CSR: A way to go

The practice of corporate social responsibility is getting more and more familiar.  Companies are no longer as hesitant to go out of their walls to participate in community service.  And for those who have been silently doing good, they have slowly gotten out of their shell and began to share their experiences so that others could also do the same.

Former boss and true blue corporate citizen, Roman S. Ronquillo, or Romy or better still,  RSR as we would call him taught us that in order to spread the gospel of  corporate involvement in community development one needs to talk about  how a company can help, and how they can reach others.

Helping here took on a different shape as corporate citizens never intended to build charitable institutions as they created their foundations or joined the Philippine Business for Social Progress, a non-government organization whose mission is to help people help themselves.

The core purpose was to empower people so that they could improve their lives and the communities around them.

Now the growing number of business involvement in development can been seen to be spurred by different  movers.  I was about to say motivators but some may not necessarily be doing their CSR because they love to do so.   But maybe we can start from there.

There are people whose hearts are truly altruistic.  They enjoy giving and helping others.  For business organizations headed by these types of people, they normally start their giving in the safer environments like their employees.  Providing scholarships for the deserving child of an employee, usually in the lower rung of their ladder.  Then because their hearts are generous they slowly expand to their neighbors, until they get involved in larger communities.

Others are driven by the desire to be relevant.  To leave a legacy of  being able to help.  To make good use of excess profits, or the share what they have with those who have less.  So corporations craft a policy to set aside a portion of their profit for a good cause.  They support schools, donate structures,  or choose a particular aspect that may have a relation to their business.  If they are into school supplies, the business leaders may want their CSR to be on education.  If they are into utilities, they may want to engage in environment programs.  Most often the projects bear the name of the donor company, and since we are talking here about legacy, the intention is not to be acknowledged only but to be remembered and emulated.

As others are willing to spare some of their gains, others are required to do so.  Government imposes laws for subdivision developers and the like to have a community program where their projects are.  Some go into medical missions, others into feeding programs while others, especially those who use or displace natural resources, are compelled to return to nature what they have used in whatever way.  Businesses that have an impact on the environment are regulated to commit and implement environment projects as part of their compliance to their Environment Compliance Certificate, which is necessary to setting up a business and required prior to operation.

The various reasons business has to further the progress of the country for me, is no case at all.  What is important is they get involved in creating a suitable and healthy environment for the generations to come so that as each one pays-forward, our country moves forward.

If you have a business and you want to start your own CSR but don’t know how to, try and call the Philippine Business for Social Progress at 0322325270.