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Better CSR Reporting: Emphasize Outcomes

I’ve had lots of feedback from a post I wrote last week called How to Improve Your CSR Report.

One person observed that “the problem seems to be that to report you need to count things, yet much of what and organisation delivers into society cannot be measured this way.”

Even most non-profit organization report their social ROI based on number of people served, beds in hospitals, brochures distributed, etc. The real value of social organizations is not how many services were delivered but what the results of those services were.

Corporations can start to improve their CSR reports by asking this question: What social and environmental differences were made as a result of our actions in these areas?

The dollars invested, programs started, waste reduced, donations made, and other quantitative outcomes are the means by which your company is making a difference. Emphasizing these investments won’t get much attention from your stakeholders.

If they’re remarkable enough people will pay attention to the social and environmental outcomes of your CSR program.