How do you align your CSR strategy with your business values?

1 Assess your current situation

The first step is to understand where you are now in terms of your CSR performance, impact, and reputation. You can use tools such as CSR audits, stakeholder surveys, benchmarking, and reporting to evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This will help you identify the gaps and areas for improvement in your CSR strategy.

2 Define your purpose and values

The next step is to articulate your purpose and values as a business. Why do you exist? What do you stand for? How do you want to be perceived by your customers, employees, investors, and society? Your purpose and values should guide your decision-making and actions, and reflect your core identity and culture. They should also be communicated clearly and consistently to all your stakeholders.

3 Identify your material issues

The third step is to prioritize the issues that matter most to your business and stakeholders. These are the topics that have a significant impact on your ability to create value, and that reflect the expectations and interests of your stakeholders. You can use tools such as materiality analysis, stakeholder engagement, and risk assessment to determine your material issues. These issues should form the basis of your CSR goals and initiatives.

4 Set your goals and indicators

The fourth step is to set your goals and indicators for your CSR strategy. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They should also be aligned with your business values, vision, and objectives, as well as with the global standards and frameworks for CSR, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Reporting Initiative, and the ISO 26000. Your indicators should help you track and measure your progress and performance against your goals.

5 Implement your actions and initiatives

The fifth step is to implement your actions and initiatives to achieve your CSR goals. You need to allocate the necessary resources, assign the responsibilities, and establish the processes and procedures for your CSR strategy. You also need to engage and collaborate with your internal and external stakeholders, such as your employees, customers, suppliers, partners, and communities, to ensure their support and involvement in your CSR activities.

6 Monitor and communicate your results

The last step is to monitor and communicate your results and impact of your CSR strategy. You need to collect and analyze the data and feedback from your indicators and stakeholders, and use them to evaluate your performance and outcomes. You also need to report and disclose your results and impact to your stakeholders, using transparent and credible methods and channels. This will help you demonstrate your accountability, credibility, and value creation through your CSR strategy.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?