Teambuilding activities with a charitable or environmental purpose, often referred to as corporate social responsibility (CSR), took hold on the meetings scene a decade ago, largely in response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. No mere fad, CSR has since evolved into an important “green” aspect of meetings, frequently cited by surveys as a practice that holds rewards for attendees and beneficiaries alike.
But while many CSR programs are successful, some can fall short of the desired outcome, according to veteran planners and teambuilding experts. Following are some tips and observations about doing the right thing in the right way.
CSR Evolution
Since Katrina, CSR activities have steadily become more important to the meetings and incentive industry, according to Nola Conway, president of Global Destinations Marketing in Beverly Hills, Calif.
“As more corporations are enjoying the success of CSR, they are allocating more of the budget to it and often make it the highlight of the entire program,” she said. “The satisfaction level has proven to be so high.”
As a result, Conway said the average length of CSR activities that her company plans during incentive programs has risen over the years from a half-day to a full day. More engagement between the group and the recipients is another change.
“Often the charities we’re working with can be 45 minutes or an hour from the hotel, so going to a full day makes sense,” she said. “Plus, there is much more emphasis on interaction. CSR activities often used to take place at the hotel with no interaction with the recipients. Now these events are more likely to happen on-site at the charity.”
Another big change is that meeting and incentive clients are establishing long-term relationships with the charities they serve. This trend is partly due to the influence of younger participants coming onto the scene, according to Meredith Martini, CEO of PlayWorks, a meeting planning and teambuilding company headquartered in Metro Atlanta, with domestic and international offices.
“The new generation wants to have a deeper experience, so the long-term relationship is important,” she said. “With that, participants can see the difference that can be made over time. It’s moving from one-time impact to long-term investment. CSR is also now a year-round practice, where it used to happen mostly around the holidays.”
Economic trends have also played a role in the evolution of CSR, said David Goldstein, COO (creator of opportunities), for Stoughton, Mass.-based TeamBonding, which over the last decade has continually added to the number of charitable team-building options it offers, including those that help military families and cancer patients. He noted that CSR gathered momentum during the recession when companies were under pressure to avoid the perception that meetings and incentives are frivolous.
“While companies couldn’t justify doing a morale-building event, they could justify doing something to give back to the local community,” he said. “Now so many companies are doing CSR that we sometimes run into charities that actually don’t have enough kids to give bikes to.”
Matching the Program
Among the keys to successful CSR is matching the right program with the right group. Because activities are involved, the fitness level of the group is among the first things that need to be considered, according to Conway.
“If it’s an active group, you can go for manual labor like planting trees,” she said. “We had a group construct beds for children. With less active groups, we’ve done things like install software, pack backpacks with books or unpack kitchen supplies.”
CSR activities that are related to the business of the organization also work well, according to Martini.
“For example, a pharmaceutical group may want to tie in the activity with a population that fits their product,” she said. “It might be a children’s hospital or a group of cancer patients who use their type of medication.”
PageBreak
Another strategy is to tie in the CSR activity to a charitable organization that the client already has a relationship with, she added.
“It’s important to match the corporate values and meeting objectives with the end charity,” she said. “Does the organization already have a history of affiliation with food-related charities versus children’s charities?”
Other criteria she recommended can include taking a look at the local needs of the meeting’s location. Was there a recent disaster such as a flood or fire in the vicinity that could benefit from the group’s help? Still another strategy is to poll the participants about what type of causes they care most about.
Interaction is Key
What makes CSR most rewarding for participants and beneficiaries alike is interaction, according to planners. Because of this, hosting the activity at the charity location can be preferable to having it at the hotel or meeting venue.
“Hosting the activity on-site at the charity means there will be the chance for participants to see the smiles on the faces and experience the impact they are making by painting a room or constructing a playground that the children can use,” she said.
Interaction also brings in a fun element, according to Martini, who found this to be the case during an activity that centered on donating canned goods to a church-run school in Puerto Rico.
“We did an event called Cantastic, with sculptures out of canned goods where kids from the school were involved from start to finish,” she said. “They helped with the design and building of the sculptures, and there were interactive games involved. If you can bring the recipients in—and frankly, it’s easier not to—it’s well worth it.”
Common Mistakes
When planning a CSR activity in an unfamiliar destination, particularly one overseas, it’s crucial to work with a local destination management company that knows the territory and the cultural nuances, Conway added.
“It can cost you the entire success of the program if you don’t use a local DMC to help organize the event,” she said.
She found this to be the case when organizing an activity that involved donating supplies to a children’s hospital in Spain. A local DMC helped avoid making several mistakes, including not realizing the amount of government approvals required for such an undertaking.
“For example, we didn’t know the children in the hospital were not allowed to be photographed,” she said. “Had the DMC not told us this, we would have tried to do a group picture.”
The time of year or the time of day of the CSR activity is another crucial consideration. Because many charities may be understaffed, it can be difficult for charity reps to come to the meeting venue at certain times. If children are to be present at the event, their schedules need to be considered.
“For example, if you’re doing a bike-building event, it’s great to have the children involved so you can see their reaction and even see them riding the bikes,” Goldstein said. “But the timing has to be right. You can’t take them out of school or have it too late in the evening.”
