Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Projects - what are they?

‘Corporate social responsibility, once a do-gooding sideshow, is now seen as mainstream. But as yet too few companies are doing it well’ Economist Jan 17th 2008

However, the definition of what CSR actually is actually pretty vague and mainly organisations find the use of the word ’social’ as being too narrow and prefer phases such as ‘corporate citzenship’ and ‘business in the community’ or as it the case with Marks & Spencers ‘Plan A’ because it is more a way of doing business rather than a set of separate policies.

Distilling the messages out of all of these slogans and labels is a drive for business, in its widest definition, to contribute more to the community both local and worldwide with or without employee engagement in the process.  

The organisations that do this best though maximise these policies by not only ensuring that they are indeed feeding back into their communities but also engage their workforce in the process generating additional spin off benefits in terms of staff morale, motivation and satisfaction which in turns increase staff retention rates.

CSR Projects, part of Across the Divide who have over the past decade helped to raise over £27 million for charitable causes, offers community based projects which carry real risk and are of real consequence. It therefore engages employees and carries a focus on personal, team and corporate values never really seen before in conventional programmes. With real time and resource considerations, the community CSR projects present deliverable objectives by which participants and teams can measure their own performance.  Where required, it provides a tangible model for team development at work whilst creating a fun, interactive and engaging atmosphere far removed from the workplace.

In a recent study by the Princes Trust of the ATD corporate engagement the feedback from company participants gave the following feedback

78% | of participating staff said the Challenge improved their team-working
skills, and more than 60% found their organisational, leadership and
communications skills improved.

92% | of employees surveyed have built stronger relationships with
colleagues by taking part in a Prince’s Trust Challenge

68% | of participants feel more engaged with their company

65% | of participating staff have made new contacts within their industry

Good for your business

Actions speak louder than words
Good organisations have a commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). One challenge is how to articulate that commitment to your employees and the wider community. One approach is to do it with actions. Having a team of employees deliver a worthwhile project sends a positive message to clients, customers, stakeholders and colleagues about what your organisation believes in, stands for and is willing to invest in.

Furthermore, the power and energy of a group of colleagues who have worked together to deliver a project of real benefit, can transcend organisations. Their personal stories, photo’s and case studies can raise a huge awareness about what real corporate social responsibility means.

Learning from doing
There is significant research that states that people learn by experiencing. Our CSR projects provide the perfect environment for that learning experience. It involves real people, real risk, real challenges, real output, has real clients/customers and is of real consequence.  With our facilitation, the learning is real and for the long term.

Developing teams
Most organisations are structured around teams and their effectiveness is critical to business performance. Whether it is team building, team development, networking or new project team kick off’s, a CSR project is a great environment for developing team performance. It provides an excellent opportunity for working together to achieve an output of real benefit for both the team and the project partner.       

Good for your Project Partner
Whether it is a community group in the local town or a remote project in Africa, the project partners are the key beneficiaries of the events. It is incredible the difference a group of motivated, committed and enthusiastic volunteers can make at the project site. Our role is to manage the relationship between the organisation and the project partner to ensure a successful outcome for all concerned 

For who
CSR projects are a powerful and moving experience for all involved. You could consider arranging one for:

• Teams | Power team development experience for work and project teams
• Graduates | Increasingly, graduates are using corporate responsibility as a measure of attractiveness in potential employers
• Reward Programmes | Help recognise those employers who deliver an extraordinary performance, both in and outside work
• Supply Chain | Bring together customers, clients, suppliers to collectively deliver a project together
• Clients | Demonstrate a commitment to corporate responsibility by hosting a number of your key clients on a charity project

‘At Tamar we spent a lot of last year thinking about how we as a company can make ourselves sustainable and responsible, and a CSR project was high on our list. Having worked with some of the ‘Across the Divide’ team before on separate projects, we knew how enthusiastic and creative they could be, so we didn’t hesitate to contact them to help make our CSR vision a reality. Piers, Ian and Steve spent over 6 months preparing both us and the project for the tasks ahead, which culminated in a life-changing trip to Cape Town for the entire company, where we helped to upgrade classrooms in a Township school. As well as getting the job done, Across the Divide helped us to make sure our company objectives for the trip were fulfilled as well, making it our most successful CSR project to date’ Tanya Goodin CEO, Tamar.com Ltd

‘I would can not fully express my sense of achievement – it was an incredible event, one of the best corporate teambuilding’s that I have been a part of and one which has left with a sense of having contributed to the community in which I live. Would I do it again- definitely, would I recommend ATD to another company – I already have!’ P. Donaldson, Deutsche Bank

About Across the Divide
Across the Divide is all about social change whether this is via its raft of international charity expeditions, its well respected UK event management or its CSR solutions – its has facilitated the raising over £28 million over the past decade.   Its has in the meantime built up an enviable reputation for the thoroughness of its planning and the safety of its events.   ATD operates has a global reach with projects partners spread across the UK as well as across the globe. Across the Divide Website.