Part II: How Your Small Biz Can Do Better
A Series on Small Business Ethics
You’ve read the why and now you wanna know the how.
Here’s the good news: there are countless ways for small business owners to serve their respective communities and show good Social Responsibility. Heck, the coronavirus pandemic is putting CSR to the test in ways we have never imagined before!
The tricky part is figuring out which CSR initiatives align with your customers, employees, and company values. Choose the wrong cause and you risk alienating certain members of your audience and workforce. Choose the right, and you gain priceless loyalty and good faith. Be too ambitious and you might miss your money goals.
This is why it’s important to approach CSR in a strategic manner.
For those reasons, there are two separate segments:
the first aims to steer you towards the right direction as you define a strategy that fits with your business;
and the second is solely focused on 7 different examples of small business CSR.
Let’s dive in.
Below, I listed out 4 critical questions to ask yourself before developing a solid Corporate Social Responsibility plan. Please don’t skip ahead! These questions will help you identify the best strategy for your brand.
What are my core values?
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your core values affect every decision you make for your business. These values come from your background, personal beliefs, life experiences, and general moral standing. Take a moment to think about the values that you hold near and dear. What are the leading principles that guide your decisions? These will be unique to you and your business. A handful of mine are curiosity, diversity, hard work, empathy, and courage. You can find a more comprehensive list of core values here. I suggest listing out at least 10 and then narrowing it down to the 3 core values that light a fire in you (i.e. the ones you feel most passionate about).
What is my end goal?
Before we get into the different ways of implementing small biz CSR, you’ll need to do some goal setting. Look at your core values. These 3 core values should help you uncover the types of CSR that make the most sense for you and your brand. After deep reflection paired with a little research, it’s time to set your SMART goals. Let me take you back to business basics for a minute…It is crucial that the goals you set are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. For optimal results, you should narrow down your goals, define how to measure their success, ensure they are within your reach, relevant to your long-term mission, and finally establish a flexible timeline for said goals.
What are my intentions?
Okay, so you have your 3 core values down and set your SMART goals, now you need to uncover what your real intentions are. Get to the root of why you want to do better for the world around you. Many large corporations have received immense backlash for greenwashing or “doing good” for all the wrong reasons. You should know that committing yourself to CSR comes with an open invitation to public scrutiny. Especially, if you’re doing good as a marketing ploy to enhance your image or other short-sighted reasons. Don’t do it just because of consumers’ fast-growing desire to support socially responsible brands either—do it because you truly care about the cause. People can smell insincerity from a mile away. So, before making any big decisions, carefully assess your intentions and any implications they may have on you and your employees.
How will this impact people, planet, & profit?
Knowing your core values, goals, and intentions will help you understand how your CSR initiatives could impact your local community. It’s necessary to measure any possible risks that may affect people, planet, & profit (aka the Triple Bottom Line). By adopting the 3 P’s mindset and properly assessing risk in every decision your company makes, you can rest assured your business decisions will not compromise the well-being of others and the environment at large, as well as your profits.
Now that you’ve taken the time to deeply evaluate these essential questions, you’re ready to discover all the different ways you can do better! Lord knows the world needs it now more than ever.
Without further ado, here are 7 ways to implement Corporate Social Responsibility in your small biz:
1. Be Honest
While this may seem like a no-brainer, full transparency is a good place to start in your journey to becoming a socially responsible business. Do a thorough public relations, marketing, and advertising audit—make certain that you’re providing clear and consistent messaging to your customers. Another way you can show honesty is by being as straightforward as possible in your employment contracts, labor practices, sourcing, manufacturing, pricing, services/products, return policy, etc. Be sure to follow through on all your commitments before, during, and after each encounter or sale.
2. Environmental
One of the most notable aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility comes from environmental initiatives. I don’t know if that’s partly because so many companies/industries are responsible for the increasing terror that is climate change or what exactly. But regardless, anything your business can do to reduce its carbon footprint is considered socially responsible. The first marketing agency I worked for had several green initiatives like composting food and organic waste produced by employees and work from home policies that helped decrease the use of electricity and car pollution. If you’re a restaurant owner, consider removing the use of plastic straws. Maybe try going paperless, or start charging more for plastic bags, or reward people for recycling. Do you see where I’m going?
3. Give Resources
Any small business can practice social responsibility through the generous act of philanthropy. Traditional routes take the form of donations, usually to a local nonprofit, charity, or community program. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be money—your time and resources count too. There are no shortages of organizations out there in need of your support. If there’s a particular organization or cause in mind, reach out to them and ask how you can be of value. Let’s lift each other up!
4. Volunteering
Get involved! Like I said (typed?), your time is just as valuable. Participate in causes that matter to your business, your employees, and your community. Volunteer your time (and your staff’s) to help the less fortunate and others who are in need. It’s a great way to strengthen morale while bonding with your employees. Plus, it shows how much you care about your local community and the people who live next door.
5. Do It Pro Bono
Offer your products and/or services free of charge. You heard that right. Do it for free! Instead of saying no to every person who walks through your door and might not be able to afford you, it can’t hurt to say yes sometimes. There is a plethora of strategies businesses perform to offer free services or give away products for promotional benefits (i.e. giveaways, free trial periods, free samples, review exchanges, etc.), but this is not for PR. Doing pro bono or free work for CSR should require nothing in return.
6. Happy Employees
Treating your employees equally and paying them fairly are both critical requirements for any responsible company. But what if you took it a step further than equal pay and fair labor? Look within your team and ask if there are any ways you could make a positive difference in their lives. Could you offer them more benefits or higher pay for the work they do? If money’s tight and salary increases are out of the question, see if there’s anything else you could provide to enhance the overall experience at your company. Maybe there’s room to be more diverse and inclusive in your operations. No matter what, opening this discussion will make your team members feel more valued and appreciated.
7. Stand Up for Justice
Standing up for marginalized communities and social causes can have an overwhelming influence on your employees and customers. Using your platform to put people ahead of politics and raise the voices of BIPOC members of your community is 100% free. Amplifying melanated voices don’t cost a nickel or dime but it is highly appreciated when you put your money where your mouth is. Historically speaking, companies tend to stay neutral in times of injustice and political issues in fear of “polarizing” their stakeholders. But in the past couple of months since George Floyd’s murder, we have seen an outpour of support from businesses everywhere and at levels not previously seen. Check out this piece from the NY Times for several examples of top brands that spoke out against police brutality in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Times are clearly a-changin’.
Suffice it to say, when it comes to the world of small business ethics, no good deed is too small. Don’t be afraid to start small or get creative with your CSR initiatives. See How to Support Social Causes As A Brand on Instagram for more small business examples. There are endless possible ways to do better for your local community and environment. The only limit is your own imagination.