Corporate Social Responsibility

As we get ready to celebrate PR’s role in CSR, we spoke with several finalists of the PRNEWS CSR Awards about how the pandemic and the economic and social reckonings of 2020 influenced their organizations. Fortunately, this moment has bolstered CSR at many companies and organizations, they told us.

With the arrival on April 22 of Earth Day, our History column looks at the largely unknown role several PR pros played in developing awareness for environmental CSR.

Companies sometimes struggle to connect CSR with their corporate values. The story below illustrates an innovative way a pharmaceutical translated its interest in offering patients creative solutions into a CSR effort.

PRNEWS is pleased to announce finalists for its CSR & Diversity Awards programs. Winners will be announced April 27 during our Social Impact Event.

Late last year Yves Saint Laurent Beauty launched an ambitious, multi-pronged effort, Abuse is Not Love, around IPV. The program aims to educate audiences, including YSL employees, help advocacy groups get out their messages and fund academic research to bolster thought leadership around prevention and youth awareness.

Many agencies and practitioners already have attempted to predict what corporate responsibility and purpose look like for brands in 2021, but the time for pontification is over.

Now, we must be unapologetic in our expectation for companies to step in when governments fall short. This tenant of corporate responsibility was brought to the forefront with Twitter and Facebook announcing they’d banned former president Trump–permanently and indefinitely, respectively–from their platforms.

In light of the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol and the social, racial and economic unrest of 2020, we asked Cristina Alesci, Chobani’s first chief corporate affairs officer, how CEOs are thinking about promises many companies made last year, as well as what a veteran journalist brings to a corporate setting.

Pizza Inn took a stand on the 2020 presidential election, stating that it’s unsure if the contest was legitimate. It’s a stance that a significant portion of the public disputes, in addition to several dozen court cases that upheld the election. Why would a brand intentionally alienate potential customers?

Finding ways to authentically share news of your CSR programs with key audiences can be a challenge. It’s not as simple as just telling people what you’re doing. Communicators need to personalize their brand’s CSR activities to key audiences and explain why they matter.

Philanthropy always played a significant role within PR—and vice versa. A public figure or corporation wants the right PR campaign for a favorable image through philanthropy. Nonprofits need campaigns and influencers to raise awareness.