"We need to do Community Involvement better – we know we're spending millions each year on charitable causes; how can we find out what is really effective and what people will appreciate us for? Who should we partner with? How can we make a real difference in society and help our business?" Companies around the world are trying to answer these questions. Many are asking the same questions even as, collectively, they continue to spend billions on their communities. How do they know which activities are really worthwhile? Building on the authors' own extensive global experience at Nokia and E.ON, as well as the experience of many other experts in the field, this book offers the first-ever "how to" roadmap for managers on the comprehensive implementation of strategic Community Involvement inside their companies. It is designed to be practical, for those who want to act upon what they have read. It will fill a long-neglected niche as a day-to-day reference guide for practitioners. Corporate Community Involvement demonstrates what to do and how to do it. The advice is backed up by inspiring interviews with best-in-class practitioners from businesses such as Microsoft, GlaxoSmithKline, Ericsson, and Deutsche Bank and leading international Corporate Responsibility and Community Involvement experts. The book highlights proven best-practice approaches, effective methods, and concise tools to help managers "get there faster" and "get it right first time." The core of the book is a step-by-step guide to developing and implementing a comprehensive and successful approach to Corporate Community Involvement. It shows how to: conduct a current state analysis and devise a strategy, organize staffing and budgets, integrate Corporate Community Involvement throughout the business and create high-profile programs, partner across sectors, measure and evaluate results, communicate successful activities, and overcome challenges. Corporate Community Involvement has an international perspective: the models and principles advocated are adaptable anywhere in the world. Also, it is designed to have as much relevance to a small or medium-sized enterprise as to a multinational. The book outlines the history and future of Corporate Community Involvement, explaining the business context and why companies need to manage their programs strategically. It also distinguishes between the growing lexicon of terminologies and provides clear definitions of terms such as "philanthropy", "sponsorship", "Corporate Citizenship", "Corporate Responsibility" and "Sustainability", advising when they are appropriate and how each can add value to corporate activities. This will be an indispensible resource for those working at the interface between business and the community. New or developing practitioners will learn from both the successes and failures of those before them. Representatives from other sectors, notably government, international agencies, NGOs, and academia, will come to understand companies' internal requirements for cross-sector collaboration programs in the community better. And students interested in this field will be better equipped to start careers.

There has been tremendous growth in Corporate Community Involvement (CCI) projects of all sizes in recent years. This has been encouraged by organisations such as Business in the Community in the UK, which provides information designed to motivate businesses and government to engage in CCI. In fact, the projects incorporated into some companies’ strategy implementation are now so extensive that they are having a profound impact on community development. Corporate Community Involvement examines CCI as a distinct type of corporate social responsibility and the nature of the relationship between business and society. Bilge Uyan-Atay considers that CCI has been poorly described and researched, concentrating mainly on Western Europe and the USA, failing to consider different institutional contexts and to make the best use of available theory to uncover a more holistic perspective. The author’s native Turkey is a secular, developing country with a growing economy. This provides a distinctive environment in which to study CCI. The author explores and analyses economic, strategic, cultural and institutional influences on CCI and its relationships to and differences from corporate social responsibility.

This book is a comprehensive guide to community engagement and investment, beginning with a survey of community-related voluntary standards and then turning to strategy and management, community engagement, community investment and reporting and communications on community-related activities. Sustainability is about the long-term wellbeing of society, an issue that encompasses a wide range of aspirational targets including ending poverty and hunger; ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all; ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all; and promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Clearly the challenges associated with pursuing the goals are daunting and for most businesses it may be difficult for them to see how they can play a meaningful role in address them. While it is common for “society” to be identified as an organizational stakeholder, the reality is that one company cannot, acting on its own, achieve all the goals associated with societal wellbeing. However, every company, regardless of its size, can make a difference in some small, yet meaningful way, in the communities in which they operate, and more and more attention is being focused on the impact that companies have within their communities. Focusing on the community level allows an organization to set meaningful targets and implement programs that fit the scale of its operations and which can provide the most immediate value to the organization and its stakeholders. Societal wellbeing projects and initiatives must ensure that the organization does not compromise, and instead improves, the wellbeing of local communities through its value chain and in society-at-large. This book is a comprehensive guide to community engagement and investment, beginning with a survey of community-related voluntary standards and then turning to strategy and management, community engagement, community investment and reporting and communications on community-related activities.

Public Consultation and Community Involvement in Planning is the definitive introduction to public consultation for developers, students and planners. The past decade has seen a complete transformation in consultation and community relations in the UK, from increased requirements to consult, to the introduction of neighbourhood planning and a revolution in online communication. Public Consultation and Community Involvement in Planning takes readers through consultation from the basics right through to emerging trends to demonstrate how a successful consultation process can benefit both the developers and the local community. The book begins with a definition of consultation and community involvement and an explanation of their role within the development process, before going on to clarify the legal, ethical, practical and ideological concerns to be addressed by the consultation process. Consultation strategy is explored step by step, and social media and online consultation is explored in detail. This is the first comprehensive guide to modern public consultation within the UK development sector and will be essential reading for developers, students and planners.

Burke challenges the current thesis that companies should act responsibly toward communities and societies. Instead, he shows that changes in society mandate that companies must develop strategies and programs that foster a reputation of trust in local communities in order that they preserve their license to operate. Burke describes strategies and programs of action that enable companies to develop trust and thus maintain their license to operate. He also describes ways to use philanthropy and volunteer programs to achieve a competitive advantage. The public environment in which companies operate has changed significantly since the 1970s. Communities, in response to elected officials and community groups, are demanding that companies observe new norms of behavior. They expect companies to respect the environment, respond to the concerns of the community residents, and contribute to the support of community institutions. As Burke illustrates, a company's community reputation also affects the behavior of consumers and employees. Consumers prefer to buy products from companies that are involved in the community. Employees are attracted to companies that have a good community reputation. Just as successful companies need to be a supplier of choice, an employer of choice, and an investor of choice, they now have to become a neighbor of choice. They have to behave in ways that build a legacy of trust in order to be positioned positively in the community. As Burke shows, to be a neighbor of choice, a company has to pursue three strategies: build sustainable and ongoing relationships with key community individuals, groups, and organizations; institute procedures that anticipate and respond to community expectations, concerns, needs, and issues; and focus the company's community programs on ways that promote and strengthen the community's quality of life and which also support the business goals of the company. The strategies developed by Burke will be of great use to community and public affairs managers and general managers of corporations as well as CEOs and other executive officers. Students in courses on corporate strategy and general management will find the book of value, as will students in courses on non-profit management.

Is it possible to change the world one company at a time? Absolutely, and this book will show you how. Whether you're a CEO, a human resources professional, or a leader dedicated to making a difference, A Million Dollars in Change will show you how to help make your company a great place to work by making your community a better place to live. A guide to corporate giving that goes beyond checkbook philanthropy, the book provides a step-by-step plan for creating a giving program that engages employees and attracts talent to your company while at the same time forging measurable, impactful partnerships with nonprofits that serve your broader community. Drawing on the author's personal experience in creating a groundbreaking program at her own company, this accessible, easy-to-implement guide to corporate social responsibility proves that creating a million dollars in change doesn't have to cost a mint. A Million Dollars in Change highlights the win-win nature of CSR programs: community organizations get much-needed support while companies grow employee engagement and brand visibility. Corporations have an opportunity--and a responsibility--to make an impact on the communities where their employees live and work, but many business leaders, fearing that the process will be expensive and antithetical to their company's bottom line, are deterred from creating community partnerships. A Million Dollars in Change reveals how even small companies with limited budgets can make a measurable difference in their communities and energize their company's culture at the same time. Alessandra Cavalluzzi has over a decade of experience in Human Resource management, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Communications, Public Relations, Event Planning, and Employee Engagement. Over the years she's advised both corporate funders and nonprofits, and is a sought-after guest speaker and panelist at HR and nonprofit events. In 2005, Alessandra presented a plan for a corporate giving program to the executive leadership of her company. It was the first program of its kind at the company, and was centered mainly at their headquarters. The program was launched on a very small budget, leveraging existing resources and finding creative ways to support the community through fundraising and volunteerism. Under Alessandra's leadership, over the years the program has flourished and expanded to her company's locations across the country, making it a key driver of engagement among employees. AUTHOR HOME: Bethpage, NY