RIASSUNTO
Abstract
Most companies have community outreach efforts and convince themselves it is integral to their standing in the community, their reputation, their ability to recruit the best candidates, among a host of other potential benefits. Yet there are often gaps in approach and coverage that result in lower performance.
Community outreach in many companies involves some degree of community volunteerism and charitable giving. However, such efforts are often tactical, isolated from other corporate business goals, and not well aligned with long-term community sustainability needs thus missing valuable opportunities to engage and to align activities for greater all around value creation. When approached strategically, non-profits can open doors to vibrant and progressive sectors of the community, and provide resources for companies seeking opportunities to partner with local communities.
This paper will examine how companies manage community outreach efforts identifying the current standard of practice and underscore best practices. It will explore community expectations and how companies influence those expectations. It will also examine how non-profits benefit from understanding how they can aid in corporate value generation, if they are willing to work together, and be willing to look for common ground. Finally, the paper will propose a value generation model that can be used to interact with communities and non-profits.
The concepts identified in the paper will be broadly applicable: companies of any size will be able to adopt these concepts, and apply them in any community.
Companies able to abandon tactical approaches and focus community outreach efforts strategically, have the potential to garner real benefits, including managing business risk, better reputation, more engaged and satisfied employees, as well as show alignment with their corporate sustainability initiatives and foster win-win relationships with communities and non-profits.