Doing Good By Doing Good

Bring the heart of your company into the community with effective CSR

Doing Good by Doing Good shows companies how to improve the bottom line by implementing an engaging, authentic, and business-enhancing program that helps staff and business thrive. International CSR consultant Peter Baines draws upon lessons learnt from the challenges faced in his career as a police officer, forensic investigator, and founder of Hands Across the Water to describe the Australian CSR landscape, and the factors that make up a program that benefits everyone involved. Case studies illustrate the real effect of CSR on both business and society, with clear guidance toward maximizing involvement, engaging all employees, and improving the bottom line. The case studies draw out the companies that are focusing on creating shared value in meeting the challenges of society whilst at the same time bringing strong economic returns.

Consumers are now expecting that big businesses with ever-increasing profits give back to the community from which those profits arise. At the same time, shareholders are demanding their share and are happy to see dividends soar. Getting this right is a balancing act, and Doing Good by Doing Good helps companies delineate a plan of action for getting it done. Readers will:

• Define an effective CSR strategy that promotes better business and makes a real impact
• Understand the current landscape to evaluate the CSR options that are right for your company
• Understand why corporate philanthropy is no longer enough
• Identify the hard and soft key performance indicators that help keep your program on track
• Gain an understanding of the concept of shared value and the importance to business
• Gain insight into each step of the CSR process, from interest, to information, to implementation

The concept of CSR is not new, but traditional "payroll deductions" and "volunteer days" are out-dated and grossly ineffective. Today, companies are building simple, well-constructed programs that are changing business and changing lives on a much grander scale. Doing Good by Doing Good provides a fool proof strategy for CSR planning, with value to the company, employees, and community at large.

Acknowledgements vii

Preface ix

Introduction: Clarity comes with action xiii

1 Is there a better way? 1

2 How to engage 23

3 Business benefits of engagement 49

4 Small business: the multiplier effect 71

5 Medium-sized business: aligning values and purpose 85

6 Large business: strategic investment 103

7 The Origin story 121

8 Charity taking the lead 137

9 Journey to shared value 151

10 Measuring and reporting 169

11 Value of shared experiences 191

12 Selecting a charity partner 213

Afterword: Looking forward — what’s on the horizon 231

Index 241

Peter Baines OAM is an international keynote speaker on the topics of leadership, change management and corporate social responsibility. He offers insight into the lessons learnt from the challenges he faced as a police officer, forensic investigator and founder of the Thailand-based charity, Hands Across the Water.

Can an organisation's corporate social responsibility program both improve the lives of the community and grow a bottom line?

Doing Good by Doing Good offers a proven plan for implementing an effective strategy that can help organisations transform the communities they work with, while also bringing innovation and growth to their business.

Filled with illustrative case studies from organisations around the globe, it shows how these companies have increased morale and engagement, improved brand awareness, engaged new customers and delivered strong economic returns.

This book will help readers:

• understand the concept of shared value and recognise why corporate philanthropy is no longer enough
• evaluate the current landscape to define an effective strategy that promotes better business and makes a real impact
• identify the hard and soft key performance indicators that help keep your program on track
• gain insight into each step of the process, from interest to implementation.

Doing Good by Doing Good presents a fool-proof plan for building a corporate social responsibility strategy that can effectively balance consumers' expectations around giving back to the community and shareholders' demands to see dividends soar.

Peter touches on some very interesting and timely concepts in his book Doing Good by Doing Good. I agree with his views that many organisations are attempting to do the right thing and certainly have the right intent when is comes to CSR, but few are executing their strategy to bring about the best return. Peter's advice to the charity sector to step up and change their ways, shifting from the old paradigm of just seeking donations, is encouraging and if heeded will lead to a more engaged sector and deeper relationship between corporate and charity. If you are in business, part of a foundation or leading a charity, you would be served well to read Peter's latest work.
--Chris Cuffe, Company Director, Investment Professional and Philanthropist

Baines makes a highly practical contribution to how the best businesses create value by having a more positive social impact. And considering his track record of actually doing so, who better to listen to.
--Peter Sheahan, author, founder and CEO of ChangeLabs TM

Peter Baines has correctly written that innovation and a sense of the entrepreneurial spirit are the key to the future, irrespective of industry or academic discipline. This is advice offered at an important time in our collective search for best practices and the truth.
--William E. Strickland Jr, President and CEO, Manchester Bidwell Corporation