Make the right choices for your Social Impact Program

Have you looked around lately? Whether it is for social injustices, environmental issues or societal debates, people are getting involved in volunteering activities, are donating more than ever and paying more attention to issues that have an impact on their living, their planet and the people around them. There is probably more awareness, it is maybe linked to the awful 2020 covid19 lockdown. Humanity and philanthropy were in vogue all over the world and the trend is still going on.

If you think you can just go on like that, by yourself, well... you can try but you’ll soon end up overwhelmed by the amount of things to do, to search, to manage. Just like any other projects, it takes planning, reflection and … materials. Take my hand, don’t be scared and let’s jump into the topic together.

CSR is not “nice to have”

It’s a must-have.

You are probably already convinced of why you should start implementing a Social Impact Program in your company. As we have already discussed, studies have shown that CSR strategies attract top-notch talents, mostly millennials who are expecting their employers to get involved in societal and social debates and activities. It’s also a great benefit when it comes to attracting and retaining your customers: 87% of respondents did indeed agree that buying a product from a brand that shows corporate social responsibility and ethics is an element that crossed their minds.

Corporate Social Responsibility is a way for corporations to contribute to the well-being of their communities, of people in general and doing some good for their environment, on a broader or smaller scale (locally, regionally, internationally… globally). It is true though that these past few years have been crucial for CSR and now companies discover that there is an urgent need to set up CSR and social impact programs internally and to let it know externally. Whereas we could question the sincerity of this reaction, there is also some truth: if there is expectation, it is good if brands finally decide to hear them and take action.

Now that this is clear, think about your focus on CSR. Don’t do it to brag, to show-off, to expose your brand to the world. Do it for the right reasons: because you can, because it does good and because both your external and internal communities are eager to take action.

The right choice is the one that fits you best

Because nowadays it seems like everybody and every company is getting involved in CSR and social impact activities, right? It’s like the new marketing strategies that the whole team has been working on for the past few months, maybe with a bit of help from HR to implement it internally too. It’s the new “Ambassador program”. But is it, really?

Isn’t it just the time for corporations, foundations, non-profits, companies, brands, to admit that next to ROI, revenue, budgets, effectiveness, productivity and productions, there are issues and topics that need to be addressed: environment, equality, sustainability, employees well-beings, communities helping, knowledge sharing and materials offerings, etc.

Why not do it since you can? Some researchers and writers have discussed the difficult position of companies that take actions but that are actually taking advantage of the situation and the trend to get a nicer, greener face to the world. So the most important advice is always to stay true to yourself, your brand, your values, your people.

You have an expertise that could actually benefit some communities or a specific environmental project, why not take action?

Choose your tool according to your needs

Embrace Digital Transformation, don’t be scared of it: we all know its limitations and the risks that they bear in themselves, but as long as you’re aware of that, everything will be ok. So let’s just be honest with ourselves and say it out loud: SaaS technology is not bad.

SaaS platforms are thought to save your time and energy and make you more effective and productive in your daily tasks. What’s wrong with that? So when you get to the “I have to choose an online platform” step, bear in mind the following elements:

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#1 It should be easy to use, to understand and to share

Whether you’ll be the only user or not, your online platform should be intuitive. A tool that is blurry, with a lot of elements popping everywhere is not thought for the user. And if it’s not made for the user, then why should you, as a user, go for it?

Plus, the easiest it is to use and implement, the fastest you’ll start getting to work and sharing the tool with your team. It will also be super intuitive for them to discover this new platform and all the features that will facilitate their work.

#2 It should fit your needs

Sometimes you buy something but you only use like 15% of the tool. This happens all the time: you go for the biggest latest new cellphone but you end up only texting and calling your relatives. What’s the point of having dozens of applications and functionality if you end up using two of them?

Make sure to choose a tool that fits your needs and your daily reality. If you find an “a-la-carte” option, a modular offer, then that’s even better : you can choose what you need and you pay for what you use.

#3 It should be technological...with a bit of human 

If a problem occurs, you certainly don’t want to ask a robot or struggle finding a solution on the world wide web, right? You shouldn’t need to be an IT guy or to have some kind expertise if facing a bug.

Make sure that you have someone to talk to, someone who knows who you are, what you do and who can help you. We sure told you to embrace Digital Transformation but human intervention and support are still needed. Ensure that you are more than a number but an actual human being understood by your contact working for the Software you chose.