What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
CSR is aimed at encouraging companies to be more aware of the impact of their business on the rest of society, including their own stakeholders and the environment. CSR is an approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.
CSR is a very broad concept with many definitions and practices that addresses many and various topics such as health and safety, environmental effects, working conditions, human rights, corporate governance and contribution to economic development. The purpose of CSR is to drive change towards sustainability.
Good CSR policies drive corporate change for the better. With well defined objectives and measurable targets, an accreditation in your CSR will provide the foundation for steps towards running a more sustainable and ethical business.
How can we support your business/charity?
A large part of CSR is through supporting communities and philanthropy. Our aim is to connect and support businesses and charities for mutual benefit. This can be increased productivity, sales and profitability for both organisations.
We have been in the charity sector for over ten years and have a deep understanding of their strengths, areas for improvement and needs.
It is not just about giving money. Charities have a very wide range of needs. By developing long term relationships, trust and understanding – support can be given in a range of ways.
Our role is to help connect the right business to the right charity.
We can support your business or charity with the following:
- An introductory meeting to discuss where you are now in relation CSR
- A 2-hour free workshops on CSR
- A more in depth look with a free half day CSR accreditation training course
- The accreditation application process
- Networking events – we will be running a series of networking events throughout the year for heads of businesses and charities to get together, develop relationships and to mutually support each other.
Through the development of long-term relationships with charities, a business can benefit from:
- Increase staff engagement
- Attract and retain the best talent
- Improve Marketing and PR
- Use CSR as a differentiator from competitors
- Drive internal efficiencies
- Increase job satisfaction
- Build a business to be proud of
Through the development of long-term relationships with businesses, a charity can benefit from:
- More diverse income streams
- Leadership support with strategy and project management
- Longer term relationships
- Pro-bono donations
- Opportunities for work placements or apprenticeships
- Mentoring and coaching
- Focus on larger and long term projects
Often we find that both businesses and charities do more than they realise. By becoming CSR accredited through CSRA you will bring together your positive stories and identify areas to improve.
The CSR Accreditation has been designed to be self-evidenced and does not require the creation of vast amounts of paperwork but rather enables you to gather and use the information already existing in your organisation. Often, organisations find this process a great way to develop their CSR policy as it helps to highlight areas of strength but also areas where work is needed.
The Clare Foundation do not charge for our services and the training but businesses are encouraged to make a donation to our Project Fund. This will support a wide variety of charity projects across the county.
There is a fee to the accrediting company, CSRA. Pricing depends on the size of your business/charity and an accreditation lasts three years. For the latest prices visit www.csr-accreditation.co.uk
It is now more important than ever to show that we are doing everything we can to improve the world we live in for future generations, not only by reducing the negative impact we have on the environment, but by building a better and more cohesive society. Achieving a CSR accreditation provides the perfect opportunity to tell your positive story.