Our team has put together an infographic that supports the business case for CSR (corporate social responsibility), which is a follow up to our latest CSRinsights.

Happy Friday,
The YourCause Team

Starting this week, YourCause is dedicating a cause marketing series with
campaigns that hooked us from the start.  Once a week we'll be highlighting noteworthy cause marketing programs and analyzing trends to see what good comes out of good campaigns.

Check in every Tuesday and join the #CMweekly conversation!

Company: CITGO
Cause: Health, Environment, Energy, and Education
NPO Partners: N/A
Website: www.FuelingGood.com

Program of Action

CITGO, a marketer of transportation fuels, established the ‘Fueling Good’ campaign in 2009 and is now in its third year launching the campaign to give gallons of gas to non-profit organizations. The program runs during the fall and summer, rewarding 24 charities total that will each receive $5,000 in CITGO gift cards.

The mission is to encourage citizens to lend a hand by voting for the charity they believe needs the most development. Any 501(c)3 organizations based in the 26 states and District of Columbia where CITGO operates are eligible. In addition, each charity must focus on one of the following categories: increasing literacy and education, providing energy assistance and conservation to their communities, protecting and restoring natural habitats, or helping to build healthy, happy lives.

Best Practices

CITGO’s campaign stands out because it directly correlates with their industry and corporate mission. Organizations need the transportation assistance whether it is for medical appointments, distributing food, or sending children to school and CITGO is able to give back to the community by providing fuel for these activities.

Moreover, voting contests are a great way to increase participation and involvement with consumers. According to Cone Inc.’s 2010 Shared Responsibility Study, 81% of consumers want to be engaged on a business’ support of social and environmental issues. CITGO’s Fueling Good campaign meets this expectation, along with clearly communicating how much is being donated, to whom and how long the campaign runs.

Not to mention it’s nice that the website has a counter of the miles donated, knowing exactly what the dollar amount translates to!

Program Outcome

For the summer campaign— 545,086 miles have been donated thus far. Community Health Awareness Group, Pandora, Inc., World Relief Chicago, Onslow Community Outreach Soup Kitchen, and many more were the charities rewarded gas cards. Fueling Good campaign successfully achieved their goal in engaging community residents to vote and help make a difference in their local charities.

Their fall campaign kicks off September 29, 2011, so be sure to vote and spread the word to nonprofits! To learn more about CITGO Fueling Good campaign visit www.fuelinggood.com.

Check back next week and join our conversation as the ‘pink’ cause marketing season kicks off for breast cancer awareness!

Your CM aficionados,
Amy and Kassie

It’s in the facts. Research proves a measurable payoff exists of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to companies as well as their stakeholders. So, we turned on our proverbial flashlight to aggregate quantifiable data that so easily gets lost in reports, stacks of research and that endless labyrinth we call - the mind.

We wrote this edition for two very simple reasons:

1)To provide you with a high-level business case, within one page, that clearly lays out the proven benefits of a well executed CSR program

2) To equip our readers with a source they can pass to others who may find such information meaningful and influential within their own decision making process

1. Employees: Are Willing to Work Longer and Harder for a Company They Believe In

CSR can be a key driver in employee engagement within a company. Volunteer hours and giving amounts may feel like a fuzzy, do-good metric but the reality is these programs can deliver quantifiable benefits valued for business returns (if well-managed). Effective employee engagement programs have shown to reflect improvements in employee retention, business performance and attracting talent. Making sure employees are well-aware and engaged with the company’s program(s) brings a competitive advantage if they are treated with more than a nice-to-have attitude.

What sort of impact can retention play on the bottom line? Consider the fact that the cost of replacing a mid-level employee is estimated to be roughly 150% the value of their entire compensation package, when factoring in time, recruitment, training, etc. For high-level employees, the cost can reach upwards of 750%. No matter the level of the employee, and despite the actual cost impact to the company, the indisputable facts remain constant: a well executed CSR program can improve retention, therefore, positively impact the bottom line of the company.

- Companies with high employee engagement had 19% increase in operating income and almost a 28% growth in earnings per share.

- Companies with low levels of engagement saw operating income drop more than 32%and earnings per share decline over 11%.

- 72% of employed Americans trying to decide between two jobs offering the same location, job description, pay, and benefits would choose to work for the company that also supports charitable causes.

- Employees who are very involved in their company’s cause program are 28%
more likely to be proud of their company’s values and 36% are more likely to feel a strong sense of loyalty than those who are not involved.

2. Consumers: Expect and Prefer CSR Companies

Consumers today, with the assistance of social media, the internet, mobile devices, etc., are more vocal about their expectations around a company’s commitment to CSR and how they engage them in the process. Promoting cause awareness and educating consumers of the company’s related CSR programs pays off, primarily with an increase in brand reputation, purchasing behaviors and sales through word-of-mouth. In fact, trends start to look pretty grim when their perceptions don’t meet their expectations – feeling they are not engaged enough and not clearly communicated to.

- 90% of consumers want companies to tell them the ways they are supporting causes.

- 75% agree brands and companies don’t disclose enough information about their charity/social cause programs.

- 41% of Americans say they bought a product because it was associated with a cause or issue in the last year – doubling since 1993.

3. Society: The Influence of Expectations and Trends

The "Millennials," also known as the "Y Generation," grew up recycling, eating organic foods, learning new technology on a whim, and constantly being attached to their social networks. They understand that community service was a prerequisite to getting into a good school, and landing their first job. Now that they entered the workplace, they place high importance on giving back to the community. This tech-savvy generation is civic minded and 78 million strong, leading the trends for the future.

- 75% of executives say they plan to maintain or increase investments in social networking, blogs, wikis and other technologies that encourage peer collaboration.

- 56% of Millennials who frequently participate in their company’s volunteer activities rate their company culture as very positive.

- 79% of companies say donations increased with more choices for workplace giving programs.

Helpful Resources and References

Northup, Jan. "Employee Retention Is the Key to Minimizing Turnover Costs." Web log post. HR.com. HR.COM Limited, 30 Sept. 2010.

"2010 Cone Cause Evolution Study." ConeInc.com. Cone Inc, 2010.

“2011 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey." Deloitte.com. Deloitte Development LLC, 2011.

"Closing the Engagement Gap: A Road Map for Driving Superior Business Performance.“
TowersWatson.com. Towers Watson, 2008.

"Listen Up! The Talent Dialogue Approach to Employee Engagement." Deloitte.com. Deloitte Development LLC, 2009.

"Shaping the Future: Solving Social Problems Through Business Strategy." CorporatePhilanthropy.org. Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, 2010.

"Social Good." JWTintelligence.com. J. Walter Thompson Company, Sept. 2011.

"Workplace Giving Works! Make It Work for You." LBGresearch.org. LBG Research Institute and LBG Associates, 2010.

During this month of September, Feeding America- the nation’s leading domestic hunger relief organization- is encouraging people to raise awareness for hunger relief. In fact, 1 in 6 Americans suffer from hunger , where even $1 donation can help by providing ten pounds of food and grocery products.

Feeding America is not asking for much, but to rally and take part in simple tasks. The goal is to reach 1 million people through digital platform and have reached 494,944 so far.

You can visit www.hungeractionmonth.org to watch public service announcements made by celebrities partnering with Feeding America, and find a local food bank to get involved with hunger happening in your community.

You can always help play a role in ending hunger at YourCause.com by making a kind donation to support Feeding America’s efforts! Just click here.

-Kassie

This week we are happy to announce our new partnership with Entrepreneurs Foundation to extend efforts in developing corporate citizenship programs that will maximize employee engagement initiatives through the CSRconnect platform.

Entrepreneurs Foundation understands the importance in developing a cohesive philanthropic culture in companies and their employees. YourCause values those efforts and understands the most important factor is to create simple, efficient corporate social responsibility programs. Together, they will continually inform, expand and deliver corporate community impact nationally and worldwide.

To read the full press release, just click here!

- Amy Chait

Texas is facing the worst drought since the 1950s, which has resulted in thousands upon thousands of acres consumed in flames. More than 1,000 homes have been burned down in the past week and now more than 5,000 evacuees helplessly watch the fires continue to move swiftly across the lands.

Please help support the victims through these difficult times. We've create a fundraising group supporting the Texas Wildfires with organizations providing aid and food. Want to make a donation? Just click here.

Below is a picture a friend of mine took from his mobile phone, which left me awe-struck to see our own state up in smoke.

- Amy Chait