NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Small Business

<i>Get the Answers:</i> Championing the cause gives points to small firms with social conscience

By Gill South
NZ Herald·
12 Dec, 2010 04:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jane Kennelly. Photo / Supplied

Jane Kennelly. Photo / Supplied

Get everyone involved - including the managing director, says Jane Kennelly, founder and managing director of Frog Recruitment and chair of Workchoice Trust.

Having a corporate social responsibility policy is something which small businesses believe is a luxury of the larger companies. But the fact is small businesses are often much more engaged with local communities at the grass roots than large multinationals.

What practical things can we do to improve our record
for corporate social responsibility?

In the 17 years with the Workchoice Trust, I believe the secret to a successful CSR programme boils down to one thing - buy-in from the top down. Buy-in has to be authentic as there's no bigger disappointment than a managing director failing to turn up to an event marking an organisation's CSR involvement. A successful CSR programme has to be more than just a thinly veiled PR campaign. There has to be an internal champion appointed to keep the involvement consistent and vibrant. Many smaller organisations don't get involved in CSR because they assume it's going to be just too daunting and burdensome. Nothing could be further from the truth.

How can we tell our stakeholders about our CSR activities?

Be seen to be involved. Undertake a simple "internal marketing" exercise to educate all employees of your involvement. Use your website, newsletters and even office stationery to brand and inform stakeholders about the cause and your involvement. If your involvement is genuine it makes sense to be identified as a supporter. Many customers and prospective employees base buying/joining decisions on this kind of knowledge. And use social media as a key communications avenue.

We are a small business, with all the staff living locally. How can we include the local community more?

For small organisations, supporting a local cause is a wonderful opportunity. Local community support is vital to the continuing existence of the Workchoice Trust. For example, in Hamilton, local mechanic Wilkinson's teaches students how to overhead weld. These students have identified mechanics as a future vocation. At McAuley High in Otahuhu, following Workchoice Day, students still visit the local rest home to visit and assist the elderly. The same rest home helps with a primary school remedial reading programme. Start by posing internally the question: "As a company what CSR causes do you suggest we support and why?"

How do we leverage what we do in CSR to help our corporate profile?

In the US and Europe, a company's CSR involvement is now treated as an integral part of a company's overall brand strategy. If you have a genuine, long-term belief in a CSR programme, why not include it in your corporate profiling to prospective employees and clients as well as current clients. One reason for getting involved in a CSR programme is to support and promote that programme - so use your channels to do this and along the way educate your stakeholders about the cause you support.

A small business is too small to have its own CSR officer. Who, typically, is in charge of making sure the company is always acting responsibly?

Every CSR plan needs to identify an internal champion to get things moving. This champion has to have a willingness to learn about the CSR programme concerned. It's imperative that the champion isn't sponsorship-marketing people. It has to sit with someone who utterly supports what's involved and it's the responsibility of management to identify this champion.

In the Workchoice Trust we have internal champions who are genuinely interested in helping young people gain knowledge to assist their future work decisions.

YOUR QUESTIONS

We want to solve your business problems. From tax headaches to recruitment nightmares - every week, with the help of specialists, we will answer your questions on any topic related to doing business.

Send your questions to Gill at: Southgill1@gmail.com

Discover more

Small Business

<i>Get the Answers:</i> Going retail is tricky, but the money's there if you can make it work

21 Nov 04:30 PM
Small Business

<i>Get the Answers:</i> Strive to separate personal expenses from business ones to get ahead

28 Nov 04:30 PM
Small Business

<i>Get the Answers:</i> Buying a franchise research is vital if you want to find one that fits

05 Dec 04:30 PM
Small Business

<i>Get The Answers:</i> Versatile contractors offer employment solution for small businesses

23 Jan 04:30 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Small Business

Premium
Small Business

Small Business: Weaving culture and quality with Nodi Rugs

15 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Media and marketing

‘Fastest to $20m revenue’ - Tracksuit's rapid growth, $42m raise

11 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Small Business

Small Business Q&A with Willy Benson of PortaSkip

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Small Business

Premium
Small Business: Weaving culture and quality with Nodi Rugs

Small Business: Weaving culture and quality with Nodi Rugs

15 Jun 05:00 PM

Olivia Moon talks to Tom Raynel about her hand-woven rug business Nodi.

Premium
‘Fastest to $20m revenue’ - Tracksuit's rapid growth, $42m raise

‘Fastest to $20m revenue’ - Tracksuit's rapid growth, $42m raise

11 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Small Business Q&A with Willy Benson of PortaSkip

Small Business Q&A with Willy Benson of PortaSkip

Premium
On The Up: Former Olympic swimmer dives into business with waste venture

On The Up: Former Olympic swimmer dives into business with waste venture

08 Jun 05:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP