Corporate Social Responsibility; Because Doing Good Matters

Written by: Amy Cunningham, Project Manager

Understanding your Audience

Understanding your audience- It may seem like a simple task, but it can also be easily forgotten. Knowing who your audience is and what they want, value and ultimately look for when making a buying decision is crucial. Many businesses can become tunnel-visioned on perfecting their product or providing the best service possible. While there is nothing wrong with ensuring you’re offering the highest quality deliverable to your consumers, it’s important to remember that the buyer’s journey is more complicated than that. In recent years, one of the significant factors in a potential consumer’s decision is corporate social responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility

What is corporate social responsibility? According to Business News Daily, corporate social responsibility is  “a form of self-regulation that reflects a business’ accountability and commitment to contributing to the well-being of communities and society through various environmental and social measures.” This article explains that these contributions significantly affect a “company’s brand reputation, attractiveness to customers and overall business success.” In simpler terms- making a positive impact and doing good matters not just for the community but for your bottom line! 

It’s Time to Get Involved

There are various ways a business can do its part within the community. However, let’s focus on sponsorship!  According to Aventri, an event technology company dedicated to helping clients plan and execute in-person events, event sponsorship is “when an organization provides financial assistance to an event to achieve promotional advantages.” To most businesses, it’s evident that sponsorship has the potential to result in an increase in leads while directly and in-directly networking with potential customers. However, the opportunity to showcase that your business is holding itself accountable and being socially responsible is an invaluable takeaway. Due to consumers increasing interest in what companies are doing beyond their four walls and how those actions are helping the communities they and their customers reside in, businesses should continually look for ways to give back. 

Our Experience

Our team has been fortunate enough to work directly with the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, located in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington and Duquesne Heights neighborhoods. Over the last 2 years, we’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with their team to plan their annual community-building fundraising event, Party On The Mount. POTM is designed to engage local businesses while giving back to the community. Being a part of this event has allowed us to see the direct impact that sponsorship has on a business. 

Real Results 

One of the many success stories is The Dog Stop, a “born and bred Pittsburgh franchise” and a valued sponsor of the Party On The Mount event. We spoke to Jill Cassidy, the marketing coordinator at The Dog Stop, who shared how being a sponsor at this event has positively impacted their business and their customers’ perception of them. She shared:

“Being an active member of our city and its communities is so important to us. We especially love participating in Party on Mount because the event has something for everyone, including furry family members. Our favorite part, when we see our Dog Stop family members at the event and they run to the booth all excited! Also, our customers appreciate our level of community involvement and expressed to us that it shows them just how much we care about the dogs of Pittsburgh. In a business where trust & quality care is everything, this has really helped our brand loyalty, as well as allowed us to meet thousands of potential new customers!” 

You Can Do It!

Understanding the importance of corporate social responsibility is half the battle. If sponsorship isn’t for you, that’s okay! Our goal is to share another way to understand your audience and provide additional value to your business. Find what makes the most sense for your company and those you serve and have fun with it! Why? Because doing good matters!