As the nation celebrates Veteran's Day today, corporations are doing their part to honor the men and women who have served our country: They're developing hiring campaigns to bring veterans into the fold, which is a great example of corporate citizenship.
Companies that are now engaged in these efforts include Wal-Mart, the world’s largest private employer, which established a military programs office and hired Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Gary Profit to run it. The company plans to hire 100,000 veterans in the next five years through its “Welcome Home” initiative.
Meanwhile, Starbucks pledged to hire 10,000 veterans and military spouses in the next five years. Its initiative is defined by tapping into the unique communication and leadership skills that veterans possess. “The more than one million transitioning U.S. veterans and almost one and half million military spouses—with their diverse background and experience—share our mission-driven sensibility and work ethic and can build long-term careers at Starbucks as they return home,” said Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz.
Another example: JP Morgan Chase & Co. The banking giant is a founding member of the 100,000 Jobs Mission, an organization that has already hired 92,000 veterans and recently pledged to hire 100,000 more.
With a growing number of corporations ramping up their CSR efforts focusing on veterans we thought this would be a good opportunity to remind PR professionals on some of the fundamental elements of corporate responsibility and CSR strategy, compliments of Alison DaSilva, VP of Cone, and Mindy Gomes Casseres, account supervisor at Cone.
- Create a cross-functional team that engages company leadership from the onset
- Determine operational strategies and goals
- Create an integrated communications strategy
This content is an excerpt from PR News’ Corporate Social Responsibility Guidebook, Vol. 6.
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