of all stakeholders, including leadership, investors, employees, suppliers, and customers.

Firms can embrace ethical responsibility in different ways. For example, a business might set its own, higher minimum wage if the one mandated by the state or federal government doesn’t constitute a “livable wage.” Likewise, a business might require that products, ingredients, materials, or components be sourced according to free trade standards.

In this regard, many firms have processes to ensure they’re not purchasing products resulting from slavery or child labor.

3. Philanthropic Responsibility

Philanthropic responsibility refers to a business’s aim to actively make the world and society a better place.

In addition to acting ethically and environmentally friendly, organizations driven by philanthropic responsibility often dedicate a portion of their earnings. While many firms donate to charities and nonprofits that align with their missions, others donate to worthy causes that don’t directly relate to their business. Others go so far as to create their own charitable trust or organization to give back and have a positive impact on society.

4. Economic Responsibility

Economic responsibility is the practice of a firm backing all of its financial decisions in its commitment to do good. The end goal isn’t just to maximize profits, but also to make sure the business operations positively impact the environment, people, and society.

What Are the Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility?

Most firms embrace CSR due to moral convictions, which can result in several benefits and important social change .

CSR initiatives can, for example, be a powerful marketing tool, helping a company position itself favorably in the eyes of consumers, investors, and regulators. These initiatives can also improve employee engagement and satisfaction—key measures that drive retention. They can even attract potential employees who carry strong personal convictions that match those of the organization.

Finally, CSR initiatives inherently force business leaders to examine hiring and management practices, where and how they source products or components, and the steps they take to deliver value to customers.

This reflection can often lead to innovative and groundbreaking solutions that help a company act in a more socially responsible way and increase profits. For example, reconceptualizing the manufacturing process so that a company consumes less energy and produces less waste allows it to become more environmentally friendly while reducing its energy and materials costs— value that can be reclaimed and shared with both suppliers and customers.

Are you interested in learning how to lead your organization toward positive change? Explore Sustainable Business Strategy —one of our online courses related to business in society —and discover how you can become a purpose-driven leader. Not sure which course is the right fit? Download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

This post was updated on August 8, 2023. It was originally published on April 8, 2021.

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What Is Social Responsibility?

Understanding social responsibility, areas of focus, the bottom line.

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Social responsibility is an ethical focus for individuals and companies that want to take action and be accountable for practices that benefit society. It's become increasingly important to investors and consumers who want to put their money into or purchase products from companies that take steps to contribute to the welfare of society and the environment.

Critics have traditionally argued that the basic nature of business doesn't consider society to be a stakeholder but many investors and consumers are embracing social responsibility and driving change.

Key Takeaways

• Corporate social responsibility (CSR) means that businesses should operate in ways that benefit society in addition to maximizing shareholder value.
• Socially responsible companies adopt policies that promote the well-being of society and the environment while lessening the negative impacts on them.
• Companies can act responsibly in many ways such as by promoting volunteering, making changes that benefit the environment, engaging in ethical labor practices, and engaging in charitable giving.
• Consumers are more actively looking to buy goods and services from socially responsible companies and this impacts their profitability.
• Critics assert that practicing and endorsing CSR standards contradicts the purpose of a business which is to make money.

Michela Buttignol / Investopedia

Social responsibility requires that individuals and companies act in the best interests of the environment and society as a whole. Social responsibility is referred to as “ corporate social responsibility (CSR) ” when it applies to businesses and it's becoming more popular due to shifting social norms. Many companies have made CSR an integral part of their business models without compromising profitability.

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology meta-analysis of 200 surveys over 20 years talked with business leaders in more than 70 countries and there was a high level of interest in the topic. The report called CSR a “halo strategy” and concluded that “by presenting themselves as true believers in CSR (saints), businesses seek to improve the overall corporate image (the halo) and expect broad benefits from diverse stakeholders to follow (the warm glow).”

The crux of CSR is to enact policies that promote an ethical balance between the dual mandates of striving for profitability and benefiting society as a whole. These policies can be enacted by commission such as through donations of money, time, or resources, or by omission practices such as by “going green,” reducing greenhouse gasses, or abiding by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations to limit pollution.

More consciously capitalistic investors and consumers are considering a company’s commitment to CSR practices before making an investment or purchase. Embracing CSR can benefit the prime directive: maximization of shareholder value.

Actions or the lack of them will affect future generations. CSR is good business practice and a failure to execute it can hurt the balance sheet. It can boost company morale, especially when a company can motivate its employees through social causes.

CSR is generally more effective when a company takes it on voluntarily rather than waiting for the government to require it through regulation.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) emphasizes that a business’s ability to maintain a balance between pursuing economic performance and adhering to societal and environmental issues is a critical factor in operating efficiently and effectively. A company can embrace CSR through philanthropy, by promoting volunteering, and by committing to ethical labor practices and environmental changes.

Companies that manage their environmental impact might look to reduce their carbon footprint and limit waste. There’s also a responsibility to treat employees ethically, such as by offering a fair wage even when there are limited employee protection laws.

Examples of Socially Responsible Corporations

CSR takes on different meanings within certain industries and companies:

• Starbucks Corp. ( SBUX ) has committed to CSR from the start, including sustainability and community welfare. It purchases Fair Trade Certified ingredients to manufacture products and it actively supports sustainable farming in the regions where ingredients are sourced.
• Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc. has integrated CSR into the core of its operations. Like Starbucks, the company purchases Fair Trade Certified ingredients.
• Salesforce.com Inc. ( CRM ) developed what it calls the “1-1-1 model.” The company dedicates 1% of its equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of its employees’ time back to the community.
• Big-box retailer Target Corp. ( TGT ) is also well known for its social responsibility programs. It's donated money to communities in which the stores operate, including education grants.

Criticism of Corporate Social Responsibility

Not everyone believes that businesses should have a social conscience. Economist Milton Friedman stated that the “‘social responsibilities of business’ are notable for their analytical looseness and lack of rigor.” Friedman believed that only individuals can have a sense of social responsibility. By their very nature, businesses cannot. Some experts believe that CSR defies the very point of being in business: profit above all else.

A conservative backlash to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies has appeared and this can affect employment initiatives that are part of CSR. Florida banned the practice in state-funded colleges in May 2023 under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis. Phil Lyman, a congressman from Utah, even blamed the catastrophic collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on DEI.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania noted in its house journal, Knowledge at Wharton, that “DEI is under attack.” It started “the Relationships Across Differences Roundtable (RADs), a coalition of more than 70 academics and industry leaders committed to advancing inclusivity in all its forms—race, gender, ethnicity, religion, ability, neurodiversity, and age. They are partnering to share science-backed insights and best practices, strategize on common problems, and find ways to engage all stakeholders, even the ones who don’t believe in DEI.”

Some CSR policies continue to join the mainstream despite such opposition and they're practiced among a wide range of companies. Generations such as millennials and Gen Z are embracing it and driving change in the workplace and as consumers.

What Are Some Examples of Social Responsibility?

CSR includes companies engaging in environmental preservation efforts, ethical labor practices, philanthropy, and promoting volunteering. A company might change its manufacturing process to reduce carbon emissions.

What Are the Main Benefits of Social Responsibility?

Benefiting society and lessening the negative impacts on the environment are among the main benefits and goals of CSR. Consumers are increasingly looking to buy goods and services from socially responsible companies and this can have a positive impact on their bottom lines.

How Does Social Responsibility Benefit Companies?

Companies that implement social responsibility programs can potentially increase their bottom lines and boost their brand image as well. Social responsibility programs can also have a positive impact on morale among employees.

Companies engaging in CSR benefit the common good in several ways, including making changes that support the environment, engaging in ethical labor practices, and promoting volunteering and philanthropy. The practice can also be said to benefit their bottom lines because consumers are more actively looking to do business with socially responsible companies .

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Management Review. " Why Companies Practice Corporate Social Responsibility ."

Lu, Hao, et al. " How Do Investors Value Corporate Social Responsibility? Market Valuation and The Firm Specific Contexts ." Journal of Business Research , vol. 125, March 2021, pp. 14-25.

International Organization for Standardization. " Standards ."

International Organization for Standardization. " ISO and Small & Medium Enterprises ."

Starbucks. “ Starbucks Ethical Sourcing of Sustainable Products .”

Starbucks. “ Becoming Resource Positive .”

Ben and Jerry’s. “ Fairtrade .”

Ben and Jerry’s. “ Our Values, Activism and Mission .”

Salesforce. “ How Far Can the 1-1-1 Model Go? This Tech Darling Has a Unique Approach .”

Target. " Offering Debt-Free Degrees to More Than 340,000 Target Team Members? Now That’s a Smart Move ."

Target. “ Sustainability & Governance/People, Planet, Business .”

The New York Times. “ A Friedman Doctrine—The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits .”

National Public Radio. " Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs a Bill Banning DEI Initiatives in Public Colleges ."

Utah News Dispatch. " Lyman Blames DEI for Baltimore Bridge Collapse, but Admits He Didn’t Write Social Media Post. "

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. " Is DEI Going Away? Here’s What Experts Say ."

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management. “ Social Responsibility Matters to Business — A Different View from Milton Friedman from 50 Years Ago .”

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8 simple steps to create a CSR strategy

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming a  core business strategy for many companies. It’s proven to increase customer loyalty, retain employees and increase the bottom line — all while doing incredible things for the world. 

Nearly half of all consumers are looking toward brands to lead the way in making the world a better place. It’s not only consumers; a  Glassdoor survey  found that 75% of employees between 18 and 34 expect their employers to take a stand on important issues. The influence businesses have and the responsibilities placed on them today are massive. 

Before diving into a corporate social responsibility initiative, it’s important to take a step back and consider developing a complete CSR strategy. This article will help walk you through how you can implement a successful CSR strategy for your company.

What is a CSR strategy?

A corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy is the total plan a business has to build, execute and optimize its CSR initiatives.

There are four types of CSR, and a CSR strategy will help you define which one is best for your business, determine the ways in which you can implement it and track the results of your efforts. 

The four areas of CSR are: 

• Philanthropic responsibility
• Environmental responsibility 
• Ethical responsibility 
• Economic responsibility 

A good CSR strategy builds a business case around how your chosen areas of CSR can integrate into your company growth plan. It will make sure that your initiative stays on track, hitting every KPI along the way.  

Why is a CSR strategy important?

Having a CSR strategy is essential to ensuring your business delivers effective corporate social responsibility initiatives. A CSR strategy will enable your business to remain goal-driven in its CSR initiatives and, ultimately, be successful.

When you create a CSR strategy, you’ll align CSR with other business goals like improving employee engagement, increasing investor appeal and solidifying your brand reputation. CSR done well can indirectly (positively) affect a number of ROI-centered goals.

How does CSR integrate into business strategy?

Linking your CSR strategy to your company’s purpose and values is vital. Once you’ve identified them, you’ll be able to align your CSR strategy to them. You can then show how your CSR program is contributing to your long-term strategy, helping to support continued investment.

There are a few ways CSR can integrate into business strategy. It depends on your company’s needs and goals; for example, whether it’s to have an impact, engage and retain employees or engage consumers.

CSR can help with employee retention and employer branding, so it can be aligned with your human resources strategy.

It’s also shown to increase customer retention and loyalty, so it can integrate into your sales growth strategy or customer success strategy. In fact,  68% of online consumers in the U.S. and U.K. would consider ending a relationship with a brand because of poor or misleading CSR. 

Or, if your business is seeking investment, it’s worth highlighting that companies with global sustainable development strategies are more likely to win investment opportunities. 

The fact is, CSR can actively help a business work toward a larger profit margin while doing great things; it’s a win-win. 

Who decides the CSR strategy? 

Developing a CSR strategy should be a collaborative effort. However, the project will need one core manager to lead the way, assign responsibilities and ensure everyone stays on track. 

Some companies have a CSR department, while others assign CSR to Human Resources teams or Office Managers. Depending on your CSR goals, it can also be the responsibility of your Marketing or Communications teams. 

Deloitte found that CSR is now a “CEO-level business strategy — defining the organization’s very identity,” and 46% of survey respondents said “CEOs and top executives play the most prominent roles in driving societal impact,” or they are the main drivers of CSR strategies. 

How to create a successful CSR strategy

Above, we looked at what a corporate social responsibility strategy is. Here are the steps you’ll need to take to ensure your strategy runs smoothly.

1. Define the concept of CSR 

Especially today, CSR can mean different things to different people. A person’s culture and past experiences with CSR will help determine their opinion and definition. 

At this stage, it will be important to speak to and understand all stakeholders’ concerns; leadership, employees, consumers, professional organizations or unions, local communities and environmental groups. Once you’ve understood their concerns, you can consider where there is a match and how your CSR program can address these.

Once you know everyone understands what CSR is, you can start discussing it without bias or misconceptions. You can define — or redefine — what CSR means to your business and ensure you have everyone’s buy-in.  

2. Understand the benefits of CSR

Before you start developing your CSR strategy, you’ll need to get the project approved with buy-in from internal stakeholders. 

It’s important to spend time researching the benefits of CSR and finding examples of businesses that have profited from having a successful CSR plan in place.

Once you have an idea of the ways your company can benefit from CSR, you can work on a business case that will be specific for your company. 

3. Get project approval

Launching a CSR plan will require a certain amount of time and budget. You can use tools; however, until you get to that point you’re going to need people power. 

When putting together your business case for implementing a CSR strategy, ensure you include all of the potential benefits a CSR program can bring to your company. 

Your business case doesn’t need to include any initiatives you’ll be launching or even the tools and people required. It can be broader, covering what CSR will do for your business and the initial resources that will be needed. 

4. Set project goals

With your CSR business plan in place, you’ll be ready to set goals. Setting goals and KPIs will be important for demonstrating your strategy is positively impacting your business and that your CSR project is on track. 

In the early stages, these goals can be anything from winning board members’ buy-in to having 100% of employees understand what CSR is or hosting meetings with potential CSR SaaS providers. 

Once your program has been launched, they can be more KPI-oriented like employee engagement rates, online brand sentiment or lower customer churn. 

5. Run a current CSR analysis

Conduct a full review of any CSR initiatives you currently have running, be it officially or unofficially, within your company. 

Perhaps employees have already set up something that could grow bigger with new support from the company? For example, fundraisers like bake sales, community running groups, volunteering days, in-office recycling, meat-free Fridays or eliminating single-use plastics. 

Also, think about existing programs and events you may have, such as an employee of the month award, team brunches or well-being initiatives.

If any past CSR programs didn’t take off, then look at the project tools and communication styles involved and try to identify the problem.

Look at all of your current areas of CSR and note what you currently have. Bring these pieces together to inform your strategy and connect to what your employees are interested in and the broader business strategy, including long-term goals.

6. Research your CSR initiatives

You’ve established the benefits that CSR can bring to your business, you’ve won company buy-in and now it’s time to identify your initiative and digital CSR tools. 

This stage includes researching social and environmental initiatives that you think would be a good fit for your company’s mission and vision, as well as those that align with your employees’ values. 

Your corporate social responsibility research can also involve examining what other companies in your industry are doing. How are they aligning CSR to their company purpose? This could inspire some great ideas or possible collaborations of your own.

Lastly, think about the tools you may need to support your CSR efforts. Consider technology that empowers your employees to take the initiative and communication tools to help you stay on top of everything. 

7. Launch your CSR campaign

Once you’ve done all of the above, you should be in a comfortable position to launch your CSR campaign — this is potentially the most important part of your CSR plan. 

You’ll need to clearly communicate your CSR launch to the right stakeholders. These will include: 

• Shareholders or investors
• External stakeholders, partners and local communities
• The press 
• Customers 
• Fans and followers 

Make sure you have a clear communication plan with priorities for this group so your initiative launches with maximum impact. For example, your employees will need to know the ins and outs of your initiative before your fans and followers.

8. Manage your program to success

Next to consider is the maintenance of your CSR program and campaigns. What KPIs or goals have you set?

Consider your larger corporate social responsibility mission, but also consider the smaller KPIs and data points that help you get there. For example, if your initiative was to plant 100 trees — with one planted each time an employee rode a bike to work instead of driving:

• How many trees have you planted? 
• How many individual employees have biked to work? 
• Has your employee engagement rate and happiness increased? 

It’s a good idea to collect qualitative feedback alongside quantitative feedback. Ask employees how they’re feeling about your CSR initiatives. If they’re not engaging, then how can you adapt your activities to make them more relatable, offer them more choice and win employees’ interest? 

CSR strategy best practices

When creating your corporate social responsibility strategy, there are a few best practices to help make the process smoother and more efficient.

Define your WHY: Your CSR strategy needs a reason for being. From day 1, align on the purpose and vision for the strategy. It will help define every step you make in its creation.

Assemble a stellar team: Efficient CSR initiatives need top talent to get them up and running. Assemble an internal team from multiple departments to help you build your strategy. Socially responsible companies start with socially responsible employees.

Ask for feedback: For your CSR program to be successful you’ll need feedback. This comes from your employees. Ask them what they would like to see and understand the social or environmental challenges they’re passionate about.

Strategize & benchmark: Look toward socially responsible companies for guidance. All of the best CSR leaders had to start somewhere. See which ethical business practices are working well for similar companies, understand their successful CSR initiatives and benchmark your own strategy against them.

Start with a soft launch: A strategic corporate social responsibility launch is released in phases. Get your internal CSR leaders aligned on the launch calendar and start with a soft launch. With feedback given at each step, this will give your team time to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Launch with a stellar campaign: If you’ve followed our steps and best practices, your CSR strategy will give your business a competitive advantage and you will start seeing social or environmental benefits. Eventually, you’ll see a result in your financial performance.

Wrapping it all up 

Implementing a CSR strategy is important for ensuring your corporate social responsibility initiative is effective.

By following the eight steps above, you’ll be giving your CSR program the sturdiest foundations possible — benefiting your business and the causes you’re supporting.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) FAQs

A CSR strategy covers every aspect of your corporate social responsibility initiatives. The strategy is the key document to tie your CSR program and activities to your company’s larger business strategies and ensure your corporate philanthropy remains on track.

Who creates the CSR strategy?

The CSR strategy is usually created by the CSR department, Human Resources and/or Office Managers. These teams will often work with CSR service providers, like Benevity, to align on strategic planning, CSR activities, sustainability initiatives and key performance indicators.

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7 Best Practices for Creating an Impactful CSR Strategy

Updated: 05/28/2024

Once upon a time, businesses could focus on profitability above all else. 

Not any more: modern companies are expected to care about making the world better. They’re expected to serve their communities, listen to their customers, take public stances (and action) on important issues, value and support employees, work for sustainability, and respond to current events. 

CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs are one way businesses are meeting this mandate. And standout programs addressing social and environmental issues are most often the result of thoughtful CSR strategies. 

Whether you’re new to CSR or looking to refine existing initiatives, understanding the ins and outs of CSR strategy is a prerequisite for creating successful programs with lasting impacts. The new “business as usual” demands smart social responsibility—are you ready to meet the challenge?

What is CSR strategy? Why have a CSR strategy? Best practices for creating a CSR strategy

What is CSR strategy? 

CSR strategy is the comprehensive plan companies and funders use to design, execute, and analyze their corporate social responsibility initiatives. It includes specific focus areas, program design, promotion and communication approaches, and evaluation procedures. 

Most companies with thriving CSR initiatives use strategy to build and monitor their programs; a few of these companies also share their strategy publicly. Nestle is a great example, offering detailed insight into their brand’s approach (called “Creating Shared Value”) that includes long-term goals for serving individuals, families, communities, and the planet, as well as measurement procedures and transparent performance and reporting .  

Some companies also release an annual corporate responsibility report which is another useful way for you to see what a CSR strategy can look like. Google’s 2020 Environment Report includes priorities, company mission, performance targets, and detailed analysis in five key focus areas. 

Why have a CSR strategy?

In the world of CSR, it’s especially prudent to look before you leap. 

This is because successful CSR initiatives are intricate, complex, and require demonstrable impact. They’re also public-facing (and potentially brand-damaging when done poorly). And they offer a host of business benefits you might miss out on by failing to plan. 

A well-crafted CSR strategy can help you:

Keep everything organized

Great CSR initiatives involve lots of people, multiple goals, tons of data, and countless responsibilities. Your CSR strategy is an opportunity to get everything in order and prepare to stay on top of all the details. 

Improve impacts

According to Deloitte’s third annual global survey of more than 2,000 C-suite executives at companies with societal impact goals, the presence of comprehensive strategy directly correlated with greater success (measured by innovation, growth, and employee acquisition). 

Protect your brand reputation 

Launching a corporate responsibility initiative without proper foresight is a big risk—that’s because your CSR program will be a public-facing endeavor with multiple stakeholders and partners who expect follow-through. Strategic planning can reduce the possibility that your company will gain a reputation for big talk and no action, which can ultimately harm your bottom line.

Take full advantage of CSR program benefits

CSR has a host of potential benefits for your company. A successful corporate responsibility initiative will benefit your community and serve your employees. It will also improve your brand image, attracting new talent and increasing customer loyalty. Ultimately, these outcomes can contribute to revenue and drive your company’s growth. In order to reap the full business benefits of CSR, you’ll want a strategy that’s brand-aligned, well-researched, responsive, partnership-driven (at all levels), and constantly evolving in pursuit of positive impacts everyone can feel good about.

Best practices for creating a CSR Strategy

Understanding the role and value of a CSR strategy is an important first step. 

Now, how do you create and develop a CSR strategy that gets results? There are seven key tactics for strategic planning that will help improve the outcomes of your business’s CSR activities.

1. Link to company values

Whereas CSR was once seen as a peripheral approach to boosting business performance and legitimacy, today’s best CSR initiatives are squarely brand-aligned and central to operational strategy. 

Connecting CSR to business strategy is increasingly a corporate best practice, as evidenced by the 181 CEO’s from brands like Amazon, Citigroup, and Ford who signed Business Roundtable’s latest Statement of Purpose , indicating a commitment to “ to lead their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders—customers, employees, suppliers, communities, and shareholders. ”

What it looks like to align your CSR strategy with your brand, core competencies, and operational strategy, will be different for every company.

WarnerMedia’s Access Writers Program is a great example of a CSR initiative that clearly links back to company values: WarnerMedia is a media corporation focused on diverse entertainment whose latest program seeks to improve the access marginalized community members have to professional opportunities in television. 

2. Get insights from your various stakeholders

You’ll want to develop a strategic plan for CSR inspired by what your customers, employees, and community members care about. You might also seek inspiration from what’s worked for other brands already. Here’s how:

Poll your customers

The creation of a CSR strategy is a great excuse to connect with your customer base. Build a short, easy to access poll to collect the following information:

• Which environmental and social issues matter most to your customers?

Design your poll in alignment with your brand. For example, if you sell custom T-shirts, are customers most interested in your sustainability, supply chain, dedication to labor and human rights, or donations to kids in need? Focused questions will lead to more actionable results.

• What do customers know about your current giving and initiatives?  

If you have run programs in the past or currently engage in CSR, how well did you communicate about them? Are your initiatives known for success?

• What associations do customers have with your brand? 

This is a great opportunity to collect data about your business’s image, which you can try to influence in your new CSR strategy.

To help boost participation, consider offering an incentive to customers who complete your poll, such as a discount or entry into a drawing. 

Collect employee feedback 

Your CSR strategy doesn’t move without your employees. Start by determining your employees’ preferences and using that information to help build your overall strategy. 

A survey is a great tool to collect this important information, combining multiple-choice and open-ended questions. 

As an example, for your T-shirt company, you might have employees select between three brand-aligned volunteer opportunities followed by an opportunity for open feedback. This approach will you help you get the targeted data you need and also help employees feel heard and valued. 

Assess community needs

What “community” looks like is unique for every business. Taking time to research and consider what your community needs is a great first step towards building the partnerships your CSR program will need to succeed. 

Community Tool Box offers great suggestions for understanding community needs and resources, with methods that can be combined, depending on the extent of data you’re looking to connect. 

3. Borrow great strategy

Your CSR strategy doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. Spend time exploring where other businesses have succeeded in their sustainability, charitable giving, and employee engagement, for example. Don’t worry about being derivative: your strategy will necessarily be unique because your brand is unique and so are the people you care about and listen to.

One way to find brands doing the best CSR is via reports like “ America’s Most Responsible Companies ” from Newsweek and Statista—and congratulations to HP , Cisco , and Dell for top success in three focus areas: environment, social, and corporate governance. 

Harvard Business School’s Baker Library offers a comprehensive list of social responsibility ratings and reports for companies. Of particular interest is Fortune’s “ Change the World ” list—you’ll find PayPal and Zoom in the top 10 for 2020. 

Many companies have aligned their CSR activities in some way with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that include issues like poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, and action around climate change. Chevron’s corporate sustainability program , for example, clearly lays out how the company is addressing every SDG, and Target includes an SDG index in their 2020 corporate social responsibility report .

4. Establish internal buy-in

You’ll need your team’s support, enthusiasm, and dedication to make your social responsibility program thrive. Engage employees early in the strategy process by being responsive and inclusive.

Respond to team values

Once you’ve assessed what your employees care about most and where they want the company to focus, put this data to work. 

It probably won’t be possible to incorporate everyone’s feedback in your strategy, but at the very least, share your findings with the group. Your team will enjoy learning about what their colleagues value.

Use the information you’ve collected to identify top areas of interest and common suggestions for your CSR strategy. Try to actively pursue at least one employee-sourced initiative every quarter or fiscal year, with formal plans for addressing additional issues in the future. 

Involve employees in strategy-building

Research shows that shared leadership and employee-empowerment have a number of benefits , including increased team effectiveness, a stronger sense of community, improved employee perceptions of management, higher levels of employee satisfaction, and less burnout. 

That data combined with evidence that corporate social responsibility boosts employee motivation and increases employee engagement makes sharing the planning of your program with staff a natural win-win.

Whether you establish an employee-led committee or include employee representatives in planning sessions, be sure employees are actively engaged and aligned with your CSR visions and values, missions and goals, and on-the-ground initiatives. 

5. Build external partnerships

There’s already good work going on in the communities you’re looking to empower. Seek out the organizations and individuals doing this work early in your CSR strategy development process. 

Many businesses are already reaping the value of partnership-driven CSR. This list from Donorbox offers examples of 14 major brands, including Adidas, IKEA, Apple, and BMW, that have partnered with community nonprofit organizations to better meet their CSR goals.  

Community organizations will have the knowledge and experience to put your brand’s funding, sponsorship, or employee volunteerism, for example, to the best use. As philanthropic leader Edgar Viallanueva recently advised, “ You shouldn’t feel that you need to recreate what’s already in place. Find organizations that have established relationships with grassroots communities and trust them to get the money to the right people. These bridge organizations often have the relationships and trust, but lack sufficient capital.”

Approach community partnerships with humility and take a learning stance—what do partner organizations need most and how can your business help? In addition to deep listening, be sure you’re establishing authentic relationships with partners. Sustainable and equitable partnerships (as opposed to shallow partnerships for the sake of PR) require that community members hold actual decision-making power, especially regarding campaigns that will directly affect them. 

6. Be clear and transparent

Once you’ve tackled brand-alignment, stakeholders’ concerns (including customers, employees, and community members), and partner-driven strategy, it’s time to distill this wealth of information into a clear communication plan.

Get specific about goals and outcomes

Your CSR strategy should be as clear and specific as possible for a few reasons:

• A clear strategy helps keep everyone on the same page
• The more focused your goals are, the easier it will be to assess if you’ve met them 
• Clarity reflects positively on your brand’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, demonstrating rigor and care

Aim for precise language, numbered goals (each communicated in a single sentence if possible), key strategies and initiatives for meeting each goal, and measurement tactics for assessing progress towards each goal. Be sure to include your mission, vision, and partners.

Campbell’s Soup provides a great example of clarity and synthesis in its corporate responsibility strategy—especially this goals chart which lists target objectives alongside current progress displayed numerically and graphically.

Make a communications plan

Your CSR strategy shouldn’t be a secret. Think through how you’ll share this information internally and externally to foster enthusiasm, boost stakeholder engagement, and enhance accountability.

Your CSR strategy should include your plan for regularly and publicly discussing your CSR initiatives—via your website, social media, newsletters, email updates, reports, and even press releases. 

Sharing high-level corporate strategy publicly can help generate interest in your CSR programs. It also indicates transparency and accountability—you’re sharing your plan because you intend to follow through and be accountable.

Use the same principles for sharing your strategy that you will to talk about your active and completed CSR campaigns, including these considerations adapted from the EMG group :

• Objectives: What do you want to accomplish with your CSR communication plan?
• Audience: Who will you communicate with? 
• Subjects and key messages: What will you tell your audience about?
• Timescales: When will you communicate about CSR?
• Channels: Where will you communicate with your audience?
• Feedback: How will your audience be able to engage with you?

7. Learn, respond, and improve

In the world of CSR, there is always room for improvement, because CSR is about people and people are dynamic. Our needs change and so does the world we live in. 

Accordingly, your CSR strategy won’t be complete without a plan for learning, adjustment, and growth—or as Global Giving puts it, the opportunity to “Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.” 

Plan for reporting and feedback 

Data and feedback collection should be an essential part of your CSR strategy. Don’t wait for an initiative to finish to consider how you’ll assess outcomes—planning ahead will help ensure your whole strategy is aligned with what you hope to achieve and how you’ll demonstrate progress.

You also shouldn’t wait until the end of a campaign to begin your learning process. Establish a timeline for collecting information at regular intervals throughout your initiative.

There are plenty of ways to collect data and feedback, including interviews, surveys and questionnaires, observational data, focus groups, public forums, oral histories, or some combination of these. Plan to use the tools that make the most sense for your CSR initiative. 

Whichever method you choose, be sure your strategy involves connecting with all relevant groups and stakeholders. What results did you achieve among community members and where could you improve? How did employees feel about your CSR program and what suggestions do they have going forward? Were customers interested in your campaign? 

Your plan for measuring CSR performance should include how you’ll collect information and from whom, how you’ll assess the data, how you’ll share your findings, and how you’ll incorporate suggestions for improvement.

Be responsive to learning and to the moment

Your CSR strategy shouldn’t be iron-clad. It should evolve in response to new insight and data. Think of your strategy as a working, living document that can and should continue to improve, even mid-campaign, as necessary. 

Ready to meet the moment with smart CSR?

Submittable’s social impact platform can help you manage initiatives and amplify impact, easily.

As an example, the events of 2020 forced businesses to reconsider their existing CSR programs. Many companies chose to pivot in response to COVID-19 and movements for racial justice. The publicity around these shifts, including critiques of hollow brand statements , underscored the importance for socially responsible companies of clearly linking action (via CSR) to rhetoric.  

According to Mark Horowitz, CEO of Moving Worlds, global events have resulted in a tipping point for CSR , wherein business leaders are making bigger promises without changing operations to support their proposals. More than ever, he argues, companies must respond to the moment and take real action: “The next 10 months will define the CSR space for the next 10 years … CSR leaders within companies have the opportunity to right the position of corporations in society.” 

While it’s vital to stay responsive, be wary of altering key goals and measurement tactics before you’ve had time to accurately assess them. Not only do you open your company up to critique for empty promises, but change doesn’t happen overnight and long-term objectives require longer-term measurement. 

As Neil Buddy Shah, Managing Director at GiveWell, shared in a recent panel on impact data , you risk good ideas failing when organizations run an impact evaluation that is too rigorous too early.

Time for action: Bring your CSR strategy to life

A thoughtful CSR strategy requires time, thought, and teamwork to build. Make the best use of your efforts with tools that help transform your vision into action and results, faster.

CSR software can connect your business to important causes while dramatically reducing the time it takes to oversee your corporate giving program. Manage corporate grants and scholarships, coordinate employee volunteers and giving programs, facilitate community sponsorships, and much more. We’d love to walk you through the platform— sign up for a free demo today. 

Rachel Mindell is a Special Projects Editor at Submittable. She also writes and teaches poetry. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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