Term of the day: CSR

This is a term like 'synergy,' that will make you look smart. It is more commonly used in large corporations but more and more smaller businesses are adopting it.

CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility. I thought it a good term to explore in lieu of tomorrow being Earth Day. Tomorrow is another more important day for me but its not very pc to mention so for blogging intents and purposes, tomorrow is Earth Day.

CSR is an umbrella term for the company's charitable giving, either in the form of monetary donations or fundraising efforts (sponsoring a team to walk a 5K for MS, building a hospital wing, cleaning oily birds from the Gulf spill, etc.) There's not too much funny stuff I can contribute here but I'll do my best!

CSR can be a verb or a noun. Verb: We will want to CSR this charity. Noun: This charity is part of our CSR. CSR encompasses any and all efforts to "give back." Think of your household and its charitable giving. Important ones for us are our church, maternity homes, children and multiple sclerosis research. What are yours? Corporations are able to help causes on a larger scale. And almost all of them have CSRs. Some even have whole departments dedicated to this.

Now, corporations still thrive on profit. So why is the CSR important to them? PR, or public relations. You could say they like CSRPR, FYI, BTW. That should get an LOL:) Earth day ties in because environmental causes are a HUGELY popular CSR. Companies are more and more concerned with their carbon footprint so if they are connected with a business that affects the earth (Proctor & Gamble = diapers = landfills) they try to give back (cleaning oil spill affected animals with Dove soap.) If they do not affect it as much, it is still a popular cause that the majority of companies serve.

Why is CSR important to you? Well, the first thing is that good little 'company girls' like what the company likes. Second, or maybe first for many people, is that if you have the luxury, you will want to work for someone who supports good things. There are some causes that are divisive; nuclear research comes to mind. Nuclear power has the potential to do much good but it also has the potential for great destruction, as we have seen in Japan. Any money you make for your corporation is partially funded into their CSR. So your efforts indirectly contribute to the causes your company supports. Scientists who object to embryonic stem cell research often lend their time, money and talents to charities that focus on adult stem cell research only. Every company website today has a link on one of their first web pages, outlining their giving priorities, their CSR. This is important to note, when determining if you will even apply. Your money will make a difference to someone. Make sure it is the difference you want to make.

On a side note, go to Starbucks tomorrow with a mug/travel mug and they will give you free coffee for being environmentally conscious.

Happy Good Friday!