Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Plan
Civic Leadership Master's Project
The Opportunity
Currently, there is a performance gap between companies’ INTENT to embrace social responsibility and the actual IMPLEMENTATION.
According to a 2010 Accenture survey of United Nations Global Compact corporate CEO participants, “91% of respondents said that sustainability needed to be embedded in strategy and operations of business subsidiaries yet only 59% thought their own companies were achieving this.” (Grayson & Nelson, 2013)
How to Address the Performance Gap
The researcher seeks to develop a cohesive, strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan, based on best practices and new models used by leaders in CSR, that builds on the foundation of a company's disparate community engagement elements.
Vision
Improving the health of communities through a CSR program focused on innovation and maximum impact.
Mission
The CSR strategy is an integrated philanthropy, volunteer, and core competency program built on best practices to focus financial and human assets for maximum community impact.
Strategy
Create an innovative CSR strategy that leverages the assets and core competencies of a local healthcare company, the philanthropic culture of Nashville, and industry best practices.
CSR Defined
CSR is defined as a business strategy aligned with core business objectives and competencies designed to create business value and positive social change. It is embedded in day-to-day business culture and operations.
CSR is a concept that has evolved over the last 30 years from writing checks and sponsoring nonprofit events to a strategy that utilizes company assets and competencies for maximum community impact. That movement is evident in the benchmarking and research conducted.
About the Researcher
The creator of this strategy, guided by benchmarking and research, was undertaken by a young community leader and professional as part of the Master’s in Civic Leadership program at Lipscomb University. Colleen Callaghan is a former AmeriCorps member and manager of youth volunteer programs at Hands On Nashville.
Colleen left the nonprofit sector after four years in pursuit of a career in corporate social responsibility. Through this experience, she has been able to apply her skills and expertise in the nonprofit sector to benefit an individual business and industry. Colleen is equipped to consult companies seeking to revamp or create a strategic CSR program.
