Corporate social responsibility departments are now established at most Fortune 500 companies overseeing a range of initiatives from community investing to micro-financing to improved trainings for employees. But if these corporate initiatives are designed, implemented and measured unilaterally by corporations, are the long-term interests of local communities fully represented? How do we integrate the voices of all stakeholders - corporate, NGO, community organizations, governments and international institutions - in building sustainable programs that have measurable impact across generations? What role can investors play in fostering these collaborations through their shareholder engagements? In exploring these questions and attempting to answer them we begin a journey that takes us beyond the current auditing of KPIs, activities and outputs, to a deeper assessment of the outcomes of sustainability initiatives and the enduring social impact of corporate practices on local communities. The ICCR Social Sustainability Resource Guide provides a roadmap for this journey.
Corporate social responsibility departments are now established at most Fortune 500 companies overseeing a range of initiatives from community investing to micro-financing to improved trainings for employees. But if these corporate initiatives are designed, implemented and measured unilaterally by corporations, are the long-term interests of local communities fully represented? How do we integrate the voices of all stakeholders - corporate, NGO, community organizations, governments and international institutions - in building sustainable programs that have measurable impact across generations? What role can investors play in fostering these collaborations through their shareholder engagements? In exploring these questions and attempting to answer them we begin a journey that takes us beyond the current auditing of KPIs, activities and outputs, to a deeper assessment of the outcomes of sustainability initiatives and the enduring social impact of corporate practices on local communities. The ICCR 'Social Sustainability Resource Guide. Building Sustainable Communities through Multi-Party Collaboration' provides a roadmap for this journey.