You don’t need a consulting firm to make corporate impact
In the corporate world, the pressure to be a good corporate citizen has never been greater. Many corporate leaders have made impact commitments or launched an environmental social and governance strategy and now are figuring out how to deliver on them.
For example, American Express committed to doubling its annual spend with diverse and minority-owned suppliers in the US compared to 2019. Grupo Herdez set the goal of reducing water consumption per ton produced by 25% by 2030 compared to 2018 (79% of North American companies now have a significant climate target). And Aflac US set the goal to increase diversity within senior management by 5% by 2026.
To deliver, some companies turn to a social impact consulting firm. Other companies haven’t made progress because the budget they have for impact isn’t big enough to hire a firm, and they think that is the only way forward. But what if I told you that, with the right framework and some expert guidance, your team is fully capable of driving this change?
Again and again, my work with businesses across industries, with companies like Danone and the Mediterranean Shipping Company, has proven that you don’t need to outsource it all— you just need the right guidance to unleash the potential within your company and make your commitment reality.
No more lets-go-paint-a-school-for-a-day CSR activities. The companies I mentioned above are truly integrating social impact into their business model to achieve profit + purpose. From sourcing strategy to franchise ownership, we are talking powerful, news-worthy changes that are strengthening the business and having an impact along the way. And their employees get to go home every evening knowing they made the world a better place (obvious fact: this improves employee satisfaction, which is known to reduce turnover).
The power of your internal team
Your company already has a wealth of knowledge, passion, and resources at its disposal. You know your business, your industry, and your customers better than any external social impact consulting firm. What you probably lack is the bandwidth to support your teams to turn their impact ideas into reality. At most companies I talk to, the sustainability team is full-up on reporting. So who is there to guide teams (be it the operational teams, the HR team or the employee resource groups) to bring these impact initiatives to reality?
This is where external guidance and mentorship is a game changer. With guidance, your internal team can take ownership of your commitment to being a corporate citizen or your environmental social and governance strategy to drive initiatives that align with your company’s values and long-term objectives.
An example from the United States
In the wake of Black Lives Matter, the CEO of a U.S. company asked its employees to propose what they could do in their departments to contribute to addressing racial inequality. The Human Resources department pointed to the fact that 100% of the owners of the company’s franchises were white men. And while the next level down – the multi-unit managers – was very diverse, there was a critical barrier to these successful managers becoming franchise owners: the cost.
Effectively, an individual needed to have $1 million to get the bank loan necessary to open a new franchise location. The HR team wanted to make it possible for their multi-unit managers to become franchise owners and, in this way, build generational wealth in the Black community. And the CEO greenlighted it.
The problem? The HR team didn’t know how to make this idea a reality. And the sustainability team didn’t have available time to help them. But the HR team did have the vision, internal knowledge, and data, plus a strong relationship with their current multi-unit managers.
And that’s where I came in. Rather than hire a social impact consulting firm, they brought me in to guide them (with some training and coaching sprinkled in). With my guidance over multiple months, the HR team:
Got clear on who else needed to be in the team to turn this vision into reality (namely, individuals from the growth and finance departments)
Spoke with the multi-unit managers to get clear on what they wanted (managers confirmed they were interested in ownership, and also expressed risk aversion— they didn’t have extra money to lose, so it was important that the typical possibility of failure when a new franchise is opened be reduced).
Identified and connected with other experiences of inclusive franchising (ex. Domino’s)
Designed a couple possible solutions and did the financial modeling for each, which gave the team quick clarity on which one was the most viable. And presented this to the senior management team.
Invited their current financing partners to join this initiative as part of their own DEI commitments.
This company not only developed a robust social impact plan fully grounded in its business, but also developed the confidence to lead this initiative themselves, without ongoing reliance on external consultants.
Where to start
Whether I am working directly with a company or supporting them through the Business for Inclusive Growth Incubator or the World Business Council for Sustainability Incubator, we always start by getting clear on three things:
who needs to be in the room,
what the business motivation is, and
what the impact motivation is.
Why you don’t need a social impact consulting firm to do these steps
So why don’t you need a social impact consulting firm? Because your team already has the passion, the knowledge, and the drive to make change happen. They know your business better than anyone else.
What you need is someone to provide the structure and support, and facilitate the partnerships, to make that change a reality. With expert guidance, your team can develop and implement transformative social impact initiatives that align with your business objectives, engage your stakeholders, and create lasting change.
Conclusion: the power of internal leadership
Your internal team has the skills and knowledge to action your company’s social responsibility commitments. Your sustainability or ESG team may not have the bandwidth to support them, but you can bring that in! And it doesn’t require hiring a big consulting firm. In fact, it can be a single person who you bring in for a few hours a month.
Whether it is supporting an HR team or supporting Employee Resource Groups, an external expert and guide can turn all that raw material into robust action that aligns with your business goals.
At Social Impact Compass, I provide exactly this expertise and mentorship to help your teams unlock their potential and bring to life, lead, and scale your company’s social impact initiatives. Together, we can create initiatives that are tailored to your company’s unique needs and capabilities— without relying on expensive consulting companies to carry the load.
Think this might be the right solution for your company but not yet 100% sure? Follow these quick steps to figure it out.
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