Most people wrapping presents simultaneously

As the evenings get colder and darker and the end-of-year burnout starts to feel all too real, there’s one thing that’s helping us get across the finish line – Christmas. With Christmas comes a season of goodwill, and plenty of companies are reflecting this by giving back to the community and increasing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and efforts.

Looking to give back to your community? Begin your record-breaking CSR journey here!

Consumers feel that when buying from a socially responsible company, they are helping to do their part in their community. Market research company Nielsen states that 55% of consumers are willing to pay extra for products or services from companies that have dedicated social impact plans. 

This factor coupled with the fact that consumers are spending more towards the end of the year is a recipe for success in terms of sales. Through the implementation of CSR at Christmas, your organisation has the opportunity to build trust with consumers to ensure they are a returning customer.

Christmas-CSR-Gift 

British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has joined the efforts against single-use plastic by banning glitter from its Christmas range. Everything from Christmas crackers to cards and calendars will be glitter-free to reduce the impact of microplastics on the environment. 

The launch of this campaign at Christmas has been the perfect time to generate media attention and brand awareness, but it’s important to note that CSR efforts shouldn’t just be for the festive period. M&S is dedicated to ensuring that its entire year-round range of cards and gift-wrapping products will be 100% glitter-free by the end of 2020.

Placing CSR efforts at the forefront of your business isn’t only about enhancing profits and improving customer relations — it’s also crucial for maintaining good employee relations. Employees tend to increase their intentions to stay with their current employer and overall commitment to the company when good CSR practice is in place. 

The generation that is now entering the workforce are more aware of social injustices and looking for a workplace that aligns with their values. In fact, Huffington Post reports that a whopping 94% of Gen Z think companies should address critical issues. Many university students who will be graduating this school year will begin the job search around the Christmas period, so utilising fundraising event ideas to ensure your organisation is attracting the best talent could be highly effective.

The staff at builders’ merchant Jewson achieved a sense of pride and achievement during the festive season as they gave back to their community by breaking a Guinness World Records title. The team achieved the record for the most people wrapping presents simultaneously, which took place at their two-day annual staff conference in December. There was more to this record than a fun, team-building experience as the presents wrapped by the employees were given to the local community as part of Jewson’s partnership with children’s charity Barnardo’s.

Although Christmas is the perfect time to highlight your organisation’s commitments in corporate fundraising, it’s important to remember that CSR isn’t just something that you bring to the forefront at Christmas for the sake of doing a once-off festive gesture. 

Sticking to a roadmap of integrating social impact into your organisation is essential to show your employees and consumers alike that your organisation is committed to doing good consistently and not just seasonally.

A CSR campaign should be for life, not just Christmas. Learn how to place CSR at the forefront of your business next year by contacting an account manager!