CSR, corporate social responsibility in business is no longer a “nice to have”, but it is becoming a part and even an important one of the core business. The social request from inside/from the employees and the external push to behave differently, to take responsibility for others, to engage “beyond the borders” is  obvious. 

Time has changed: CSR does not mean having two or three people sitting in a small office at the end of the administration building who from time to time send some money to a big and known NGO and do PR on that. At the best there is some huge and known agency behind to “measure the impact” with the aim to produce concrete numbers and figures around, “business-like”: counting events, workshops, programs, the money donated and people involved. It is an easy exercise that even sells. Or better it did in the past, but it won’t in the future. 

What did they measure? The numbers, for sure, do not reflect the impact.  It’s like counting students in the class, plus the lessons given and the teachers involved, plus the books distributed …. A number based on quantity, but not showing the impact. Measuring without getting in contact with the students themselves, seeing what they have learned and how they use it nor how studies change their activities and life is useless. 

The easy CSR engagement is over, it is time to do more. The social world needs to become part of the business world and vice versa. Let’s not focus on writing figures and large strategy papers that often fail. But simply start and create and learn by doing. There is a lot of potential and a lot of hope in it. Even with a little smaller profit but much more purpose of what we do – we all will win!