What's your Corporate Social Responsibility Plan?

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By Michelle Lizak, CMP

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it's a hot industry buzzword, but what does it really mean to you and your role as a meeting professional?

Here are some commonly asked questions regarding CSR: 

• What is CSR?
• What can CSR do for my company?
• What do I need to consider when developing and implementing my CSR plans?

CSR is defined by Webster's online dictionary as a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment.  According to MPIweb.org, "CSR is the recognition that an organization is inextricably intertwined with society and earth and must take responsibility for its actions in regard to the "triple bottom line" of people, planet profit."  

People, planet, profit or the three P's of corporate social responsibility give easy definition to the core components of social responsibility. In order to begin being socially responsible, one must understand the underlying goals of this movement. To be socially responsible, means to understand the effects that your organization or event has socially, environmentally, and economically on the community that surrounds it. Hence, the phrase - people, planet, profit.

Organizations, associations, corporations and individuals can benefit in multiple ways from adopting good socially responsible practices. A company's socially responsible actions help build brand awareness, reputation and industry perception, a socially responsible organization/company helps to strengthen the local community which thereby helps increase the marketplace. The bottom line is the driving force for many organizations, but being socially responsible can also provide a cost savings or cost benefits.

For many, CSR is already a part of their daily lives and they don't even realize it. A large number of businesses in the Kansas City metro area have been practicing some level of social responsibility for years. The big question is: What can you, as meeting professionals, do to implement these practices into your daily routine?

Do research. Find out what your company is currently doing to be socially responsible. Many large companies will post annual reports on their CSR initiatives. Talk to your managers or others with in your company and community about CSR. Find a key initiative that your company is already doing and implement this into your events. For example, does your company recycle? Try to incorporate a recycling policy into your next event.

Get involved. Join local task forces within your company, volunteer within the community, attend local green events. Surround yourself with others that are in the same situation as you. 

Plan ahead. Develop a list of CSR goals for yourself as a meeting professional. Do you want to focus just on "going green"? Or do you want to tackle some of the more socially or economic impacts? What are the potential benefits to your company by implementing these goals?  

ROI, ROI, ROI. Keep records of all your socially responsible actions. How do these translate into ROI for your events? Cost savings, brand awareness, perception, reputation are examples of ROI - don't discount your efforts!  

Blog. Join the MPI CSR group space and tell your story! Others will learn from you and you will learn from others! There is a wealth of knowledge in sharing ideas!

Additional CSR Resources:

MPI - CSR resource page

http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/mpicontent.aspx?id=19682

Join the MPI Corporate Social Responsibility Group Space

http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/community/commhome.aspx?commid=97

CSR Newswire - Weekly Newsletter on the pulse of the CSR industry

http://www.csrwire.com/

Bridging the Gap

http://www.bridgingthegap.org/