What is "connectivity"?

Companies that have invested in corporate social responsibility (CSR) over the last decade are increasingly realizing the benefits of establishing closer relationships with third sector organisations and, in particular, of establishing and maintaining multiple points of contact with third sector partners.

We use the term "connectivity" to describe the establishment and maintenance of this relationship matrix.

In the early years of CSR, many companies saw their relationship with third sector organisations as one of benefactor and beneficiary. This allowed the CSR function to be delegated to a single department within the company, or even a charitable arm, and necessitated only a single point of contact for communication purposes. Increasingly, however, companies are realizing that they have much to gain from establishing third sector partnership relationships and encouraging the development of contacts across the breadth of their operations.

The benefits of improving connectivity

In addition to the obvious marketing and PR benefits, increasing the contact between a company's employees and the third sector, particularly through volunteering or secondments, enables skills exchange and improves employee engagement by encouraging a "feel good factor" within the company. For example, while third sector organisations will often be able to improve their operational effectiveness with advice from commercially-focused volunteers, those volunteers will often improve their people skills and broaden their perspective on life, both important attributes for managers.

We help companies to build partnerships with third sector organisations, improve connectivity and develop strategies to derive real benefit for their employees and their businesses from their CSR initiatives.