Melodies in Marketing

[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 10min]

In this interview with Jamie Welsh of 10% Solutions, she describes the nature of her work, the current landscape in social responsibility, the importance of csr, and how her certification process works.

Their framework involves donations, volunteer programs, and sustainability certifications that together, form a complete social responsibility package that is:

• Aligned with the organization’s mission and values
• Organized and process-documented
• Accountable

The fact is, companies are doing some of these activities but often in a piecemeal manner.

Upper management may be making donations during the year, but let’s ask…are they going to a specific cause or local community with similar values? A quick example for any company involved in baby products & services would be organizations that provide pre-natal care or assist low-income new mothers. The basic idea is that donations need to be aligned, agreed upon, and properly accounted for.

With volunteer programs, while we also need to be looking for strategic fit, a more important concern is that they’re consistent and can include employees across multiple departments. Additionally, accounting records should note employee time spent in the appropriate expense account.

Lastly, there are sustainable certifications regarding product/service toxicity, carbon offsetting, fair trade, and ethical harvesting among others. These have to be credible, provide appropriate benchmarks for compliance, and need to be renewed.

Social responsibility is a multi-disciplinary field that spans philanthropy, volunteerism, and environmental/social stewardship. Effective organizational frameworks that include these three elements in a cohesive manner will result in happier employees and informed stakeholders & customers who’ll better recognize your social contribution. As an added benefit, you might realize improved business across the board.

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