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Corporate Social Responsibility. The phrase that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean to be a good corporate citizen?

Many real estate businesses have partnerships with charitable foundations – some even run their own charities – and do a lot to raise money and awareness for various causes. But how your company handles and promotes theses types of community-minded initiatives can be a minefield, given how cynical some consumers can be about business-related fundraising efforts.

To illustrate how it can work, we’d like to share a recent event Newlitho recently supported and share some of the lessons we’ve learned from this and other community-related initiatives we’ve undertaken in the past.

The Melbourne Philharmonia Project was founded in late 2015 by a group of young musicians, including Artistic Director Clinton Daley, who are mostly students at Melbourne University and the Australian National Academy of Music. We’re a sponsor and our CEO, Seth Watts, is also the Project’s Chairman, so we’ve been heavily involved in getting some of the infrastructure up and running over the last few months. The group’s recent inaugural performance was an epic night of classical music featuring two works; the iconic Kakadu, by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe, and Mahler’s monumental First Symphony, Titan. The performance was held in Cobblestone Pavilion at the Melbourne Meat Market, an unconventional space that made the evening a really unique experience. It was a fantastic night and great to see a group of talented young musicians strut their stuff in front of an audience of 250 people.

Here’s a few things we’ve taken away from that experience that we think helped make it a success for everyone involved.

1. Think smaller. Working with a small organisation, like a local sporting team, arts organisation or community group, offers lots of opportunities to be hands on and actually see the results of your efforts. It also gets your company embedded in the local community.
2. Take a back seat. It can be tempting to shout your positive contribution to the world, but it’s important to let the cause or organisation be front and centre. Don’t make it about your business; it looks like you’re more interested in promoting your own interests than actually making a difference.
3. Put someone in charge. Doing CSR property can be a lot of work, so find a member of your staff to organise all your efforts. It’s a great opportunity for personal and professional development and shows those outside the business that you take your involvement seriously.

Done right, CSR can attract staff and clients, differentiate your brand, and enhance your business’s influence. But when it’s tackled the wrong way or with the wrong motives, it looks cynical and greedy and can be hugely damaging to people’s perceptions of your brand. So if you are considering embracing a charitable or community cause in your business, make sure the program is run in a way that builds brand equity rather than diminishes it.

Thanks to the Melbourne Philharmonia Project and David Ng for the images accompanying this post.

What community or charitable causes is your business involved with, and what makes them successful?