Good For The World, Good For The Wallet

Everyone wins when businesses pursue the collective good through corporate social responsibility .

A number of years ago, we were high in the mountains of Ecuador leading a volunteer group building a school when we learned our supplies would be arriving late.

Disappointed, we told the village elder we wouldn’t be able to finish on time. Even if everyone worked together, it just wasn’t physically possible.

“No problem,” she said. “I’ll call a minga.”

She took a few steps forward and called out, “There’s going to be a minga!” The word echoed for a bit. Then, it started spreading person-to-person.

The next morning, hundreds of people gathered in the village square. Men left their fields. Women came with babies. Children walked for hours.

The elder explained to us that a minga is like a rallying cry telling everyone to put down their work and come together for the collective good. When she asked if we had an equivalent in Canada, we couldn’t really come up with anything.

It’s amazing how language can reflect a culture. We have lots of words for money but no word for minga. The thing is, we need a minga. The world needs a minga.

In the years we’ve spent talking to youth about living “Me to We,” we also try to speak to the young at heart. It’s not just children we need in our minga. It’s everyone, including business.

The best way for companies to come together for the collective good is through corporate social responsibility. In doing so, they’ll find what’s good for the world can also be good for the wallet.

A great starting point is the principle that saving the environment can also save money. Over a 10-year period, Xerox implemented an input resource reduction plan to capture and reuse spare parts. They managed to cut 1.5 billion tons of waste, saving the company $2 billion.

Another step is to get employees involved in volunteer activities. The Home Depot – or as they call themselves, Team Depot – has given away over two million volunteer hours to its employees, encouraging them to become active in their communities. This builds soft skills like leadership and teambuilding while reducing the cost of employee training by building morale and improving retention. If that doesn’t seem like a big deal, just look at the study showing job loathing costs $150 billion annually.

Next, co-branding with a cause can strengthen a brand. Aleve did this by teaming with the Arthritis Foundation when they learned those suffering from the disorder are their biggest consumers. Aleve now sponsors a walk in cities across Canada to help raise money for arthritis research. It’s a great cause and it allows for target marketing. Aleve’s logo is printed on thousands of T-shirts proudly worn by participants.

Sometimes companies voice uncertainty about which cause to adopt. A simple solution is matching employee donations. Fairmont and Investors Group already do this in Canada. It sends a message to workers that their employer cares about what they do and that it is with them in fighting to make a difference.

Finally, a company must communicate its commitments. An annual corporate social responsibility report is becoming as common as an annual investors report. Giving awards can recognize employee contributions in a public forum. Most importantly, by getting executives publically involved, this shows employees their efforts are appreciated at the highest levels of management.

If reduced costs, improved productivity, and stronger branding aren’t sufficient in convincing companies to join the minga, there’s also the reminder that it’s the right thing to do. After all, even one company can make a world of difference.

Back in 1988, Lenscrafters, North America’s largest retailer of prescription eyeglasses, started putting out drop boxes where people could leave their old eyeglasses. Twenty years later, Lenscrafters has given glasses to 1.16 million people, mostly in the developing world. For those who are wondering, the company consistently ranks as one of the Top 100 Best Employers.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the work. And, it’s normal to worry about the risk. But, time and again, business leaders have shown they can help their bottom line by helping the world.

We need a minga. And, we need business to be part of it.