CSR Research: Corporate Community Involvement

Corporate alliances with nonprofit organizations can produce valuable information and knowledge, aid in problem solving, contribute to new product/market development, and improve stakeholder relations, when entered into with appropriate planning and guidelines.

Porter and Kramer suggest that corporations can use their charitable efforts to improve their competitive context - the quality of the business environment in the locations where they operate.

Researchers looked at corporate charitable giving and the attributes that influence consumer perceptions of motivation for giving. They found that the negative effects of some less altruistic motivations can be overcome by superior quality of service.

Social actions of companies are often more influenced by local consensus than economic factors related to the business. Joining ranks with other firms allows companies to legitimize their role in the community and can boost philanthropic support. A recent article in the Academy of Management Review examines the key motivators of corporate social action at the community level.

In regulated industries like banking, political spending is associated with stronger market performance.

Employees who value a volunteer program have stronger intentions to remain in an organization, take greater pride in belonging to an organization, and are more likely to actively defend and promote the organization externally. In exchange for the benefits they receive from a volunteer program, employees will go above and beyond expected and required tasks at work.

Corporate citizenship professionals working to enhance their employee volunteer programs should look to their external stakeholders, as pressure from stakeholders regarding corporate citizenship initiatives results in increased company support for employee volunteering, as well as top level involvement.

Corporate citizenship practitioners looking to reap the greatest benefits from long-term volunteering should work to ensure that certain conditions are met. Research finds that— given the presence of certain characteristics (e.g., utilization of professional skills; sufficient support and resources throughout the project)—long-term volunteering will create benefits for the company, its employees, and its non-profit partners in the form of increased employee engagement, skill development, and independent volunteering.

Firms that value diversity, and are led by diverse boards, are more likely to engage in community involvement efforts, including corporate giving.

This study examines how the organization of corporate philanthropy programs and the characteristics of firm leadership can impact the strategic nature and commitments of corporate philanthropy.

When a major event or a natural disaster strike’s a firm’s headquarter city, many companies respond by changing their giving priorities.

In charitable appeals where donors are presented with default donation amounts, low default amounts increase participation, but reduce overall how much a campaign may raise.