causenation

Each year, Adobe celebrates the cutting-edge use of its technology for creating engaging virtual experiences. This year Social Responsibility was added as a new category, and the diverse finalists in this category are worth checking out.  The general public has been invited to vote on the winner. Finalists include a dynamic online forum for Colorado teenagers to discuss peer pressure and making smarter choices in their lives; an interactive game to promote healthy relationships among youth; an online exploration of threatened salmon populations in the North Pacific; and an easy-to-use desktop application that helps Fiat owners drive more efficiently. View the finalists and exercise your vote! Voting will close at 12:00 noon PDT on Tuesday, October 6^th.

When I hear about a theme or a trend that catches my attention, I tuck it away and know I will use it at some point. If I hear about it again in a different circle I know it is an idea that is “bubbling” and is something that will likely resurface, and so I start to think about its relevance to my world. The third time this theme crosses into my domain, I know it is an established conversation that many are having. And in the past 10 days or so, at varied intersections, I have been part of conversations about what it actually takes to work in the CSR field. Is it training? DNA? Professional experience? Formal education? I don’t know the definitive answer, but I do know there is more than one path.  Mostly, I am just thrilled the conversation is actually taking place in numerous circles.

Last week I spoke at the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) national conference here in Boston. The panel, Lessons in CSR, (more…)

To be successful today as corporate citizenship / corporate social responsibility (CSR) professionals, there are few excuses for not knowing your company’s activities and business cold.  

As hundreds of corporate executives gather for the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Annual Conference, it is time for a POP QUIZ – how well do you know your business?

How did you do?

If you scored 5/6, well  done!  Our guess is that if you are that connected to your business, then are you are probably also driving citizenship activities toward business results.  Most likely you are positioning CSR as a set of solutions and have already earned a seat at numerous strategy tables.  Please share your journey with causenation. 

If you scored 3/6, you get a (more…)

One of the places we look for the vital signs of causenation is in popular culture. We admit it, we’re fascinated. From celebrities using their fame to bring attention to important issues, to the “been there, done that” rubber wristbands, we love to see how cause, culture, companies, and citizen action collide to spark or fuel a movement or illuminate a trend in causenation.

Over the years we’ve seen an increase in companies using their advertising to advance a cause, issue, or nonprofit. Early on, companies were only pushing products linked to a cause – likely because that was the extent of their commitments. Today they are using advertising to express values; communicate their expertise or business practices related to social issues; and leverage existing CSR and community programs.  Our favorites make the business case for integrating social issues and bring the viewer to that crossroad of strengthened businesses and positive societal impact.

One of the best in our opinion is IBM’s Tree Hugger ad.  We love it for its self deprecating humor, creativity, and the fact that the business case is so rock solid you can’t help but support it.   Others we like …. (more…)

Don’t waste another minute – we actually don’t think it matters what you call it. Citizenship. Sustainability. Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Involvement.

The labels are all around us, yet they are the least important part of the equation. No one label is exactly right, and none of them are wrong. This evolving discipline represents diverse objectives, strategies, tools, initiatives, and intentions.

Labels aside, what is imperative is that each organization brings its values into practice; embraces them as their own; and does so with a shared vision and common language to set goals, develop strategies, implement programs, and monitor progress.

In the end what is really important is that as professionals we each lead, teach, and communicate in a way that makes sense for our organizations, so that our stakeholders can play their role in strengthening business and impacting society.

What are you calling “it,” how does that work for your company?