CSR Communications Related Content

Appropriately telling your CSR story in an authentic and genuine way is a core part of our work every day. We translate, package, and share CSR strategies, programs and results. Integrated marketing communications plans CSR reporting & transparency Message guides … Continue reading →

Cause Consulting was part of an integrated team at Starbucks that launched and introduced Ethos Water in the marketplace.  We advised the Ethos team on the strategic and legal elements of the cause-related elements of the on-going sales promotion; integration … Continue reading →

Cause Consulting is passionate about teaching and sharing our day-to-day CSR learnings and best practices with professionals in the field.  For the Boston College Center of Corporate Citizenship, we created and taught a popular, intensive workshop on effective communications practices … Continue reading →

“Enriching Lives Every Day” is ARAMARK’s global CSR-related mission, strategy, and theme.  It is a simple message that conveys complex corporate and individual responsibilities to the company’s 250,000 employees. As one of the world’s largest food, health care, uniform and … Continue reading →

“Create Change” is Adobe’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) call-to-action. This strategy and communications platform guides how Adobe employees operate their business, design new products, and address pressing social and environmental issues. Create Change helps connect teams and initiatives across the … Continue reading →

Adobe Youth Voices is a global philanthropic program of the Adobe Foundation. The program engages 13-18 year-olds in an educational experience to capture their passion and concerns about issues that matter to them most by creating media. The program empowers … Continue reading →

Brewing the American Dream is a signature cause initiative whose mission is to provide low and moderate-income small business owners with the essential ingredients to become financially independent in the food and beverage industry. With partners such as ACCION, the country’s … Continue reading →

Risa Sherman delivered the Distinguished Alumni Lecture at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.  The lecture “CSR: Creating New Value for Companies, Brands and Society,” focused on the evolution of CSR, the importance of embedding CSR in business … Continue reading →

Corporate Responsibility Magazine ranks Cause Consulting #2 on its list of top firms specializing in corporate responsibility and communications.  This biennial ranking of consulting agencies is based on customer satisfaction surveys and marketplace research.  In 2012, Cause Consulting rates second … Continue reading →

Mark Feldman and Nikki Korn taught a workshop on corporate citizenship communications as part of the week long BCCCC Corporate Citizenship Management Academy, a professional development and certificate program for corporate citizenship managers held at the Boston College Carroll School … Continue reading →

I often say that one of my life’s purposes is to bear witness to the stories of human suffering and joy, to improve on and honor these circumstances, and to tell those stories.

And that theme could not have echoed more loudly than over the past twos days I spent at the 11^thAnnual Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago. For the past nine years companies, nonprofits, and those of us who work with them to create meaningful, high impact programs, have gathered to share tales of success, missteps and growth in our field.

The tales we tell are those of partnerships, programs, societal issues and needs, and, most importantly, narratives of the people and places whose state in our world is better as a consequence of our collective work. Continue reading →

Nikki Korn facilitated a panel on Corporate Social Responsibility: A Rich Opportunity to Storytelling at the Filmmakers Collaborative’s annual conference called “Making Media Now” at Bentley University.  The audience of independent film-makers learned about CSR, the needs of the community … Continue reading →

Mark Feldman led the breakout session, “Balancing Brand and Corporate Citizenship,” at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The panel included corporate citizenship professionals from the Toyota USA Foundation, Adobe, and AstraZeneca Canada. Read about the … Continue reading →

Mark Feldman spoke at Babson College on a panel that brought together corporate practitioners and thought leaders who have helped define the field of corporate social responsibility. Moderated by Cheryl Kiser, Managing Director of the Lewis Institute and Executive Director of … Continue reading →

Mark Feldman taught a three day CSR communications strategy class as part of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship professional development curriculum in Phoenix, AZ October 20-22.  This course covers: defining business objectives; profiling target audiences; understanding traditional and … Continue reading →

Corporate Responsibility Magazine ranked Cause Consulting #3 on its Top Ten list of firms specializing in corporate responsibility and communications. Cause Consulting ranked third in overall client satisfaction and second in breadth of services. This first-ever listing of consulting agencies … Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

Risa Sherman spoke on the panel, Educating the Next Generation of CSR Communicators, at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) annual conference in Boston.

Cause Consulting team members facilitated two conference workshops on strategic communications for CSR professionals attending Boston College’s annual corporate citizenship conference. The first session, “Maximizing One-to-One Communications,” was on the power of networking and social media; and the second session, … Continue reading →

Mark Feldman led a plenary session at the MSI Brand Architecture and Corporate Reputation Conference entitled Infusing Cause into Your Brand.  This session disussed the challenges of aligning and integrating cause with both master and product brands.  Read the summary … Continue reading →

Mark Feldman co-authored the best-practice guide to developing strategic Cause Branding initiatives in the Harvard Business Review.  This article emphasizes the importance of taking a strategic approach to developing Cause Brands and signature cause programs. It discusses how to gain … Continue reading →

Corporate Responsibility Magazine announced its 2012 list of the top firms specializing in corporate responsibility and communications, ranking Cause Consulting as #2. This list appears in the January/February 2012 issue.

The biennial list evaluates firms against their peers based on customer feedback and rates their ability to provide a diverse range of high quality counsel. According to Corporate Responsibility Magazine, “current customers were asked to participate in an online survey regarding their experience with their provider. The survey measures three dimensions. The first is ‘Breadth of Service.’ The next dimension is ‘Deal Size’, a reflection of geographic reach or size of company. The final, and most important, component of the index is ‘Quality of Service.’ This is based on a series of questions that examined the performance, relationship, and trust between provider and customer.”

Continue reading →

I often say that one of my life’s purposes is to bear witness to the stories of human suffering and joy, to improve on and honor these circumstances, and to tell those stories.

And that theme could not have echoed more loudly than over the past twos days I spent at the 11^thAnnual Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago. For the past nine years companies, nonprofits, and those of us who work with them to create meaningful, high impact programs, have gathered to share tales of success, missteps and growth in our field.

The tales we tell are those of partnerships, programs, societal issues and needs, and, most importantly, narratives of the people and places whose state in our world is better as a consequence of our collective work. Continue reading →

Today is Patriot’s Day in New England, a perfect day to celebrate news that another revolution is storming the country. We are thrilled to share that the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine, among others have been spreading the word about the expansion of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Program. This philanthropic initiative provides small food, beverage, and hospitality businesses with micro-loans, access to business coaching, and opportunities to showcase their products.

This month the program formally expanded its Loan Fund from five New England states to small brewers nation-wide, and to food and beverage and hospitality entrepreneurs in Ohio, Greater Lehigh Valley PA, and the five boroughs of New York City. Continue reading →

Don’t miss an Op-Ed in today’s Boston Globe entitled “Microfinance is a Solid Investment in Economic Growth.”  The piece, written by Jim Koch, Founder and Chairman of The Boston Beeer Company, and Gina Harman, CEO of ACCION USA, describes the power of extremely small business loans to help lift the fate of entrepreneurs.

Spreading the word and getting others engaged is a core part of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program, and we are proud to be partners in creating and bringing this program to life.  Continue reading →

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. Continue reading →

Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Company, spoke with Bloomberg’s Pimm Fox and Courtney Donohoe about Sam Adams philanthropic program, Brewing the American Dream, and  the motivation behind the program’s recent national expansion. Working in partnership with Accion, the … Continue reading →

The national expansion of Brewing the American Dream was reported in The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, CNBC, Boston Business Journal, Boston.com, Yahoo Finance, among others. It was also covered in Food & Beverage news outlets around the country. All … Continue reading →

Adobe Systems has published its first corporate responsibility data summary, which provides a snapshot of Adobe’s CSR-related reporting metrics for fiscal years 2008 – 2010. It is designed for stakeholders seeking to quickly view numbers and practices in the areas of employee … Continue reading →

The Boston Business Journal featured the success of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program, including highlights of several small businesses that have benefited from and expanded due to the capital received from the fund. Through Brewing the American … Continue reading →

Adobe has been ranked #14 among the greenest companies in the U.S. by Newsweek magazine. Adobe ranks #4 within the Information Technology and Services industry. Read more and view the full rankings.

Michele Norris recently interviewed Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer, about the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream micro-lending program and the success of it has had among food, beverage and hospitality small businesses. Through Brewing the American Dream, Samuel … Continue reading →

The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) showcases three films produced by AYV student filmmakers. The films address complex issues such as love and its obstacles, the creative process starting from an idea to an end product or invention, and the … Continue reading →

Boston Beer founder Jim Koch spoke to over 800 attendees on a panel at the Microfinance USA 2011 Conference about his motivations and passion behind supporting food and beverage micro entrepreneurs through the Samuel Adams signature philanthropy program, Brewing the … Continue reading →

USA Today featured Lucy Valena, one of the first entrepreneurs to receive a loan from the Brewing the American Dream, as part of a story exploring new and creative financing options for small businesses. Read more in the article.

Adobe senior manager, Jennifer Reynolds, spoke about Adobe’s CSR brand and communications strategies on a panel entitled , “Balancing Brand and Corporate Citizenship” at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The panel included corporate citizenship professionals … Continue reading →

Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co., discusses a new twist on Samuel Adam’s philanthropy program, Brewing the American Dream, to provide loans and resources to small brewers nationwide for help with start-up costs. Read more in the Wall … Continue reading →

Samuel Adams founder Jim Koch sat down with NESN’s Randy Scott to discuss the Brewing the American Dream program, which aids low-income small business owners, and the relationship between Samuel Adams and the Sox. Watch Jim’s video interview.

Human Rights Watch, in partnership with Adobe Youth Voices, presented the 2011 San Francisco Bay Area premiere of “Youth Producing Change” on March 10 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, as part of Human Rights Watch’s … Continue reading →

The New England Sports Network (NESN) announced a JumboTron series at Red Sox games highlighting entrepreneurs receiving loan and small business support from the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program. While this Samuel Adam’s signature philanthropy program is operating … Continue reading →

In March/April 2011 issue of Leading and Learning with Technology, a publication of the International Society for Technology in Education, Michelle Mann, Adobe’s Director of CSR, writes about Adobe’s focus on education and its active engagement of youth in their … Continue reading →

U.S. Senator Rob Portman attended a press conference with Samuel Adams’ founder Jim Koch in Cincinnati to announce the expansion of the company’s microloan program to Ohio, helping small business owners in the food, beverage and hospitality industry in Cincinnati, Cleveland, … Continue reading →

Adobe Executive Director of CSR, Michelle Mann, presented the breadth of Adobe’s CSR strategy at the GreenBiz Group’s State of Green Business Forum in San Francisco. View Michelle’s presentation.

CNN featured the success story of one of the first loan recipients of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program, Lucy Valena of Voltage Coffee. Lucy has grown her business from a small mobile espresso catering cart to a … Continue reading →

The New York Times featured the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program in its “This Week in Small Business” blog. The mention emphasized the microloan program’s contribution to making it easier for small businesses to qualify and obtain start … Continue reading →

Bev Dribin, VP of Community Relations at ARAMARK, spoke on the panel, “Effective Strategies for Developing Mutually Beneficial Corporate Partnerships” at the 2010 UNCA National Summit. Dribin highlighted best practices developed from the public private partnership between ARAMARK and Families … Continue reading →

Adobe creates a special advertising section in FORTUNE Magazine to communicate the company’s CSR efforts and promote its sponsorship of the BSR Conference 2010. See the advertisement.

Adobe has published its first corporate social responsibility summary report highlighting the company’s CSR programs promoting sustainability, charitable giving, and responsible corporate citizenship. View the report.

Adobe sponsors I3 innovation plenary sessions at the 2010 BSR Conference with presentations by the Museum of Modern Art’s Paola Antonelli, Women for Women International’s Zainab Salbi, and The 99 comic creator Naif A. Al-Mutawa. The introduction to each plenary … Continue reading →

Lucy Valena of Voltage Coffee was featured on CNN’s American Morning. Lucy is one of the first loan recipients of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Program. Watch the CNN video.  

Andrew Kerin, Executive Vice President of ARAMARK, delivered the opening keynote at the Corporate Community Involvement Conference on how challenges facing corporations could present opportunities for more strategic investments in philanthropy and communities.  He challenged the audience of corporate executives … Continue reading →

A BCLC Blog series written by Bev Dribin, ARAMARK’s VP of Community Relations, features six posts on the company’s journey to create ARAMARK Building Community, the company’s signature program to strengthen the capacity of the country’s local community centers. Read … Continue reading →

The Houston Business Journal (HBJ) Giving Guide profiled the impactful relationship between ARAMARK and Neighborhood Centers Inc (NCI) as a case study of how to forge successful alliances with companies to drive change in communities. Read the HBJ article.

Fidelity FutureStage music education program partners with the Houston Symphony Orchestra to provide new music education opportunities for Houston Public School Students. Read the Houston Chronicle report, An Original Work of Art.  

‘Enriching Lives Every Day’ will serve as ARAMARK’s CSR platform for creating positive experiences and environments that enable people and organizations to thrive. Through this theme, ARAMARK focuses energy on initiatives that support its diverse workforce; enhance and protect the … Continue reading →

To raise awareness of the power of gaming for education purposes, AMD placed advertisements in the New York Times.  

Rick Martella, VP of Corporate Affairs at ARAMARK spoke on a panel with representatives from National Instruments and The Dow Chemical Company at the BC Center for Corporate Citizenship Annual Conference. “Citizenship at B-to-B Companies,” addressed the current CSR-related challenges … Continue reading →

Adobe Systems launched its new global signature program, Adobe Youth Voices, designed to empower underserved youth to comment on social issues that are important to them through multimedia projects. Working in collaboration with five leading youth media organizations, Adobe will … Continue reading →

Over 1,000 Starbucks employees and community members walked in the “Walk for Water” in Seattle to raise awareness for the world’s water crisis and highlight Starbucks and Ethos Water commitment to increasing clean drinking water sources in developing countries. Read the … Continue reading →