​Want to do something for Colorado? Have your business engage in efforts to positively impact societal causes, what is called corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR is an effective way to:

1. Boost economic development for all. You can direct your CSR to drive economic growth and create job opportunities for all by, for example, instituting policies to source locally and hire under-represented groups.
   
2. Strengthen nonprofit and community organizations through strategic partnerships. Your CSR can involve alliances with Colorado nonprofits that address social and environmental challenges. For instance, the utility company Xcel Energy has partnered with organizations like Energy Outreach Colorado to provide affordable energy solutions to low-income households, thus reducing energy poverty and improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations.
   
3. Increase the state’s resources dedicated to societal causes. Monetary and in-kind contributions allow nonprofit organizations to amplify the good they do. Consider, for example, donating a percentage of profits or a set amount of product per month.
   
4. Involve more Coloradans in societal causes: Encouraging employee engagement in community service is another effective way for Colorado businesses to help their home state. This can be accomplished by, for example, offering paid volunteer time, organizing team-building activities around community service or supporting employee-led initiatives.

In summary, as a Colorado business, you have a unique opportunity to positively impact your local communities through CSR. Want to learn more? Contact us!

One of the many benefits of participating in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities is that it imbues our work with a sense of purpose. But what if we don’t have access to CSR opportunities? Maybe we’re a solo entrepreneur, work remotely or our employer’s CSR is underdeveloped.

Good news! The practice of “job purposing”, defined as making meaningful contributions to others or a societal cause as part of our work week, is as effective as CSR in igniting purpose in our workday. You might job purpose by, for example, shifting to sustainable purchasing, mentoring a new hire or otherwise contributing to others or society as part of your work week – however you can. Think of job purposing as DIY (do it yourself) CSR: It’s less institutionalized and formal than a CSR program but has the agility to allow anybody to partake.

Other examples of job purposing include:

• A hairdresser training to become an advocate for victims of domestic violence so she can offer effective help to clients who she suspects, or knows, are victims.
• A commercial landlord loaning her vacant properties to a nonprofit that uses them as staging areas for month-long neighborhood cleanups.
• A junior team member who is a whiz at creating slide decks holding web-based tech-support office hours for any coworkers struggling with PowerPoint from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday.

Want to learn more about igniting purpose at work? Watch the TEDx video by our partner, Bea Boccalandro, who coined the term job purposing or contact us.