As companies weave CSR efforts into the business fabric, they are increasingly tapping into their most precious resource: employees.
And why not? According to the 2012 TBWA Worldwide Social Activism Study, seven in 10 young adults age 20-28 are social activists; one in two donates time to support causes he or she cares about and three in four activists would seek employment with a company that supports a social cause.
As the economy’s needle slowly moves towards the positive and companies bring younger talent into the fold, this propensity towards social activism and volunteerism is bound to become mission critical.
And not only are employees more eager to volunteer for community projects throughout the globe, they are willing to give their hard-earned cash. Take financial services company A merigroup. In 2011, the Amerigroup Foundation donated $2.3 million to charities, of which $89,700 was granted to organizations on behalf of associates who donated funds or volunteered time to the charity of the associate’s choice. In 2012, that matching gift amount was about 20% more than the year before, with $107,472 donated.
In the hours volunteered, Amerigroup employees gave more than 20,000 hours of their time in 2011 and in 2012 tracked at about 30% more. It helps that Amerigroup’s mission is providing healthcare solutions. “Social responsibility and community engagement are not just part of our business—they are our business,” says Tina Gill, executive director, Amerigroup Foundation.
CSR MINDSET
How is the company gaining so much employee volunteer traction? First, it’s a mindset. “We don’t think of CSR as an initiative or a program,” Gill says. “Every day we’re looking to improve the health and well-being of customers and the communities we serve.”
That mantra is integrated up front in Amerigroup’s employee recruitment process. Giving back is who Amerigroup is, and how it rolls. “As a result, we have a lot of support from top leadership and grassroots energy at the lower levels,” Gill adds.
Leadership also plays a big role at Dell, where executive commitment is a lead driver of the company’s program, says Deb Bauer, director of strategic giving and community engagement at Dell. Some members of the company’s CSR spearhead group, the Global Giving Council, report directly to founder and CEO Michael Dell.
And if you think Amerigroup’s volunteer numbers were an aberration, check out Dell’s: In FY2010, total volunteer hours ran just under 200,000. They jumped to 400,000 in FY2012 and are now tracking at 600,000 in FY2013.
VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY
Just what drives that participation at Dell? It starts with a social-based online community that lets employees create profiles, find and track volunteer opportunities and make contributions. The data gleaned from this site allows for robust measurement as well, Bauer says.
Volunteerism is promoted throughout Dell via the corporate intranet and at team-building events that are aligned with CSR activities. In addition, managers build teams of “champions,” which get employees involved.
Then there’s appreciation of volunteer work. If an employee volunteers for 10 or more hours in a quarter, they receive a $150 cause card to redeem in the Dell Make a Difference online community.
With such success, it’s hard to believe there are challenges. Bauer cites two:
• Getting stories told in a way people hear it. There is a lot of news going around Dell, and it’s tough to break through the clutter, Bauer says. So in 2012 the company varied its CSR communications outreach platforms.
• Hitting employees too hard with volunteer messages. Managers can sometimes push too hard, which employees term “voluntold,” Bauer says. “We try to find the right balance.”
LOCAL FOCUS
At The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, employee input is key in driving local community give-back efforts. Each property around the world writes a strategic CSR plan, with three areas of focus: well-being of children, hunger and environmental responsibility, says Sue Stephenson, VP of community footprints at The Ritz-Carlton.
Local community partners are chosen with input from employees. “That’s why they’re so passionate about their causes,” Stephenson says.
And how is CSR communicated to its 38,000 employees worldwide? Social media plays a part, via Facebook, Twitter and the company website. Externally, Stephenson says, senior leadership is heavily engaged in the give-back message. Ritz-Carlton President Herve Humler mentions CSR often when talking with the press and the public.
Stephenson’s biggest challenge? Scaling up CSR outcomes. On that end, Ritz-Carlton’s CSR programs are now available as a model for other organizations. Currently she’s working with Georgia’s Department of Education on a health and wellness program for eighth and ninth graders.
PEOPLE/PARTNER POWER
Meanwhile, at pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Caroline Roan, VP, corporate responsibility and reputation, and president of the Pfizer Foundation, uses Pfizer’s volunteers in a different vein. In its 10th year, the Global Health Fellows Program loans employees out for short term assignments with international development organizations in emerging markets.
Partner organizations are key to communicating the success of the Fellows program. “We let them tell impact stories,” Roan says. “They have been great advocates for us.”
In addition, for the first time Pfizer Fellows are telling their volunteer stories via the external Global Health Fellows blog. “It’s a big opportunity for our employees to tell about their work,” Roan says. She would like to embrace social media even more, but being in a highly regulated industry is an impediment—a challenge Pfizer is in the process of tackling.
(Join us to honor the best in CSR communications at our CSR Awards luncheon on Feb. 11 in Washington D.C., prnewsonline.com/awards/CSR_Luncheon2013.)
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CONTACT:
Tina Gill, [email protected]; Sue Stephenson, [email protected]; Deb Bauer, [email protected]; Caroline Roan, c/o Jennifer Kokell, [email protected].
Follow Scott Van Camp: @svancamp01