These days, it’s becoming increasingly common for companies to partner with nonprofits, audit their supply chains, or amend their business models to address social or environmental problems.
Why? With the rise of Internet and mobile technology, information is more readily available. This means we all have access to information about climate change, poor working conditions, health risks, and more; and with this information comes a greater understanding that we’re in serious need for change.
Plus, these days, consumers are looking for socially responsible companies in increasing numbers, and employees are actively seeking purpose at work. In a nutshell, being a better business also benefits the bottom line. It’s an exciting time.
That said, new clients often come to us feeling a little overwhelmed, and unsure of where they should start when it comes to social and environmental responsibility.
To address this need, we designed a workshop that helps companies identify their values and use them to inform their unique opportunities for impact.
Here are the key areas of focus:
1. What is your corporate identity?
In this exercise, outline the defining features of your company. Be sure to look beyond your marketing materials to evaluate all aspects of your company. A few examples: What industry are you in? How is your company structured? Where are you located? Who is your customer?
2. What does your company value?
Corporate values, by definition, are the operating philosophies or principles that guide your internal conduct, as well as your relationship with your customers, partners, and shareholders. Here, think about what makes your company unique, and what behaviors your company encourages, both internally and externally. Some values might be obvious to you, whereas others might take some reflection to uncover.
3. What are the issues at hand?
Now, take some time to evaluate the challenges specific to your corporate identity, which you defined in question 1. After all, you want your strategy to provide solutions to issues that are relevant to your industry, your employees and/or your customers.
4. What can your company offer to address the issues in a manner that aligns with your values?
Here’s where your team needs to get creative. Brainstorm anything and everything you can do to address the problems that you listed (question 3) in a manner that aligns with your values (question 2). Ideas may include partnerships, policies, campaigns, donation opportunities, and more.
Why this structure? We’ve found that by focusing in on a company’s identity, values, and issues, we are able to build strategies that make a meaningful impact in a way that is authentic and sustainable to the brand.
Using WhyWhisper as an example, here’s how the process looks in practice:
1. Our identity:
- Impact sector
- Consulting firm comprised of independent consultants
- Serving nonprofits and businesses
- New York-based, but working all over the world
- Providing research, marketing and strategy services
- Offering bold approaches to better our world
- Woman-owned
2. Our values:
Accountability
We hold ourselves accountable to our clients, our fellow freelancers, the environment, and the world at large. We apply critical thought to every aspect of our operations, making changes as we learn and evolve.
Positivity
We see opportunities for creating social impact everywhere we look. We understand that this begins by being kind, supportive, and encouraging of one another, so we work with good people on good projects.
Purpose
We built WhyWhisper because we wanted to use our skills to make the world a better place. We are intentional about who we work with, what we work on, where and how we work. We know that large-scale positive change starts with the actions of individuals.
Learning
We think it's important to try new things, and encourage everyone to take chances. We are thinkers, researchers, and askers of (many) questions.
Empowerment
We designed our company to bring opportunity to communities, clients, and consultants alike. We work with our clients to create positive social, economic, and environmental impact; we empower them to continue this work on their own long after our contract is over, and we pride ourselves on being a source of meaningful projects for our talented network of consultants.
3. Issues at hand:
- Nonprofits and social enterprises often lack resources (funds and talent)
- Nonprofits’ emphasis on the external impact may be to the detriment of its internal impact (i.e. employee well-being, sustainability, etc.)
- Independent consultants often encounter unreliable work schedules and/or issues with work/life balance.
- Workplace stress is increasingly resulting in physical and mental health issues
- Companies are struggling with:
- Building an inclusive workplace
- Removing unconscious biases around hiring
- Building and maintaining an ethical supply chain
- And more…
4. Our impact:
Knowing the challenges relevant to WhyWhisper, we were then able to connect our company assets and values to ways we could work to solve them.
We donate.
Each year, we give 5% of profits to causes that roar against injustice when others have whispered.
We volunteer.
As a team, we take on one pro bono project each year, and as individuals, we commit to one volunteer activity per quarter.
We work with our clients to better the world.
The end outcome of every client engagement is measurable impact.
We're committed to diversity.
As a proud woman-owned company, we actively work to foster diversity in the workplace.
We actively promote kindness.
Our team members report weekly on their acts of kindness.
We practice mindfulness.
The first minute of our meetings is set aside to clear our minds and center ourselves.
We're environmentally-friendly.
We avoid printing, but if printed materials are requested, we print double-sided documents on recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. We work remotely, cutting down on unnecessary emissions. We use reusables during meetings. We responsibly recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, and electronics. When buying products and choosing suppliers, we select them based on their commitment to diversity and sustainability, striving to stay local and support underrepresented populations whenever possible. We surround ourselves with plants and greenery.
We're a Certified B Corporation.
Certified B Corporations meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. And unlike traditional corporations, as a Certified B Corporation, we are legally required to consider the impact of our decisions not only on our shareholders, but also on our stakeholders, including our workers, suppliers, community, consumers, and the environment. To learn more about our certification, check out our B Corp profile and blog post.
While the workshop goes more in-depth on each of the above sections, we wanted to share the general process, so you don’t struggle with getting stuck before you start.
If your company is interested in evaluating and defining its values and using them to inform its socially responsibility strategy, we’re here to help. You can get in touch with us by:
