A lot of businesses talk about corporate social responsibility, or ‘CSR’, but do you know what this term actually means?
CSR is where companies can assess, and take responsibility for, their effects on the environment and social wellbeing. Doing this can help to raise the profiles of companies, make them look more human for being more aware of the wider community outside their business, while also benefiting the business in the future.
As a company, TBT has been involved in CSR events with clients for several years. As part of a recent event for a client, we took winners of a sales incentive to Rio de Janeiro. This client likes to add in an element of CSR to the trips to go above and beyond for local charities in the beautiful places that they take their winners. On this occasion we found a fantastic non-profit organisation, Il Sorriso dei miei Bimbi. The charity founder, Barbara, her team, and a group of children she supports, joined the winning participants. During their meeting, Barbara discussed the inspiring work they are doing to improve the social and educational conditions within the community they live in, Rio’s Rocinha favela. The client we were working with kindly donated laptops and printers, and the winners brought along gifts for the children from their EMEA offices.
Some of the gifts given to the favela school on the CSR tour.
Leaving these legacy donations made a positive impact to the work Barbara and her team continue to do, within the school and the community. This has then put the brand donating at the forefront of positive community work.
CSR is not a new area for companies, many have, and are, completing activities on an annual basis. A company which stands out is TOMS. The company has an ongoing project called ‘one for one’. This started out with the founder, Blake Mycoskie, creating the company in 2006 with a mission to match every pair of TOMS’ shoes purchased with a new pair for a child in need. This evolved overtime and now the company gives gifts of sight, clean water and safe births. On the company’s CSR activity, Blake said: “TOMS welcomes the opportunity to join forces with incredible organisations around the world, whose integrated approaches across health, education and other service sectors allows us to provide a valuable link through TOMS Giving.” Such a simple idea has grown into something so beneficial for communities in over 70 counties which has been able to include and encourage other partnerships to contribute.
Events such as this are something TBT has worked on for the last few years and we have successfully managed to source and execute CSR activity in different countries. What we’ve learnt is that you don’t have to make grand gestures, it can be smaller simple acts too.
To find out more about our CSR activities or to discuss your own future plans, drop us a line at hello@tbtmarketing.com or call on 01373 469270.