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Many organizations are now aware of the benefits offered by corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including:

  • Creating a positive image of your company for employees and other stakeholders.
  • Improving employee engagement with the organization and fostering employee satisfaction with their jobs.
  • Put your company culture’s values into action by giving back and doing good.
  • Building relationships with the local community in which the offsite meeting or event is taking place.
  • Strengthening the bonds between team members and guiding how to work together as a team.

There is another benefit that might not come to mind immediately, but it is a significant win for organizations funded by investors. 70% of investors want to spend money with companies that align with their values. (1)

Plus, highly engaged employees, along with a collaborative workplace, continue to be valuable assets for any company:

  • A fully engaged workforce can deliver twice the revenue as its less engaged counterparts.
  • Over 50% of employees have stayed at a company because they felt part of a team.
  • Nearly 75% of employees see teamwork and collaboration as essential.
  • Organizations that promote collaboration and communication are 4.5 times less likely to lose their best employees.
  • As many as 86% of executives feel a lack of collaboration is responsible for company failures at large.

Source: (2)

The potential of an event that includes CSR activities is undeniably promising. That said, it comes with a caveat. Carrying out CSR initiatives during any business-related event presents challenges.

Below are five effective ways to seamlessly integrate CSR activities into your offsite meeting or event.

FIND OUT WHAT CAUSES ATTENDEES ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT

The more excited employees are about the impact of a CSR initiative, the more engaged they will be in it. Plus, if workers feel like they played a role in selecting the cause, it will give them a sense of ownership. By getting input from employees at all levels of the workplace hierarchy, you demonstrate that leadership cares about everyone’s input, from workers in entry-level roles to those in the C-suite.

There are several different ways you can collect feedback:

  • Send a survey with open-ended questions and answers, allowing respondents to elaborate as much as they wish.
  • Send a survey with multiple-choice questions and answers.
  • Hold a meeting to discuss potential causes and get verbal feedback.
  • Invite attendees to break into teams and do a presentation for the group about why their cause should be the recipient of the CSR activity.

If you use a survey, you can make the responses anonymous if you feel that participants would be more comfortable remaining anonymous. It truly is up to your leadership team’s judgment.

MEET WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR MOST PRESSING NEEDS AND BIGGEST ISSUES

The other group you should get a list of causes from is the people who live and work in the community where the event is being held. When you take the time and make an effort to meet with local community leaders, you show that your organization cares about helping the place they call home. This gesture dramatically improves the chances of making a real impact with your chosen CSR activity.

Remember that you are unlikely to get a consensus from your employees or community leaders. Your best option in this situation is to decide on the cause that received the most interest from both parties and that aligns with your organization’s values.

Coming to this decision might not be easy, as an obvious choice might not exist. Just try your best to identify the cause that seems like the best choice based on the feedback you get. Regardless of the outcome, attendees and community leaders will remember and appreciate you asking for their input in the first place.

CHOOSE AN ACTIVITY THAT HELPS THE COMMUNITY WHERE THE EVENT IS HELD

This tip seems obvious; however, you might be surprised by how often it is overlooked. Since we live in a world where the internet has given many Americans a global perspective, it is easy to focus on causes that have global relevance but are not a concern for where you are holding your upcoming offsite meeting or event.

Asking community leaders to share their perspectives on needs and issues that are unique to them is an excellent way to ensure that your CSR activity benefits their community. Remember, think local in all ways when planning an event like this.

PRO TIP: Hiring local vendors for any services you need during the event is especially important. Please do not make the mistake of prioritizing lower cost or faster delivery speed over the critical relationship building you can do by keeping it local.

ADD A DOSE OF HEALTHY COMPETITION TO SPARK EXCITEMENT FOR PARTICIPANTS

Many people enjoy game nights for a good reason: Healthy competition is exciting and motivational. From a business perspective, competition deepens the level of engagement that meeting attendees feel. When it is pulled off well, healthy rivalries can deepen the camaraderie between coworkers.

While prizes up the ante, you do not have to break the bank on them. Consider announcing that the winning team will get to present proceeds from the CSR activity to the beneficiary. Or, if your budget allows it, send the winning team on a trip to an appealing destination where they can experience the local attractions and culture and get another chance to bond.

MAKE SURE THE ACTIVITY HAS A TEAMBUILDING ASPECT TO IT

Offsite meetings and events present a golden opportunity to involve attendees in teambuilding activities. Better yet, infusing CSR initiatives with team bonding is essential. You kill two birds with one stone by doing this. On a deeper and more important level, doing good unites coworkers and helps them take action to help others. This is a powerful way to strengthen the bonds between them. Working towards a shared cause is one of the most effective ways to achieve teambuilding success.

WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Everyone wins when you weave corporate social responsibility into teambuilding efforts and demonstrate that the company values the contributions of all employees and local community leaders. With some thoughtful planning, your organization can pull off CSR activities at events that make a real difference for your company and the recipients of the goodwill gesture. 

Are you looking for a polished meeting planner to add practical corporate social responsibility activities to your corporate meeting or event? Contact Gavel International for more information. 

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SOURCE(S):

1 https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/how-to-sell-to-gen-z-with-corporate-social-responsibility/432952

2 https://teamstage.io/team-building-statistics/

Eloisa Mendez
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