Community Involvement Index « CSR International

Community Involvement Index

February 6th, 2010

The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship has released research findings which illustrate corporate community involvement during 2009. The 2009 Community Involvement Index, which is drawn from an online survey responded to by more than 300 companies, offers a snapshot of the community involvement field.

Key Findings

In the context of the recent tough economic climate, while a significant percentage of companies cut their community involvement budgets, 62.1% maintained or increased budget levels.

Although 37.8% of respondents’ companies cut their community involvement budget, only 20.9% decreased staffing.
The link between community involvement and business strategy, and its integration with other business functions, is the rule rather than an exception.
Community involvement is linked both to broader corporate citizenship strategy in most companies (72.6%) and to business strategy (73.8%) with senior management involvement and support.
Staff from media and public relations departments (90.9%), human resources (82%), and marketing staff (77%) were the most widely-cited internal stakeholders during assessments of planning and implementation of community involvement programmes.
A majority of companies (54%) generate strategy and direction from the top but put implementation into local hands.
Measurement of programmes remains a challenge for companies and the findings indicate the practice is inconsistent. More companies (41%) routinely evaluate strategy than routinely measure business benefits (27.3%) or social impacts (25.4%).
Environmental issues are now emerging as a critical area. Though not yet approaching the level of education, the environment is the only other area that garners top billing or near top billing among critical issues for more than 60% of respondents’ companies.
More than 80% of respondents believe their companies’ various community involvement programmes are delivering value to both society and the business.
Volunteering remains a core element of most companies’ community involvement programmes. 56.7% of companies in the survey offer employees paid time off to volunteer in at least some of their locations.