By Staff

Every Monday morning, our staff sits down with coffee, breakfast and ideas. We take turns going around the table and discussing where we are on projects, what’s on the grid for this week and what we can do for our clients.

This week we happened upon the topic of a recent PR Tactics article about Corporate Social Responsibility, which is a company’s obligation to conduct its business in a manner that positively impacts its community. At RCG, we take this role seriously; each of us volunteers our public relations knowledge for pro-bono work.

Just this week, Rachael had a pre-work meeting with Young Audiences of Virginia, Ashley’s been promoting Roc Solid Foundation’s Night for the Fight fundraiser and Jessica designed a new logo for the NICU Family Advisory Council at CHKD. You might remember this blog post from a few month’s back about each staff members’ key charities.

Our clients do it best. Take for instance, TowneBank. Not only does the company contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities each year, but it also allows employees – which they call “Family Members” – to take time off of work for volunteerism.

You see Towne folks at fundraising dinners, races and board meetings. And you can’t help but notice the TowneBank name associated with just about every major charitable event in town. Their efforts truly reflect the TowneBank mission of keeping money local. For RCG, their community involvement provides invaluable content for social media and pitching stories to the media. TowneBank people can be proud of the difference they make in the community; employees feel empowered and the charities they work with are thrilled. It’s a win-win.

Every business is different, so every partnership is tailored to the client. In early 2014, we developed an idea for local accounting firm Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer (WEC) to celebrate its 25^th anniversary. Rather than throw a party for employees and clients, WEC is donating money, time, and in one case, kids’ clothes, to 25 local nonprofits. The “25 for 25” campaign begins on May 6 with a luncheon at the company’s Norfolk office to explain how each charity will benefit during WEC’s silver anniversary. Some of the charity recipients: For Kids, Inc., Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, United Way of South Hampton Roads, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Susan G. Komen Tidewater and Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula.

Corporate social responsibility is not just about a staged photo op or getting your logo as large as possible on the event banner. It’s about making the community we live and work in better. Knowing the importance of reaching out, stepping up and making a difference when no one is looking. Because trust us, you’ll know and so will your employees.

For more information on how your company can get involved in the local community, call us at 456-5212.