SocialForAction: Revolutionizing the Way Corporates Give Back to Society

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the voluntary actions that companies take to improve their social and environmental impact beyond their legal obligations. CSR involves incorporating social and environmental concerns into a company’s operations and decision-making processes to ensure that they have a positive impact on society and the environment.

CSR activities can take many forms, including charitable giving, community involvement, environmental sustainability, ethical business practices, and employee volunteering. Some companies also integrate CSR into their core business strategy to create shared value for both the company and society.

CSR is becoming increasingly important for companies as consumers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders are demanding greater accountability and transparency from corporations. Many companies are now recognizing that CSR can be a key driver of long-term business success by enhancing their reputation, improving their relationships with stakeholders, and reducing their environmental and social risks.

Importance Of Corporate Social Responsibility In Today’s World

The connection between crowdfunding and corporate social responsibility (CSR) lies in the potential of crowdfunding platforms to support and promote CSR initiatives of companies. Crowdfunding is a powerful tool for raising funds and awareness for social causes, making it a natural fit for CSR activities.

By partnering with a crowdfunding platform, companies can leverage the platform’s technology and networks to raise funds and awareness for their CSR initiatives. Crowdfunding can also provide a platform for companies to engage with their stakeholders, including customers, employees, and suppliers, to build relationships and demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility.

In addition, crowdfunding can help companies to measure the impact of their CSR initiatives more effectively. Crowdfunding platforms provide real-time data and feedback, allowing companies to track the success of their campaigns and make adjustments as necessary. This can help companies to better understand the social and environmental impact of their CSR activities and to identify areas where they can improve.

Overall, crowdfunding can be a valuable tool for companies seeking to enhance their CSR activities. By partnering with a crowdfunding platform, companies can leverage the power of social networks to create positive social and environmental impact, build relationships with stakeholders, and demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility.

SocialForAction’s role in revolutionizing corporate giving

Social For Action addresses the many challenges of giving (such as difficulty in discovering the right causes, trust deficit, and overall donor apathy). We share stories of (pre-qualified) individuals and groups with a network of its trusted community and partners, who either specialize in providing and supporting the local communities by promoting products or can connect with the cause to help with a donation.

• SocialForAction’s mission and vision

Mission: To use technology & local knowledge to simplify raising funds for creative ideas, causes, charities and other sectors. In the process we want to spur non-profit giving, innovation, accountability and transparency while creating a marketplace that rewards the truly creative and efficient.

Vision: We desire to see every Indian contribute 2% of their income to charities. As lack of transparency is one thing which stops most of us from contributing to NGOs. We are trying to address this problem using our innovative model. We believe that with the effective use of technology and introducing crowd-funding to the Indian public, we can create a much effective giving culture.

• How The Platform Works

A fundraiser campaign is a unique page created on Social For Action. A campaign will have the information, photos, and documents that you have provided while setting up the campaign. A campaign is linked to multiple payment options, and donors can access this page to make a donation. Every donation made through the page is reflected in the progress bar.

You can set up a fundraiser campaign as an individual and raise funds for yourself, a group, or a social cause. You may attach supporting documents (medical documents, photos, videos) related to your cause on the campaign page to build trust. Please click here to see tips on how to start a fundraiser campaign.

Patient’s records, hospital bills and doctor’s note are often proved to be effective in getting donations.

1. Start your campaign

• Set your fundraiser goal
• Tell your story
• Add a picture or video

2. Share with friends

• Send emails
• Send text messages
• Share on social media

3. Manage donations

• Accept donations
• Thank donors
• Request to withdraw funds

SocialForAction platform for Corporate

Thanks to social media, India is seeing a rise in the culture of both asking and giving. Being at the crux of the action, NGOs are well aware of this trend and online crowdfunding offers them a perfect platform to leverage it. In the last few years, we have seen a substantial rise in the number of NGOs using our platform. In addition to the convenience and transparency that comes with crowdfunding, we offer them a slew of features to give their campaign a boost.

• Effective communication is key to the success of any crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding platforms offer premium content and marketing services to help NGOs get the most out of their campaign.
• Donors have multiple options in terms of payment methods and currencies to choose from.
• Few crowdfunding platforms also provide access to foreign funds and provide tax benefits to donors, as well as vetted Indian NGOs.

Magic Bus, a non-profit for children’s cause, raised Rs 6.39 lakhs to provide education to underpriviledged children across 22 states in India and help them move out of poverty. In another fundraiser led by Magic Bus, 18 Bollywood celebrities including Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and Dino Morea collaborated to raise funds for children and youth living in extreme poverty in India.

How it works for Corporate

• Increased Reach: Crowdfunding platforms have a large network of supporters who are passionate about social causes. Partnering with such platforms can help companies to reach a broader audience and gain more exposure for their CSR initiatives.

• Cost-Effective: Traditional methods of fundraising can be costly and time-consuming. Crowdfunding platforms, on the other hand, offer a cost-effective way for companies to raise funds for their CSR activities. These platforms typically charge a small fee, which is often much lower than the cost of traditional fundraising methods.
• Enhanced Credibility: Partnering with a reputable crowdfunding platform can help to enhance a company’s credibility and reputation. Crowdfunding platforms often have established relationships with non-profit organizations and social impact ventures, which can help to validate a company’s CSR efforts.
• Flexibility: Crowdfunding platforms offer a high degree of flexibility in terms of the types of CSR initiatives that can be supported. Companies can choose from a range of causes, from environmental sustainability to social justice, and can create campaigns that align with their specific CSR goals.
• Increased Engagement: Partnering with a crowdfunding platform can help to increase engagement and participation among employees, customers, and other stakeholders. By involving stakeholders in the crowdfunding process, companies can create a sense of shared ownership and purpose around their CSR initiatives.
• Measurable Impact: Crowdfunding platforms typically provide companies with access to real-time data and analytics, which can help to measure the impact of their CSR initiatives. This data can be used to refine and improve future CSR efforts, and to demonstrate the company’s commitment to social responsibility to stakeholders.

In conclusion, partnering with a crowdfunding platform can be an effective way for companies to enhance their CSR efforts, increase engagement, and drive measurable impact. By leveraging the power of crowdfunding, companies can support meaningful causes, build their reputation, and create a more sustainable and socially responsible future.

Advantages of SocialForAction’s platform

It’s more efficient than traditional fundraising.

When you’re an early-stage company focused on building your business and attracting seed capital, you might not be able to afford all the time and attention that pursuing traditional financing demands. Compared to applying for a loan or seeking out accredited investors yourself, setting up a successful crowdfunding campaign on Fundable or another platform is far more efficient and effective in getting your message out to the right people. With the right platform, you can tell your business’s story, produce a quick video, set up some enticing rewards, and benefit from having everything in one centralized location where potential backers can find you.

It’s a place to build traction, social, proof, and validation.

A strong, highly visible crowdfunding campaign can provide validation and social proof that’s vital in charting your path forward. When potential customers show interest in your startup’s product or service, you’ve generated social proof—demonstrating that other people believe in what you’re doing. Once early adopters vet and buy into your idea, others are more likely to follow suit. Social proof is translated into traction—whether it’s a large number of backers, pre-orders, or media attention—that’s invaluable as you pitch to other investors.

It’s an opportunity for crowdsourced brainstorming to refine your idea.

Hear your would-be backers poking holes in your business plan or asking some tough questions? Take it in stride and accept it as free, crowdsourced brainstorming. The basis of a startup is finding some important, unmet need that your customers have, and deciding to be the one to do something about it. Thus, it’s important to seize any opportunity for customer feedback and consider it in planning your startup. One of the greatest things about crowdfunding is how close it gets you to your customers, giving you a chance to engage them and field questions, complaints, feedback, and ideas. You never know—your company’s next great idea could come from somebody who isn’t even on your payroll.

 It gains you early adopters and loyal advocates.

The people that power your idea’s social proof are your early adopters and potential brand advocates. They’re the people who believe in your story, product, or service, enough to stake their money on its longevity and long-term success. These early adopters are key to the success of your crowdfunding campaign and the momentum you keep after closing, being the ones most likely to share your vision with friends and family and promote it through their social networks.

 It doubles as marketing and media exposure.

Press coverage will create more eyes on your campaign and create lasting brand awareness for your startup. This can come in the form of a feature story on a popular news station, blog, or print publication, and is a great way to bring in backers outside of your personal network. A good feature story or Twitter mention can create a powerful snowball effect, putting you in touch with major investors you might not have otherwise reached. Whether they read about your new product on a popular blog or hear about your innovative campaign from a friend, a successful crowdfund is a great way to capture new investor interest.

 Crowdsourcing has grown into an excellent way for entrepreneurs and early-stage companies to validate their business, find capital and early adopters, and get the exposure they need to grow. To recap, some of the most powerful ways a crowdfunding campaign can help build more startup momentum than other financing methods are:

• It’s more efficient than traditional fundraising.
• It generates traction, social proof, and validation.
• It’s an opportunity for crowdsourced brainstorming to refine your idea.
• It gains you early adopters and loyal advocates.
• It doubles as marketing and media exposure.

Success Stories

Example 1. Desai Brothers Limited CSR Activity with Social For Action

In Sangola taluka of Solapur district, some women came together under the leadership of Dr Sanjeevani Kelkar and started a movement and also an organisation called Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan for the welfare of women and families. The organisation runs a school for children from lower income groups till Std 10. There are more than 1,000 students in the school.

The school lacked a toilet facility for girls, causing them great inconvenience. A campaign was run through ‘Social for Action’ to get funds to build a toilet in the school. It was received extremely well and Desai Brothers Limited from Pune came forward to extend help through their CSR initiatives. Currently, the construction of the toilet is underway with the help of the funds received.

Example 2: Neuman & Esser Engineering India Pvt. Ltd CSR Activity with Social For Action

The construction of a pipeline in a village was one such effort. Sakal came to know about the drinking water issue faced by the residents of Vegare-Mandavkhadak village situated in a remote region in Mulshi taluka, Pune district. Through ‘Social for Action’, the construction of a pipeline from a water tank atop a hill in the village down to the settlements was completed. Neuman & Esser Engineering India Pvt. Ltd from Bhosari extended a helping hand to ‘Sakal’. Thanks to these efforts, the villagers now have a 24-hour water supply near their homes, bringing great relief to the womenfolk of the village.

Let’s find out about this project…

The Vegare region (taluka Mulshi), in the Mutha river basin in the Pune district, is inaccessible even today. Mandavakhadak is the end of this region spread over three main sections. Every year, post-January, the village faced severe water scarcity. Villagers, especially women, had to spend hours collecting water from natural springs and even climb down a valley to fill water at night. With a single well in the Bhugaon side of the region, a spring near the village crematorium and a pond for animals, their water sources are extremely limited. In the months of May and June, water had to be filled in drums using small bowls for providing later to animals. Women had to walk a distance of at least 1.5-2.5 km to fill water. They had to fill containers by collecting water in small bowls and then carry the containers over their head.

While the Vegare village lies to the east of the region, to the south is Bhugaon in Lavasa, to the west is the Tamhini area and to the north is Warak village. Around 150-200 people belonging to 30 families live here in settlements in Mandavkhadak, Bavdhanevasti, Akhadevasti, Dhebevasti and Kokarevasti. Their chief source of livelihood is cattle farming. But when humans have to struggle to get water, one can only imagine the plight of animals.

Recently, a water tank with a 3-lakh litre storage capacity was built on a hilltop by the Zilla Parishad. Water is released into it from the village well. But most settlements are at a distance of 1.5-2 km from the water tank and in the absence of a pipeline, the water couldn’t reach the settlements and the homes. Daily ‘Sakal’ noticed this and undertook the work of laying down a pipeline from the water tank to Mandavkhadak, bearing its cost too. Neuman & Esser Engineering India Pvt. Ltd from Bhosari in Pune extended financial help from its CSR funds. Besides, with the help of Meenanath Kangude, Sarpanch of Mandavkhadak, the villagers participated in the digging work to lay down the pipeline.

Like Mandavkhadak, the ‘Social for Action’ campaign will be carried out by daily ‘Sakal’ in different rural areas of the state to solve various citizens’ problems and for this, an appeal is being made that philanthropic individuals, various organisations, industrial establishments and information technology companies, etc. should come forward to help under CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).

There is a need for collective help and funds for social welfare projects and philanthropic activities of many organisations.

Example 3: Bicycle for Girls for Helping them to Continue their Education

When you are travelling towards the world-famous Ajanta Caves from Aurangabad, in Fulambri taluka, you will find Pimpalgaon Gangdev, a small, beautiful village located on the road leading towards Rajur Ganapati. The village has a Zilla Parishad school that conducts Std 1 to 8 classes. The school was founded in 1959. Currently, there are 4 teachers and 95 students there.

Although there are English medium schools at barely a 5-km distance from Pimpalgaon, the number of students in the ZP school is increasing by the day due to the quality education imparted and the amenities provided there.

The Pimpalgaon Gangdev school has classes till Std 8. For further studies, students have to travel to the nearby Pathri village. Public transport turns out expensive for them, so most students walk for 5-6 km to reach Pathri. Many parents have discontinued their daughters’ education because they don’t want to send the girls for further studies outside the village. A cycle bank project needs to be undertaken so that the girl students can travel to and from the school. Social for Action had made an appeal for the cycle bank project through ‘Samajbhan’.

Pune-based Suryadatta Group of Institutes has responded to the appeal and extended support. Soon, cycles will be distributed among the Pimpalgaon girl students. People from all social strata need to support this so that the cycle bank and toilet projects reach the maximum number of remote rural schools. Generous individuals, IT companies, CSR companies and non-resident Indians can extend financial help for the project.

And more more such successful projects and their impact can be seen by following the Success Story link on Social For Action: https://socialforaction.com/success-stories

Company A collaborating with SocialForAction for a disaster relief campaign

Maharashtra saw an unprecedented rainfall last year leading to severe floods in Sangli and Kolhapur region. Tata Technologies’ volunteers were on ground in association local government agencies and Tata group companies helping the needy flood affected families. Tata Technologies supported the flood relief program initiated by Tata group as one Tata response. They also initiated an employee contribution drive to support the flood relief program wherein we received good response.

Future of Corporate Giving

Once upon a time, cutting a check to a local charity may have been enough to show your community, employees, and other target audiences that your business is committed to forward missions of social good.

However, in our current day and age, CSR has evolved well beyond simple monetary donations to include a variety of programs that can benefit your business.

More specifically, consider these alternative CSR initiatives and how they can help businesses to achieve their unique goals:

In-kind giving. In-kind donations are non-monetary gifts—namely a company’s goods, services, or experiences. As is outlined in this guide to in-kind donations, this kind of CSR can be a convenient way for businesses to support charitable causes, earn positive publicity, and raise brand loyalty. For example, a business might conduct in-kind giving by using extra inventory to provide prizes for an auction or event gift bags, a cost-effective and very public strategy to enhance the impact of its philanthropic efforts.

Volunteer days. Volunteer or service days involve the organization of special days where employees are encouraged to volunteer at charitable events or programs in the community. These programs are often paired with volunteer grants, monetary gifts that go to the charity in question, to further aid the cause and show employees and community members your commitment to social good.

Matching gifts. Over 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs, making it one of the most popular forms of modern CSR. This initiative involves companies “matching” donations made by their employees to qualifying nonprofits or other charitable organizations.

While direct monetary donations will continue to be an important part of how businesses conduct their CSR strategies, it’s anticipated that many businesses will diversify to include input from customers and employees to take in the full range of benefits from other CSR programs.

While it can be easy to turn a blind eye to corporate philanthropy in favor of other projects, CSR is a powerful motivator for consumers, employees, and other constituents that can nurture your business’s growth and financial success. That’s what makes it so essential to keep a close eye on up-and-coming trends in CSR and remain attentive to these rapidly-evolving initiatives.

As we move forward into the future of CSR, keep in mind these key insights, predictions, and trends to enable your business to take full advantage of the benefits of corporate philanthropy.

Conclusion

Companies striving to measure success beyond bottom line financial results may adopt corporate social responsibility strategies. These strategies may target environmental, ethical, philanthropic, and fiscal responsibility that extend beyond the products they sell. CSRs aim to make the world a better place beyond transacting with customers and may result in company-specific benefits as well.

Social For Action is a platform that pertains to crowdfunding. This simply means to raise money from certain individuals for the purpose of financing projects. With Social For Action, you can raise funds for disaster relief, flood relief, child education, medical care, or any other noble cause. We at Social For Action feel joyous in welcoming anyone who wishes to make a financial contribution towards a noble cause.