Research Finds That Doing Good Can Generate Profits - If Done Right

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Not all corporate social investment (SI) programs are created equal. Some SI programs – the mix of philanthropic and volunteering programs used by companies to improve the well-being of communities and individuals in need – can boost share price by as much as 6%, increase sales by 20%, and productivity by 13%. They can also enhance morale and reduce employee turnover by as much as 50%. These key findings, and more, can be found  in a new report, The Business ROI of Social Investments, launched by ACCP and IO Sustainability (IO).

“If done well, corporate social investment can drive millions, if not billions, of dollars in financial value for companies,” states Steve Rochlin, CEO of IO Sustainability and author of the report.

Mark Shamley, President and CEO of ACCP states, “The findings of the Report underscore that creating business value, in addition to societal impact, is the benchmark for the profession and indeed, is how the profession will sustain and thrive while helping businesses do the same.”

The Report’s findings validate its sibling study, Project ROI that examined the financial returns from corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Eight companies volunteered to participate in a process of discovery, assessment and analysis to determine the potential of their programs to add business value. The team found that certain characteristics helped to drive the business value of these SI programs:

• Fit – aligning corporate social investment to core strategy, products/services, and operations
• Commit – committing resources to address priority community needs and areas of “Fit”
• Manage – managing and measuring corporate social investment performance according to well-defined indicators
• Connect – communicating with, involving, and engaging investors, customers, employees, and communities in corporate social investment strategy and activities.

The report shares a set of leading examples of effective corporate social investment and provides executives with a roadmap to generate value.

“Not every program and not every company can – or even seeks to – generate business benefits,” states Rochlin, “But it is clear that the corporate social investment team is uniquely able to generate and nurture a set of key assets like relationships, trust, sense of purpose, and bringing corporate values to life.”

“It is vital for companies to understand and assess the kinds of social investments they make, and their likely impact. They do this right, and it can pay off in multiple ways.” Rochlin says.

“The bottom line,” says Shamley, “is that The Business ROI of Social Investments finds that corporate citizenship programs can make a difference for society while delivering tangible financial value to the company. That is a result worth striving for.”

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About ACCP

Founded in 2005, ACCP is the sole membership-based organization chartered to champion the Corporate Citizenship professional. ACCP connects members to information, peers and resources and cultivates educational opportunities that promote better stewardship of corporate resources to magnify social and business impacts. For more information contact Maryann Fiala at maryann@accprof.org, or +1 407 650 9748.

About IO Sustainability

IO Sustainability is a research and management consulting firm specializing in the valuation of corporate responsibility and sustainability programs, and is a leader in corporate responsibility strategy formulation, stakeholder relationship management, public-private partnership, and the financial valuation of sustainability and CSR and other intangible asset management disciplines. For more information contact Roxana Jordan at rjordan@iosustainability.com, or +1 703 969 9197.