Well-structured and thoughtfully planned corporate social responsibility programs benefit organisations in India on two major fronts: first, they get to demonstrate trusted leadership in their space and second, their customers are inclined to buy their products and services when they get to know the social efforts of these organisations.

1. 4 steps to successful CSR strategy formulation and implementation
Well-structured and thoughtfully planned corporate social responsibility programs benefit
organisations in India on two major fronts: first, they get to demonstrate trusted
leadership in their space and second, their customers are inclined to buy their products
and services when they get to know the social efforts of these organisations.
However, CSR programs that have not been strategically crafted tend to backfire and
make the organisations look insincere in their efforts. So here is this post that is put
together to help organisations that are relatively new to corporate social responsibility in
India and do not have much idea about how to begin with their CSR commitments:
Identify the focus
First things first, an organisation must decide what the program is going to achieve.
Organisations that get involved in too many causes often find it difficult to manage their
corporate social responsibility programs; moreover, they look insincere in their approach
towards making a positive change in the lives of program’s recipients. So, organisations
should ideally focus on only one or two major causes; this would help the organisations
become identified with those causes; in addition, the recipients are more likely to receive
more focused attention.
Figure out the costs
Corporate social responsibility in India (or, elsewhere) entails financial
considerations on many levels. Organisations, thus, need to determine how it’s going to
run the programme: whether it’ll donate materials for the cause, or encourage its
employees to participate or donate money for the cause.
Organisations are also increasingly tying-up with vocational education and training
companies that can help them with the formation and implementation of the whole CSR
strategy; this further adds to the costs. But, they essentially generate a lot of value out of
this engagement with the companies that specialize in CSR domain and can guide their
clients so they can get the most out of their investments in their CSR programs.
Thought the purpose of a CSR program is essentially benefiting the recipients,
businesses must analyze the costs involved.
Get your employees on-board
Organisations wherein employees get involved in the CSR initiatives are likely to get the
most out of their spending and efforts.
Employees can reach out to less-privileged sections of the community around, and help
them with their day to day problems. They can be encouraged to reach out to NGOs /
orphanages and teach kids there for a couple of hours every week or so. Marketing staff

2. of an organisation can help an NGO with promotional stuffs; the IT staff can also extend
its support to schools around by fixing their computers. Professional trainers can be
hired to reach out to the unemployed youth and skill them for different roles for
prominent industries including retail, insurance, and telecoms.
In a nutshell, there can be many ways through which a smart organisation can get its
employees engaged with its CSR program.
Communication with the stakeholders
Smart organisations should intelligently communicate their social contributions to their
stakeholders who primarily include its customers, business partners, employees, and
community. For this, it can leverage mediums like press releases, websites, networking
events, and social media sites; this strategically crafted communication would ensure
that the organisation is positively viewed in the society.
Author bio: –
The corporate social responsibility landscape in India is in a transition phase. Companies
are increasingly realizing their role in the communities they operate in. With tie-ups with
leading vocational education and training experts, many organisations are reaching
out to the unskilled youth of their region to train them for employment and thus, help
them support their families. For more incisive insights on the CSR in India, please read
our other articles.