Organizations increasingly view their success as intimately tied to the success of the environments and communities in which they operate. More and more, attention is being brought to the impact or potential impact caused, and the positive influence that can be exerted within a global marketplace of limited resources and increasing need. The urgency of this attention is clear:

•  More than three-fourths of the world’s people live in nations that are ecological debtors—their national consumption has outstripped that country’s biocapacity. (Living Planet Report, 2008)

•  Our global footprint exceeds the world’s capacity to regenerate by about 30 percent. If demands on the planet continue at the same rate, by the mid-2030s we will need the equivalent of two planets to maintain our lifestyles. (Living Planet Report, 2008)

While the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is generally accepted, there are as many definitions of social responsibility as there are organizations. In an effort to create a universally recognized CSR definition, the International Organization for Standardization recently published a standard that defines it as: “The willingness of an organization to incorporate social and environmental considerations in its decision-making and be accountable for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment.”

Clearly CSR programs are becoming an expected and integral part of successful business strategies. In the case of Manpower of Lansing, we’ve had both formal and informal community investment initiatives since our founding over 49 years ago.

Most companies are contributing to the communities in which they do business, many times through volunteer efforts, but perhaps they lack a formal program. To maximize the impact, both for the recipients of those good deeds and the company itself, it is important to put structure around volunteering as a CSR function. This article will walk through the steps required to build a robust volunteer program at your company.

The building blocks of company volunteer programs

A volunteer program that starts with information and opinions from everywhere throughout your organization will be the most successful. Consider appointing a cross-functional advisory team to help you make decisions, promote your efforts, do some of the legwork and be your eyes and ears within the employee base. This council—particularly as you are designing your program—should be made up of people who see the big picture, have influence and have a broad vision. A solid advisory council is the best place to start and is a great way to ensure top management support.

It has been our experience that if someone isn’t dedicated—or at least semi-dedicated—to our CSR activities, efforts will likely fail. While conceptually these programs can be quite simple, there are lots of moving parts. Someone has to lead the way. In large companies it’s easy to make this a full-time job, and in some cases, it is an entire department of people dedicated to the different aspects of CSR. But in your company it might be you. It might be someone who works for you. Or it might be someone from another part of the organization. Whatever the case, make sure someone is officially in charge.

Next, if it is appropriate, benchmark companies in your industry and your community to see what is working for them. No sense reinventing the wheel. If you can learn lessons from others, take them and apply to your own company.

Another quality of most successful CSR programs is focus. That is, decide on a platform and organizations to support that fit with your business strategy. Choose initiatives that leverage your mission. This is what makes your CSR program strategic. Examples of strategic alignment with a cause include:

•  Banks: financial literacy

•  Energy industry: helping the elderly winterize their homes

•  Cable companies: programming and public service announcements

•  Logistics companies: transporting supplies to disaster areas

•  Beverage companies: water conservation

Next, get senior management support. While starting a program with grassroots input and enthusiasm is one of the best ways to begin, without support from the top, you’re unlikely to succeed. Utilize your advisory council. And, present your case and your plan to management to get their buy-in and support.

Another important constituency to engage is middle management. These are the people to whom your volunteers report. Convening a focus group of middle managers to get their input on how to design the best program would be wise. You need middle managers to be both volunteers themselves and to support their team’s community activity. Building a bridge early on ensures you have the critical support.

It may seem obvious, but the next step is to design your programs. Utilize what you’ve learned through benchmarking. Take advantage of your employee council. And take any management suggestions or concerns into account—but figure out how you’re going to do it.

Finally it’s time to implement your program! Along with the implementation, make sure you measure the results. Measurement could include asking the nonprofits to give you specifics about how your team’s time has made an impact. You could survey your new hires to see if your volunteer programs were a factor in their being attracted to your company. It could be counting the hours your employees volunteer—then putting a dollar amount to them. There are many ways to measure your success, but if you want to sustain your programs, measurement and showing some sort of return on investment will be vital.

Maximize your investment

You have an opportunity to make a big impact within your company and within your community by championing strategic CSR efforts, especially through volunteer programs. Investing in the program’s foundation will significantly enhance your ability to make a positive impact on the organizations and issues you support as well as your own company culture. Take the time to build the proper foundation for a program that you can be proud of.

		Debra Clem is the executive vice president of Manpower of Lansing, Inc.