Corporate Social Responsibility Network Newsletter December

• Companies have a responsibility to society. During the closing session on stakeholder capitalism, Andrew Winston, green business expert and renowned author said, “The big problems we’re facing like climate change, worsened inequalities, pressures from younger generations … all of that has been accelerating and it’s being felt by companies directly. The business case in general has gotten clearer. The major stakeholders, the three that matter to a CEO – employees, stakeholders and investors – they’re all in sync. Investors, specifically, who weren’t there 20 years ago, have gotten there.” This alignment across stakeholder groups is sending an important signal to business leaders. Inaction on sustainability is no longer an acceptable approach. To remain relevant, businesses must restructure their priorities to be responsive to environmental and social issues.
• Taking a strategic approach to ESG is good for business. In a session titled What Constitutes Materiality, Steve Rochlin, CEO of Impact ROI and Rakhi Kumar, SVP of Sustainability Solutions at Liberty Mutual, shared insights on ESG and business behaviors and performance. During the conversation, Steve cited recent research from Impact ROI that makes a clear connection between financial performance and ESG integration. “A focused integrated and strategic approach to ESG absolutely drives financial success and adds to bottom-line and topline growth if a company does it well. Companies do this well when they understand true material priorities, commit 80% of ESG resources to areas that fit, connect through building true dialogues and build relationships of trust.”
• Public affairs professionals have an important role to play. “ESG is a risk and an opportunity. From a climate transition perspective, most of the risk is coming from policy and changing policy,” said Rakhi Kumar during the materiality session. As public affairs professionals, planning will be critical to ensuring your organization has a seat at the table as ESG becomes a key part of legislative and regulatory conversations. Through partnering with in-house sustainability experts, leaning on research and monitoring the legislative landscape, public affairs professionals will be well-suited to respond in a way that is beneficial to the business and responsive to societal needs.

In closing, you can make a real difference. “Contribute to the standard-setting process. This is live. This is global. There’s an opportunity to help shape regulation, share insights on what’s feasible and what isn’t for your organization and your industry,” said Kyle Lawless of EY. We’re in a moment of great transformation as it relates to ESG. Regulation and legislation will be coming down the pipeline, and it’s time to start developing an ESG strategy. Partner with subject-matter experts that have technical expertise to help analyze how and what strategy is appropriate, then develop a plan to act. It will help your business in the long run.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to connect with any of the speakers mentioned above, please contact me at [email protected], and I will help coordinate.[/vc_toggle]

Issues like hunger in our community or children going to school without proper winter wear, these things keep me up at night. I am a graduate of seminary and I worked for 10 years offering transitional housing for the homeless. When I shifted my career and began working at State and Federal Communications, I was delighted to find out these very issues were of high importance to Elizabeth Bartz, our president and CEO. The company offered ample opportunities for employees to get out in the community to learn, serve and grow. It takes vision and courage to keep CSR going. In 2017, Elizabeth Bartz created the space for good things to happen by establishing a full-time CSR position. For this I am grateful. I would say what energizes and sustains me is our amazing team of people, their generosity has been inspiring over the years.

Community engagement is a pillar of State and Federal’s CSR work. Can you talk a little bit about those initiatives? Did COVID-19 impact your community engagement strategies?

Based on the pledge to our United Way campaign, State and Federal Communications offers employees the chance to do 30 hours of charitable service work. Our employees have used the hours to serve on the Court Appointed Special Advocates Board of Trustees, to serve at local food distributions to those in need, to mentor students in the Akron Public Schools and to volunteer in other settings. We get our hands dirty. We have painted a YMCA gym and did landscaping for the Financial Empowerment Center. COVID-19 has curtailed our community engagement, as many organizations have restricted activities. But we still work in virtual board meetings, Zoom-style mentoring and in-person outdoor food distribution. We look forward to the time when pandemic restrictions can be lifted.

Community engagement doesn’t stop at work for you. You also volunteer in your local community. Tell me about that.

Yes, engagement touches all parts of my life. I have worked for 25 years supporting efforts to help the homeless. I have visited people at the Summit County Jail. I have given pastoral care by visiting and listening to young people struggling with heroin addiction. I like to pour the soup at local soup kitchens. I love meeting people wherever they are.

Your team has built many lasting and valuable partnerships through corporate philanthropy initiatives. Can you provide us with one or two examples of recent corporate philanthropy programs?

For our team, it’s about developing a relationship with the people creating positive change. Every holiday season we do a service project. For several years we have supplied socks for the homeless (the most requested item) to the Akron Snow Angels, who go out and hand deliver the outerwear to people who need it badly. And they do it with love.

This year we are giving toiletries to the Akron Children’s Hospital respite center. This is a place where families who have children receiving care (many in the ICU) can go and get a nap, a shower, brush their teeth and feel human again.

Now that the year’s ending, what’s one highlight from 2021 that you’re especially proud of, professionally or personally?

You know, it has been a rough two years, and many groups like United Way and the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank have had to shift their focus to meet a tidal wave of basic needs, like paying rent and getting food on the table. Those organizations reached out to us at the beginning of the pandemic, saying “Hey, are you going to host a fundraising campaign for us this year? Is it even going to be possible for you?”

We have been so fortunate to be functioning at top capacity. Not only did the State and Federal Communications team have campaigns for United Way and the Foodbank, but we significantly increased our giving both years. In the last year, we supplied the Foodbank with the equivalent of 14,500 meals. When I think about that, my cup runneth over.[/vc_toggle]