Corporate Social Responsibilities

Introduction

"Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large" The World Business Council

Traditionally CSR has been defined much more in terms of a philanthropic model, businesses donate a certain share of the profits to charitable causes. Recently CSR has been more focused on operating the core business in a socially responsible way, complemented by investment in communities for solid business case reasons.

VAST offers a bespoke service to local business and individuals who decide voluntarily to contribute to their local community for a better society. Everyone gives to good causes and charities what we offer is a local service that enables you to make difference in the local community where you are based or operate in. You can enhance your business performance, profitability and reputation by working with your local community.

The service enables even the smallest business to have the advantages of a full CSR department, for those with CSR departments it offers a very competitive alternative.

Why have CSR
There is a clear connection between a healthy and profitable business and the well being of the community in which it does business.

It will help you to recruit, motivate and retain your employees.

You can use your community programme as part of staff training and development.
It will help to improve your business reputation and profile.

Being in touch with the local community can lead to new business opportunities. Community involvement boosts networking opportunities with suppliers and customers. Helping to tackle social issues in your local area such as crime can help the bottom line of your business.

Your employees depend on your business. Customers, suppliers and the local community are all affected by you and what you do. Your products, and the way you make them, have an impact on the environment. CSR is understanding your business impact on the wider world and considering how you can use this impact in a positive way and how it can help your profits, VAST will take care of your CSR and guide you in how CSR improve bottom line.

Benefits
VAST will help you make the most of your CSR activities by publicising them. Ensuring that customers, suppliers and the local community know what you are doing. We will promote your business with associated good new stories. Some practical benefits include:

• People want to buy from businesses they respect
• CSR can be particularly effective for targeting ethical companies, the public sector and not-for-profit organisations
• Improve your reputation and encourage customers and other stakeholders to stay involved with you
• Effective CSR will differentiate your business from dozens of competitors, it lets you stand out
• CSR can lead to new products and services that reflect your local community demands
• CSR can give you a powerful brand - and a winning business – e.g. John Lewis.
  

CSR - Actions
Community Chest
Community investment is often the most visible side of a company’s social responsibility programmes. This investment takes the form of charitable donations, staff time and skill, plus donations in kind.

Environment
CSR towards the environment involves making management decisions which minimise negative impacts and costs arising from production processes.

Ethics
The thinking behind a company is represented by its principles. Ethical principles reflect the values of the company determined within the context of the values of its stakeholders and the society in which it operates.

Human Rights
A civilised society recognises the right of every individual to liberty, freedom of association and personal safety. These form the basis of a code of human rights found at the core of national and international law across the globe

Responsibility in the Market
Businesses can have a social impact through their marketing activities this can strengthen their competitive edge or damage it. Key issues include ethical advertising, relationships with suppliers, with customers, distribution, packaging and the manufacturing process.

Vision and Values
Companies are like people each has a unique personality. Just as people recognise each of us by the way we communicate and the way we behave, so a company should reflect its own unique character to the world.

Workforce
Business impact in the workplace means recognising the business benefits and the wider social impact of good employment policies. This not only covers the traditional areas of recruitment, remuneration and training but also the growing concerns and opportunities of issues such as diversity and equal opportunities.

VAST's offer
VAST offers a wide range of CSR option in the local community; we will discuss your requirements with you and presents you with the most effective way of achieving your goals. There are several ways in which VAST can help you with your CSR, regardless of the size of your business

We currently offer:
a) Community Chest
b) Legacy/Endowment Fund
c) Employee Volunteering
d) Sponsorship
e) Pro Bono Help
f) Payroll Giving
g) Surplus / unwanted goods
h) Trustees
We will discuss your individual requirements if what you want is not listed.

a) Community Chest
Everyone gives to good causes and charities, we offer you a local service that enables you to make a difference in the local community where you are based or operate in. Whilst the big national charities are needy and do laudable work, it probably has nil or minimal impact that you can see locally – How much will a £50 donation to NSPCC directly impact on the community in which you work or live? You may want to give locally but don’t of a suitable cause to donate to?

Well VAST takes care of all this for you. No matter how small or large your donation is VAST will find a number of suitable recipients from within your local community for you to select from. Thus you can see the difference that your donation makes. More importantly your customers and stakeholders can also see the difference your help is making.

VAST will

• Provide you with a range of worthy causes and local community groups charities for you to select from
• Enhance your donation with Gift Aid*
• Monitor the spend and provide you with a report at the end
• Arrange for press release and publicity in the local media and in “Action”
• Deal with all enquiries for donations on your behalf.

Example

Your donation		£500		Your donation		£500
VAST claim Gift Aid*		£140		VAST claim Gift Aid*		£0
Total		£640		Total		£500
VAST fees – 10%**		£64		VAST fees – 10%**		£50
Amount donated		£576		Amount donated		£450

*not available on corporate donations

b) Legacy/Endowment Fund
Setting up a legacy or endowment fund is simple and easy way of ensuring you benefit your community and your legacy survives forever. Small and large donations are pooled and invested, the capital is never touched, and the income earned is given out in grants. Your business, you or your nominated representative maintains direct control of where their funds go and receives full recognition for all donations made.

• We take away the administrative burden of giving and you can be confident that donations are benefiting the needy cause of your choice
• Donations will also reduce your tax liabilities, as these are deducted before the final figure is presented for taxation purposes
• The fund is set up in your name, (or a loved one, or in any name you choose). We take care of all the set up administration and continual reporting, to the Charity Commission and to yourself
• Have as much or as little involvement as you like - be involved every step of the way and consulted at all times, or you may not want any involvement at all, or at any point between the two
• You choose the remit for your fund, and benefit the cause that matters to you
• A permanent endowment fund is protected by law and cannot be used for any other purpose.

c) Volunteering
You or your staff can volunteer in the local community. This can take many forms, serving as a trustee, allowing staff time off for volunteering, a staff team challenge or incorporating volunteering into personal development plans.

VAST’s Volunteer Centre provides a wide range of volunteering opportunities for you to select from. We can also work directly with you and your business to develop bespoke team challenges and individual employee volunteering opportunities. We offer a full brokerage service, which matches the needs of employers with the needs of local organisations.

All Charities and community groups are now involving employee volunteers to enhance their services for the community, gain corporate know-how and specialist skills, and to have access to teams of people for practical improvements. As an employer you will see the benefit of sending their staff to volunteer in the community giving you more experienced, skilled, happier, and committed staff.

With over 300 volunteering vacancies there is something for everyone, from as little as one hour per week.

Examples
• Join the management committee or be a trustee of a local group
• Share your employees skills e.g. your accounts office assisting in bookkeeping
• Specialist help – skilled staff assisting a local group in their area of expertise.

d) Sponsorship
Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the USA, here it is still very much in its infancy. For this reason you can find unlimited opportunities to broaden your competitive advantage by increasing your credibility, image and prestige in sponsoring local community groups. This is very cost effective way of marketing your business and getting publicity locally.

VAST can help you find the appropriate local sponsorship opportunity both financial or in-kind support in the local community in which you operate and your staff live and work. It allows you to reach your potential customers within the specifically targeted niche markets without any waste. It is a powerful complement to other marketing programs, in addition to having a dramatic influence on customer relations.

Sponsorship gives you wide exposure locally in both electronic and print media. Positive publicity helps create heightened visibility of products/services. The kind of media coverage you may get as a sponsor is often unaffordable, particularly for the smaller businesses. The mere act of sponsoring an event, especially an exclusive sponsorship, is a significant way to create competitor differentiation. Your business/company name has the opportunity to stand out head and shoulders above the competition and allows smaller businesses to compete with their industry giants.

Local Communities perceive sponsorship in a positive way. Supporting the community and contributing to its economic development is extremely powerful and creates enormous goodwill. Consumers, more than ever, want their spending to also do some good and like businesses that care.

Examples

• £100 – sponsor Newsletter, office stationary or other publications and leaflets
• £200 – for equipment or uniform
• £500 – Office admin costs for a small community group
• £9500 – pays for a part time development worker
  

e) Pro Bono Help
Local firms can make a real difference to their local communities by providing some of their services for free.  Practical advice and support is invaluable in helping community organisations realise their goals, and achieve sustainability in the long term. VAST provides a simple and effective way of ensuring that support goes to where it's most needed, by bringing together businesses, companies and the local voluntary and community organisations.

VAST acts as a 'broker' and matches the needs of the community organisation with the professional firm that has offered their support.  We will aim to ensure that the time and expertise given for free by you or your staff is used efficiently and effectively to maximise the positive impact on local community groups.

Probono help will assist your businesses:

• Build new customers and business contacts locally
• Build your profile in the local community
• Provide your employees with opportunities to use their professional skills outside their day-to-day environment
• Develop your understanding of key social issues in your local community and how they may affect your firm
• Feel good factor, giving back and personal satisfaction
• Potential of projects to become fee earning clients
• Local press and media coverage.
  

f) VAST sponsorship
VAST is the Local Development & Support Organisation (LDSO) supporting the development of Voluntary and Community Sectors (VCS) in Staffordshire and surrounding areas. Set up in 1920 it currently supports over 5400 VCS groups, and you can be part of this support. We play the role of a chamber of the commerce for the not for profit organisations.

VAST is key to assisting the Voluntary and Community Sectors (VCS) fully contribute to the local economy and be fully recognised as the strong, committed and experienced sector it is. You can be part of this and benefit the wider membership and the VCS community locally.

i) General Sponsorship
You can support VAST with any one or all of the above with the added advantage that you are benefiting the entire sector rather than one individual organisation.

ii) Membership – Corporate members are entitled to all of the following benefits:

• Receive a printed and/or PDF version of our bi‐monthly ‘Action’ newsletter
  with the opportunity to include editorial content
• Promote information to over 5,000 database contacts
• 10% discount on all of our corporate (chargeable) services ‐ Payroll, Accounts,
  Graphic Design, Website Design and Printing
• 10% discount on advertising within our ‘Action’ newsletter
• 10% discount on all VAST’s training events with priority booking
• FREE recruitment advertising on our website
• FREE access to funder finder – grants funding programme
• FREE admission to annual conference
• Vote at VAST’s AGM
• Stand for election to the Trustees Board
• Access to exclusive discounted products and services from our corporate partners

Membership Costs

		Less than 2 staff		3 - 10 Staff		Over 10 Staff		PLC/ National / International Associate
Membership Type
Associate		n/a		n/a		n/a		n/a
Full		£10		£20		£100		£300
Corporate		£50		£75		£100		£300

g) What you get in return

Whichever one (or more) of the options you select above in return VAST will

• Provide you with a plaque confirming your business is a Socially Responsible Business investing in the local community
• Arrange local press coverage
• An article in “Action” magazine which has a circulation of over 5,000
• Link on VAST’s website to your website
• Your logo or name on the stationary/website and premises of the groups you support