What's shaping the future of CSR?

[Michelle Fifis]

Hello Pledge 1% Community!

I hope your month is off to a fantastic start. To kick off our discussions for the month, let’s talk trends! 📈

What trends or best practices do you see shaping the future of corporate social responsibility and advocacy? What topics are buzzing at meetups, conferences, or in conversations with your peers?

Share your insights and join the conversation in the comments below!

[Ingrid_IndexEng]

The main trend I see currently, is around businesses setting sustainability targets and tracking against those with the collection of hard data.  Businesses are then highlighting that information in social media and advertising.  In terms of social responsibility, I think this tends to happen in a fairly adhoc way - i.e. being approached for sponsorship or donations, or if a social cause is a pet interest of business owners. This is where I think Pledge 1% really comes in, as this is a great way for businesses to think about how much to give, and it involves a commitment to a quantifiable percentage.

[Michelle Fifis]

Thank you, @Ingrid_IndexEng! Do you think this trend is a reaction to budget cuts, prompting a greater demand for accountability? Or could they be a response by companies to show authenticity, so that their programs are not being perceived as 'greenwashing'? 

[Ingrid_IndexEng]

 I think it's partly wanting to show authenticity to customers/clients, but also that company owners actually want to take action that will have a positive impact on the next generation, i.e. want to do the right thing and set a good example to others, whether or not this is important to customers or whether or not this may influence customer purchasing decisions...   Maybe this is a "glass half full" view, but i think there is a ground swell of people (including decision-makers) who are very concerned about the planet that we are leaving for the next generation, and want to take action.  To borrow the words of Peter Drucker, "you can't manage what you don't measure."