CSI Works

Corporate Social Investment:

ENABLING SUSTAINABILITY

Despite tough economic conditions, CSI (Corporate Social Investment) spending in South Africa has increased significantly in the last 5 years. Changes in legislation and the expectations of stakeholders and communities demand that companies contribute to social economic development. Increasingly businesses are recognising the broader role they must play in society.

At Creative Consulting and Development Works, we’re the trusted strategic partner of leading organisations in the development sector. Our main aim is to enable organisations to create sustainable livelihoods through strategic planning, research and evaluation, capacity-building, communication and our corporate social investment offering namely, CSI Works.

CSI Works is a tailored service designed to enable clients to implement sustainable social investment programmes that apply effective frameworks. We recognise the importance of building capital, guiding our clients through a thorough needs assessment and then applying the following relevant solutions:

1. Evaluation of Partnerships

2. Capacity Building

3. Monitoring & Evaluation

4. Development Communication

CSI Works Four-Tiered Model

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Evaluation of Partnerships
Capacity Building
Monitoring & Evaluation

1. EVALUATION OF PARTNERSHIPS

Our core team identifies appropriate proposals for organisational funding or project funding, organising the Terms of Reference and disseminating through appropriate channels. This includes:

Managing and facilitating the short-listed proposals
Conducting research and evaluation on the candidates
Advising and managing the partnership agreement with the selected beneficiaries so as to minimise risk, and maximise investment and impact.

2. CAPACITY BUILDING

Our team develops project indicators with both the beneficiary and the client, assuring both parties understand deliverables and
expectations. We work alongside the beneficiary, supporting them with planning and implementation, overseeing the self-monitoring and donor reporting. Lastly, our team focuses on the transferring of skills according to a needs assessment in terms of specified criteria e.g. good governance and finance.

3. MONITORING & EVALUATION

We recognise the need for formal research to reliably measure and assess impact of development programmes and/or initiatives. Our vast experience gives us insight into the context, challenges and benchmarks in the development sector. These insights enable individuals and communities to overcome the barriers to achieving sustainable livelihoods. Our monitoring and evaluation offering includes:

Develop assessment criteria and indicators for projects, organisation capacity and risk
Conduct field monitoring and evaluation through site visits and interviews.

4. DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION

Businesses recognise the need to partner with communities working towards sustainable development through CSI initiatives. Our team understands the integral role that communication plays in creating awareness of CSI programmes and we help our clients to improve communication between their organisation and their communities. Our communication services include the following:

Raise awareness through publicity
and profile-building
Advocacy Campaigns
Employee Giving Campaigns
Internal Communication Campaigns
Communication of Best CSI Practice
Models regionally
Report Writing
Publications, Annual Reports,CSI Reports
Social Media – create awareness
surrounding issues
Online Fundraising.

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CSI WORKS: ENABLING SUSTAINABILITY

According to a 2010 survey done by Penn Schoen Berland & Burson-Marsteller:

Social responsibility remains important to consumers despite the recession (70%)
Social responsibility remains a differentiator
for products and brands, with more than 55% more likely to choose a product that supports a cause
The core areas of social responsibility that people are looking for include: treating employees well, environmental responsibility,
and giving back to the community.