Research, Reports & Publications

ACCP Releases 3rd Annual Making the Case for Socially Responsible Business Toolkit

Toolkit offers a one-of-a-kind, one-stop resource to aid corporate citizenship professionals in building a data-driven business case for the importance of corporate social responsibility.
Jan 20, 2022 9:00 AM ET

January 20, 2022 /3BL Media/ - The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) today released its third annual Making the Case for Socially Responsible Business, a toolkit aimed at corporate citizenship professionals that includes curated and current statistics from more than 30 sources and presents them in easy-to-use data points and infographics. This toolkit equips industry executives with a powerful and compelling data-driven case for corporate social responsibility (CSR) as consumers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders call for corporations and CEOS to make good on their social impact commitments. The kit is available via download from ACCP.

“2021 was a transformative year for the CSR field,” said Carolyn Berkowitz, president and CEO of ACCP. “The work of corporate social responsibility is increasingly interconnected across the company and across key stakeholder groups. Expectations and demands are higher than ever – elevating the importance for CSR professionals to make a data-driven case for the resources needed to catalyze true impact.”

The toolkit – available exclusively online - contains research data from ACCP as well as other highly reputable CSR researchers, nonprofits, and foundations, including, but not limited to: Edelman, Gallup, Porter Novelli, Just Capital, KPMG, CECP, Fidelity Charitable, and more. CSR professionals can incorporate data from the toolkit into internal and external presentations, speeches, and proposals.

Following is a sample of important data points found in the toolkit:

Audience

Business Case

Consumers and the Community:

Consumers are increasingly demanding that businesses work to address and solve societal challenges.
  • 84% of global consumers consider sustainability important when choosing a brand. [Sustainability at a Turning Point, IBM, 2021]

 

Employees:

Employees want to work for companies that commit to social and environmental improvement, whose values align with their own, who engage employees in workplace causes, and who impact their communities.
  • 66% of employees report a greater sense of loyalty to their employers as a consequence of participating in CSR programs. [“Closing the Racial Inequality Gaps” Citi, 2020]

 

CEOs, C-Suite Leaders & Boards:

Most stakeholders expect leadership from CEOs on social issues, and business leaders who don’t engage will face consequences from the marketplace.
  • 87% of CEOs said purpose is central to building their brand reputation. [KPMG CEO Outlook, 2021]

Investors:

More and more investors consider a company’s ESG performance when evaluating a company overall, and transparency in ESG performance is critical with increasing business expectations to address social issues.
  • 93% of U.S. investors expect the companies they invest in to increase their prioritization of ESG initiatives.[2021 Edelman Trust Barometer]

To download a copy of the toolkit, visit the ACCP website.

The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals is the membership association for companies committed to corporate citizenship and a career-long resource for purpose-driven professionals. ACCP advances the field of corporate citizenship and serves as a strategic resource for its community of impact-driven professionals from more than 230 member companies—including Fortune 500s and mid-size companies—so that they can do the most good in their companies, their communities, and around the world.

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