Social steps

How to align your company with a cause that matters

Q: What is the first step entrepreneurs should take if they want to include more corporate social responsibility at work?

Start small: “Capture low-hanging fruit such as a recycling program, Energy Saver appliance usage and a lights-off-when-not-working policy. As your business grows, so can your CSR efforts.” — Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work Align your company and the cause: “Supporting causes and charities is awesome, but it’s even better when your values align. So, find a nonprofit partner or embed CSR practices in your organization in a way that is consistent with what you do and who you are. Customers and the press can see when a CSR initiative is fake or only used for PR, and that’s a major turn-off.” — Sam Davidson, Batch Think locally: “It’s OK to make contributions to something that increases awareness of the state of polar ice caps, but if you’re an agro-processing company it would make more sense to support something closer to home. For example, you can support a movement that encourages sustainable farming in urban areas, or join school feeding programs.” — Cody Mclain, SupportNinja

Work it into your product: “Instead of donating to a charity, think of how you can make your product or service more socially responsible. Whether it’s sourcing recycled materials for use in the final product or using servers that run on renewable energy, consumers will perceive your sustainably built brand as more authentically responsible than one that only pays into the concept of sustainability after the fact.” — Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com

Identify immediate needs: “We reached out to a local nonprofit that supported animals and found their immediate needs were less than $500, to be used for food and supplies for their fostered pets. We quickly mobilized and raised the funds and saw the impact immediately when the pets were fed and cared for through our efforts. This small goal and gesture fueled the desire to get more involved.” — Souny West, Collabz

Don’t force it: “Don’t incorporate CSR just for the sake of it. It’s important to have a genuine passion or interest in the organization or NGO that you support. It’s best if your missions align. If it’s forced, it will show and can reflect badly on you and your brand.” —Pratham Mittal, VenturePact