Community and nonprofit programs are hurting for dollars, which means there are ample opportunities for companies to help their communities and advance reputations in the process. But not so fast, says Luke Lambert, president of Gibbs & Soell. If you’re planning a community involvement (CI) program, ask yourself this question first: Is the program in line with your organization’s broader social vision? In that respect, says Lambert, you might find that your plan may be off the mark.
“Good reputations can only be earned over time,” says Lambert. “They can’t be bought. But if programs are true to your vision, they are building trust each time you make a promise to the community and you keep it.”
Despite that caveat, it’s clear though that community involvement programs have gained a strong foothold in the corporate responsibility realm. According to the Boston College Center of Corporate Citizenship’s annual Community Involvement Index report, released in early October, 86% of the nearly 500 companies surveyed have a special community involvement strategy, with 67% of them linking CI to broader corporate citizenship strategies.
At Deloitte, community involvement is ingrained in the company’s CR and business strategy vision. Within the last five years, its community outreach has transitioned from predominately charitable giving to skills-based volunteerism, says Jack McFadden, director of corporate responsibility and internal communication at Deloitte. Sure, they still donate handsomely to United Way. But, says McFadden, you can have the most impact by using the skills you possess to help community organizations.
PRESET OUTCOMES
There’s a strong internal component behind Deloitte’s community outreach: The company lets employees suggest pro bono efforts for the upcoming year, says McFadden, who adds that community involvement and corporate responsibility have proven to be of value to employees.
Meeting internal goals is just one outcome of effective community outreach efforts, adds Lambert. Other outcomes could be driving a new mission of a company or engaging new communities. Determining what you want your community involvement outcomes to be before you launch a program is critical, says Lambert.
A BUSINESS IMPERATIVE
McFadden stresses that all community involvement programs must be tied to business goals. “We see more of a trend of moving away from ‘nice to do’ to ‘smart to do,’” says McFadden. Organizations appear to be trending toward “smart,” as 80% of respondents in the Boston college survey say community involvement initiatives are part of the business strategy (i.e., directly support defined company goals).
The bottom line on community involvement: Be smart when it comes to involvement strategies—smart like the organizations featured in the accompanying mini case studies. PRN
CI Case 1: Tying Community Outreach to Business Goals
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With perfect synergy, crop protection company Syngenta, with help from PR agency Gibbs & Soell, skillfully blended the economic downturn, hunger in America and Syngenta’s corn herbicide product Halex GT into a timely community program in 2010 called “Weeding Out Hunger.” The campaign was showcased online (anchored by a powerful video—see image) at nine trade shows and several industry events. Attendees were encouraged to donate food items and to register to win a $500 donation to a food bank. The campaign also hit the road with food collections at grocery stores and industry events—90 stops in 11 states over the course of eight weeks. To conclude the road show, more than 70 Syngenta employees volunteered and hosted an event in Greensboro, N.C., where more than 3,500 pounds of food were donated. “The campaign has allowed us to help our neighbors and has brought us one step closer to achieving our central mission,” says David Pinon, senior communications manager at Syngenta. That mission is to help feed 9 billion people by 2050.
CI Case 2: Community Involvement the Digital Way
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Enhancing its reputation as a strong community partner, Renasant Bank showcases local and regional events throughout its North Mississippi markets via a social media site, www.getaroundms.com, which launched Oct. 6. The bank, says VP and director of external affairs John Oxford, sends photographers to document various events throughout the region, posting the pics on site (see photo). They then can be tweeted, sent via Facebook or e-mail by site visitors to friends. The photos are free to the public and each one is watermarked with a Renasant logo for brand recognition as it travels around different social media channels. “We decided to bring our social media marketing down to the local grassroots level and showcase local people and events,” says Oxford. Having its own social media destination has its advantages. “It’s given us some great brand awareness and has us in the middle of Facebook instead of the right ad side,” says Oxford. The site shows early promise: more than 50,000 views garnered in the first three weeks.
CI Case 3: One Association, Organization and Club At a Time
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In the highly charged political environment of San Francisco, it’s difficult to cut through all the chatter to get your message heard by the community. But that’s just what Darcy Brown did as communications director for San Francisco’s Proposition B campaign in 2010. Prop B required city workers to contribute more to their own pension and health insurance costs. The main challenge for Brown: “Educating a city about pension reform and getting them to vote for it under the opposition of every elected official and labor union.” Brown knew that securing the endorsement of all four major city newspapers wasn’t enough. So she booked elected public defender Jeff Adachi, who spearheaded the measure, to speak at community organizations and democratic clubs across the city’s 11 districts—nearly 100 engagements in all. Community face time with Adachi convinced many citizens to vote Yes on Prop B, but it wasn’t enough as the measure was defeated, 57% to 43%. Under the circumstances of being outspent by the opposition by 3-1, it was a victory, says Brown, who is now strategist at Fineman PR. All the more reason to go face to face with the community.
CONTACT:
Luke Lambert, [email protected]; Jack McFadden, [email protected]; John Oxford, [email protected]; Darcy Brown, [email protected].