How to Promote a Great CSR Campaign

Rafa Hacker: Three easy tips to create your CSR campaign

This historic time we are living in has let the market and the consumer real and clear messages. One of the most important things that people expect from a company is to make a positive impact in the world. Worry, interest and awareness about the environment are aspects that have to be always put in practice in every company considered respectful. This fact lets us to the conclusion that when brands and consumers work together to make a difference, positive change can be possible. Nowadays, for brands and companies it is almost obvious that if they want to attract consumers, they have to build a reputation for supporting social causes and initiatives.

If you own a company and you also want to participate in this wave of respect and love for the planet, Rafa Hacker states that you need to consider these 3 following tips in order to create the best CSR campaigns: 

Promoting all your effort

Rafa Hacker: Make yor best efforts and promote them

Brands, with their big advertising budgets, have a big opportunity to educate consumers about important causes and issues and the nonprofit organizations that are making a difference. The tip for businesses is to distinguish the cause area they are impacting, the charity with which they are collaborating, and the tangible, measurable impact that is being made.

Determine the interest of your consumers and act

Rafa Hacker: Take advantage of crisis and turn it into benefits for your clients

We normally see news stories that describe a problem or crisis. We feel compassion, but we have no idea on how to contribute to the solution. This is the moment that brands have a unique opportunity to connect with consumers.

The easy part of donating

Añadir leyenda

You do not have idea about how powerful can be a social good campaign based around simple and little actions - sending a text message, for example. – There are donation apps such as The Red Cross’text-to-donate which can be taken as a great reference of a good campaign.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Protecting the Environment from the Construction Sector

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Thinking green. Building green

One of the production areas that has the most responsibility of changing or protecting the environment we live is the construction sector. Today, our team has dedicated this post to two different construction companies that really care about environment and create different corporate social responsibility campaigns to give something back to the planet.

How construction can affect the environment?

Carbon dioxide is one of the determining factors in global warming gases, one of the main responsible factors for climate change that our planet is facing today. Fortunately, plants have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide in order to release oxygen. This simple biological process makes us understand the importance of trees for the protection of life in our planet.

Experts also recommend companies to bet on the ecology, as this can connect to a healthy population with a huge desire to collaborate and make their contribution to the change. Through such initiatives, highly visible firms can harmonize with their surroundings, reducing the violence and impact on society and the environment.

Here we have two great examples of construction companies that help us protect our world:

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Energy efficiency

BALFOUR BEATTY

Based in the United Kingdom, Balfour Beatty has created a global presence in the construction industry and infrastructure sector over the last century. The company has devised a 2020 Vision to implement its sustainability strategy throughout its global operations by 2020. 

THIESS

As Australia’s leading construction services contractor, Thiess takes sustainability and people, planet, profit to its heart. With a commitment to energy efficiency, the company signed onto the Australian Greenhouse Challenge Plus program. Though Thiess faces a unique challenge as a construction and mining contractor, it remains committed to reducing its footprint while maintaining its role as an environmental steward, carefully monitoring energy, water, waste, noise and air quality.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Preserving the beauty of the nature

Positive and Creative Actions through CSR Campaigns

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Ideas, Inspirations, Commitment

Corporate social responsibility means companies making their best efforts and their values for greater good and taking action to have a positive effect on the people and the environment. They often do so through cause marketing, joining forces with nonprofit organizations and focusing ad campaigns on those philanthropic relationships. Today, we will guide you through great CSR campaigns that exemplify how to make an impact that is positive and that people will never forget with a lot of creativity.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Using the most creative ideas at your company for CSR campaigns

Horrifying vs. More Horrifying

The mission of the World Wildlife Fund is to conserve the earth’s biodiversity by protecting its species and their habitats. By emphasizing that all of earth’s organisms form a complex, interconnected web of habitats that provide its life support system, the campaign communicates that mankind cannot survive without a healthy, sustainable ecosystem. The approach highlights the threat by taking something perceived as threatening and highlighting how much more threatening it would be if it did not exist. With three simple words and images it captures the essence of the danger.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Horrifying vs. More Horrifying

Unity

“The launch of Shwopping: For M&S” is M&S's Plan A program and an expansion of a partnership with Oxfam which began in January 2008 and has seen more than 10m items donated, worth an estimated £8m. Donors handing old M&S clothing into Oxfam stores received a £5 M&S voucher.

#LikeAGirl

Always is inviting everybody to join to rewrite the rules and keep girls in sports.  For more than three decades, this brand empowered girls worldwide by educating millions about puberty and their cycle, so they can feel confident.  For these reason, they created this great campaign to encourage people to join the brand in the battle to stop the drop in confidence girls experience at puberty by encourage all girls to Keep Playing #LikeAGirl.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Building the Best CSR Campaign: How to Use Creativity in your Campaigns

Creative ideas in every campaign

For some brands and companies the idea of creating catching campaigns has a clear and determined intention based on a simple phrase: if your intention is to attract more people to your brand, you have to build a reputation for supporting social causes and initiatives along with impressive and surprising good-looking campaigns. Today, you will learn a little more about CSR and how its impact can be positive through great creative campaigns the public never forget.

Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, means companies aligning their values with a greater good and taking action to have a positive effect on the people and the environment. They often do so through cause marketing, joining forces with nonprofit organizations and focusing ad campaigns on those philanthropic relationships.

Good examples of creative campaigns

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

This campaign aimed to prove to women that they were more beautiful than they thought. This is a powerful video that was uploaded to Dove’s channels worldwide. The original on the US YouTube channel had over 64.8M views.

Horrifying vs. More Horrifying

Horrifying vs. More Horrifying

The mission of the World Wildlife Fund is to conserve the earth’s biodiversity by protecting its species and their habitats. By emphasizing that all of earth’s organisms form a complex, interconnected web of habitats that provide its life support system, the campaign communicates that mankind cannot survive without a healthy, sustainable ecosystem. The approach highlights the threat by taking something perceived as threatening and highlighting how much more threatening it would be if it did not exist. With three simple words and images it captures the essence of the danger.

Unity

“The launch of Shwopping: For M&S” is M&S's Plan A program and an expansion of a partnership with Oxfam which began in January 2008 and has seen more than 10m items donated, worth an estimated £8m. Donors handing old M&S clothing into Oxfam stores received a £5 M&S voucher.

Shoppers are encouraged to take their unwanted garments into all 342 M&S stores in the UK and leave them in recycling bins by the tills.

Three Companies’ CSR Campaigns to Consider

Considering the best of CSR

Corporate social responsibility means sustaining the equilibrium between the two. It pertains not only to business organizations, but also to everyone whose any action impacts the environment. Social Responsibility is about giving back to the communities that keep your business in a good position, maybe even ones beyond your reach. Having a social commitment and good culture allow employees know they are working for something that is good and with a high impact. Business becomes something far from dimensional and more importantly, it cares about people.

Encouraging people to donate and participate with good actions

And because the current business world is full of great references to consider to make your own steps in CSR campaigns, today we have decided to show you information about three companies that are the best at this topic. We do this for you to have the best examples and know how to act when creating your brand or company’s CSR campaign. Today, we will show you three good cases for you to consider:

1. The Promise of Health Care is one of the tasks created and developed by Johnson & Johnson regarding their CSR activities. The company believes the best health care systems put the needs of people first.
2. Forever 21 Vendor Audit Program. While many of the brand’s vendors have worked with Forever 21 for a number of years and are trusted, all suppliers and vendors must provide factory contact information and all factories must participate in the audit program as part of the company’s CSR actions.



Ensuring health care

3. Toms “One for one” motto is a very popular phrase. They have recently upped the ante by donating a part of their sunglass sales to vision care for children in need. However, this is not just consumers that are involved in this social action for good, there are also employees involved. Toms’ employees participate in an annual Shoe Drop where they travel and donate a variety of goods to children. Their careers page specifically calls for employees that want to change lives and be a part of a movement.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Has CSR Evolved through the History?

History of CSR

All participants of the society expect business to be carried out in an ethical and socially responsible way. Today, many companies are recognizing the need to balance environmental, social, and governmental issues. And, even most of them have begun to implement practices in their day to day operations, demonstrating how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should be a fundamental value. Stay here and know more about this important topic through a brief journey into the history of CSR for you to see how it has evolved and changed according to the societies’ needs.

Everything started in 1960, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development convention was created to promote policies with the intention to achieve sustainable economic growth and employment. Fifteen years later the "Impact and Benefit Agreements" between Canadian Aboriginal groups and extractive sector companies started. The aim was to create commitments by the company for employment, and training about projects constructed near Aboriginal communities.

The years continue to pass, and humanity started to need more, of course; five years later, in 1980, the International Union for Conservation of Nature created The World Conservation Strategy, which was and important move that had the aim of identifying the main responsible actors of

habitat destruction such as:  

• poverty,
• population pressure,
• social inequity, and
• the terms of trade.

After that, the UN Earth Summit was held in Brazil, where a new business model, as well as the idea of using sustainable development to a company's competitive advantage was applied.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

In 1993, the launch of the Whitehorse Mining Initiative took these initiatives to the signing of the WMI Leadership Council Accord in 1994 in order to achieve a sustainable mining industry within the framework of an evolving and sustainable Canadian society. Five years later, Canada, along with Natural Resources Canada, IDRC, and the leadership of IISD, organized a workshop in Peru. The event brought together 11 countries from Latin America and Canada in order to work towards a sustainable future in the region.

The CSR’s Journey (Part I)

Creating new CSR programs

Today, many companies are recognizing the need to balance environmental, social, and governmental issues. And, even most of them have begun to implement practices in their day to day operations, demonstrating how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should be a fundamental value. Because we know the importance you give to your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility performance, today we decided to guide you through a brief journey through the history of CSR for you to see how it has evolved and changed according to the societies’ needs.

In 1960, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development convention was created to promote policies with the intention to achieve sustainable economic growth and employment.

In 1975, the "Impact and Benefit Agreements" between Canadian Aboriginal groups and extractive sector companies started. This time, the objective was clear: to create commitments by the company for employment, and training about projects constructed near Aboriginal communities.

Year later, the International Union for Conservation of Nature created The World Conservation Strategy, which identified the main responsible actors of habitat destruction such as:

Creating policies to promote great projects

• poverty,
• population pressure,
• social inequity, 
• and the terms of trade.

After that, the UN Earth Summit was held in Brazil, where a new business model, as well as the idea of using sustainable development to a company's competitive advantage was applied.

Later, in 1993, the launch of the Whitehorse Mining Initiative took these initiatives to the signing of the WMI Leadership Council Accord in 1994 in order to achieve a sustainable mining industry within the framework of an evolving and sustainable Canadian society. Five years later, Canada, along with Natural Resources Canada, IDRC, and the leadership of IISD, organized a workshop in Peru. The event brought together 11 countries from Latin America and Canada in order to work towards a sustainable future in the region. 

CSR ideas for the future

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Easy Ways to Keep your Children Safe

As we have discussed in previous posts, Internet represents a risky tool if you are not monitoring what your family has access to. If that is your case, you probably want to consider these fast and easy tips to prevent online child sexual abuse. This is a help to prevent other cybercrimes so popular today and to protect your family. Today, we will show you some details on how to avoid crimes online:

Creating different accounts on the computer

Create different accounts

It is a good advice to establish different users and allow your children to have their own account and profile; by doing this, you can avoid accesses to programs or unwanted files. It is important to have an adult account like “administrator” (for complete control over the computer) and the child has a “limited user” with which the child will not change or install new hardware or software, games, music players or chat programs that can be risky most of times.

Using chats and messaging programs

Chat, social networks and instant messaging services can be the means that children use to share interests and build friendships. Nevertheless, the anonymity of the Internet can put children in the way of abusers or imposters.

Denounce any irregularity

Acting against any irregularity

If you think your child or any child is endangered on the Internet, you better go to the police or search for help in online agencies or institutions such as Counter Pedophilia Investigative Unit and denounce the situation. We also recommend you to inform the authorities if you see any inappropriate content on the Internet. Remember that we all have to be part of the solution.

Do not share personal information

Using Internet at home

Control personal data requested by children’s pages and pay attention to those that ask for personal information. Talk to your child for he/she understands the dangers about providing certain information publicly and also discuss about sweepstakes and promotions online. It is always important to tell your child that nobody is going to give something for nothing.

Good Initiatives for Everyone at FundaSitio

FundaSitio helping every organization

In order to link non-profit organizations and collaborators to create online spaces that help contribute to the welfare of society FundaSitio was born jointly with an initiative of Rafael Nunez, who motivated by his social sensitivity has decided to promote the dissemination of activities of charities, through the creation and donation of websites.

The origin and motivations of FundaSitio

Rafael Nunez

What FundaSitio is today is a concept that was created at the first time because of the awareness about the clear digital divide between organizations dedicated to the service of others and those people or organizations in need.

For the organization, concepts of Creation, Strengthening and Multiplication of the presence and the identity in the digital world are the main core of the hard and committed work of FundaSitio. The organization achieves all this by creating websites and advising on social networks on the foundations and nonprofit nongovernmental organizations, in order to promote their proper online presence as a platform to disseminate and comply with the approach of their social welfare objectives.

FundaSitio aims to be a non-profit organization recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence in supporting the digital expansion for strengthening social welfare, by donating webpages for other foundations. Some of the benefited organizations promoted by FundaSitio are:

·         Recreation Center K-rricitos Cooperative Association

K-rricitos Recreation Center

This organization was incorporated as an alternative for parents who live in the El Palmar and neighboring communities in Caracas; the Recreation Center K-rricitos Cooperative Association stands out as an institution for serving children with disabilities, ensuring their wellbeing and improving their quality of life.

·         UMA Association

UMA Association

It is possible to find an organization that provides humanitarian aid oriented child, adolescents and adults care in underserved communities in Venezuela. That organization is called Civil Association Una mano amiga (A Helping Hand in English), created in the year 1998.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: Volunteering Programs and Its Benefits

Volunteering for more benefits for everyone

What is the meaning of volunteering programs? Do you think its impact goes beyond the benefit of a brand or company? Is that impact only related to the members of the communities involved or companies responsible for the activities can also be benefited? There are more information and good results related to volunteerism than we think. That is why, today we brought details about it; you will learn more about each aspect in order to know how your company or brand can also be benefited thanks to volunteering programs for the community your company operates.

Communities are not the only part of the society that can receive a benefit (economic, educational, regarding to health, etc.), but also your brand or company as well as all your work team as a whole. Workers and employees in general are the main responsible for these activities and the ones that will receive the best benefits.

Employee engagement

Corporate volunteer activities, projects or programs can drive employee engagement. This means that companies that promote corporate volunteer programs can enjoy greater employee satisfaction and greater productivity and profitability.

Younger employees

Extending the help

Young population just coming out of college for the last several years is committed to changing the world for a better place to work and live. This is very different from the traditional or older models where benefits were almost the only variables that potential employees were interested in.

Corporate visibility

Giving does not mean there will not be clear financial incentives for the company at the same time. A perfect design and created and a corporate volunteer program that promotes employees skills can raise a company’s visibility in the community. As you may know, all this can improve your company’s reputation.

Younger employees 

However, those three previous benefits are not everything a company can earn through volunteering programs. The following are also some positive aspects your company will enjoy:

a.       Employee development.

b.      Encouraging teamwork

c.       Improved communication.

d.      Building brand awareness.

e.       Improved employee retention.

f.       Providing subject matter for corporate content creation.

What to Learn about Volunteering

Consider your employees to improve

While monetary donations and donated products or services can have a great impact on a worthy cause, many charities and nonprofits have actually noted that corporate volunteer programs have a huge value in the long run. Do you want to know why or how? This has to be with the increasing employee engagement, improving the ability to recruit younger employees, and increasing the company’s visibility in the community. Our today’s post is dedicated to this great way of making social committed activities. You will learn more about each aspect in order to know how your company or brand can also be benefited thanks to volunteering programs for the community your company operates:

Employee engagement

Corporate volunteer activities, projects or programs can drive employee engagement. This means that companies that promote corporate volunteer programs can enjoy greater employee satisfaction and greater productivity and profitability.

Younger employees

Involved employees

Young population just coming out of college for the last several years is committed to changing the world for a better place to work and live. This is very different from the traditional or older models where benefits were almost the only variables that potential employees were interested in.

Corporate visibility

Giving does not mean there will not be clear financial incentives for the company at the same time. A perfect design and created and a corporate volunteer program that promotes employees skills can raise a company’s visibility in the community. As you may know, all this can improve your company’s reputation.

Positive image

However, those three previous benefits are not everything your company or brand can earn through volunteering programs. The following are also some positive aspects your company will enjoy:

• Employee development.
• Encouraging teamwork
• Improved communication.
• Building brand awareness.
• Improved employee retention.



Everyone's invited to participate

• Providing subject matter for corporate content creation.

Rafael Nunez Aponte: What to Learn About CSR Campaigns

Thinking about sustainability and hard work

Corporate social responsibility is a term that an individual and a company has to perform to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems. A trade-off can exist between economic development, in the material sense, and the welfare of the society and environment. Social Responsibility is about giving back to the communities that keep your business in a good position, maybe even ones beyond your reach. Having a social commitment and good culture allow employees to know they are working for something that is good and with a high impact. Business becomes something far from dimensional and more importantly, it cares about people.

As you already have noticed, we like to show you different great references and examples of what means to be a very responsible company or brand. We do this for you to have the best examples and know how to act when creating your brand or company’s CSR campaign:

Social commitment

1. The Promise of Healthcare is one of the tasks created and developed by Johnson & Johnson regarding their CSR activities. The company believes the best healthcare systems put the needs of people first.
2. Forever 21 Vendor Audit Program. While many of the brand’s vendors have worked with Forever 21 for a number of years and are trusted, all suppliers and vendors must provide factory contact information and all factories must participate in the audit program as part of the company’s CSR actions.

And, of course, never forget that you have to promote all the effort. Brands, with their big advertising budgets, have a big opportunity to educate consumers about important causes and issues and the nonprofit organizations that are making a difference. The tip for businesses is to distinguish the cause area they are impacting, the charity with which they are collaborating, and the tangible, measurable impact that is being made.

Considering the people and your business