Chad Rogerson on the latest Community & Contributions News
September 30, 2008
The overall trend in community investment has, perhaps surprisingly, not seen a discernable shift towards supporting green causes.
‘Concern for the environment’ is now the top issue stakeholders think companies should be paying attention to. Businesses face pressure from multiple directions, and these pressures are only set to increase. The majority of companies have responded by measuring and reporting their own environmental performance, developing strategies to reduce and offset their impact. But has corporate community investment followed suit through an increased focus on environmental causes?
The Co-operative has long been recognised as a leader in terms of its approach to the environment, having led the switch to green electricity back in 1998 and become the first major UK retailer to switch all its outlets to green electricity in 2006. Its green energy for schools initiative is a great example of how a company can use its community programme to underpin its environmental values and policies, strengthening its position as an environmentally aware company.
Another company which has successfully used community investment as part of its wider environmental strategy is HSBC. The company’s $100 million Climate Partnership with five global environmental charities was designed to position them as the green bank. Marks & Spencer’s plastic bag campaign is a well known example, where the 5p charged for each bag is donated to Groundwork, an environmental charity. The Co-operative, HSBC and Marks & Spencer have all used community investment initiatives to reinforce their green credentials, which in turn are helping them to achieve differentiation and leadership in the marketplace.
Despite some prominent flagship community programmes focussing on the environment, the overall trend in community investment has, perhaps surprisingly, not seen a discernable shift towards supporting green causes. With stakeholders increasingly demanding environmental action, there is a clear opportunity for companies to use their community programmes as a key component of their environmental strategies.
Chad Rogerson works at Corporate Citizenship as a consultant, specialising in corporate community investment.
Previous to joining our team Chad managed Credit Suisse’s most successful ever Charity of the Year programme, excelling in inspiring firm-wide engagement, setting up an effective internal communication structure and building an innovative events plan. At ABN AMRO, he helped develop a new community investment strategy for the bank, launching their first major employee engagement partnership in the UK which exceeded all the campaign targets.
Chad’s experience is not restricted to the corporate sector, having worked for three charities – Whizz-Kidz, Richard House Children’s Hospice and Deafness Research UK. At all three, he worked in the corporate partnerships teams and was involved in securing and managing relationships with companies from a variety of sectors, such as Boots, Man Group, and GlaxoSmithKline. The range of partnerships he has worked on include cause related marketing initiatives, sponsorships, volunteering programmes and longer term strategic collaborations.
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