How to drive social impact and business value together
Companies are often asked to drive business value while simultaneously supporting their communities. In my experience, both goals can be accomplished at the same time. We see it happening in multiple industries. HP, for example, has connected its social impact efforts directly to its mission of helping people succeed through technology. Through its Future of Work Accelerator , the company…
Companies often receive challenges to drive both business value and social impact simultaneously. This dual focus can be successfully achieved across various sectors. Companies like HP and FedEx exemplify this approach, leveraging their programs to support social causes while advancing their business objectives.
HP's Future of Work Accelerator connects its mission to help people succeed through technology with social impact efforts. By supporting nonprofits that expand access to digital tools, workforce training, and economic opportunity, HP helps individuals develop essential skills for today's economy while strengthening the broader ecosystem of future workers and entrepreneurs.
Similarly, FedEx's Entrepreneur Fund and Boost Camp provide entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, and business training to grow and scale their ventures. This initiative supports local economic growth, job creation, and small business success, all while strengthening FedEx's network of businesses that rely on its shipping and logistics services.
As NBCUniversal celebrates its 100th anniversary, the company is investing in the future of the creative industry. Through its Power of Storytelling Grants program, NBCUniversal partners with The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture to select 10 emerging producers to receive $5,000 grants. These grants enable the recipients to create original 30-second promotional spots that honor NBC's centennial milestone, drawing from the company's rich archive of iconic intellectual property.
The program not only fosters the growth of emerging creatives but also provides them with editorial guidance and mentorship from employee volunteers.
By investing in the next generation of talent, companies like NBCUniversal can create programs that address real societal needs while advancing their business goals. For example, Danya Granado, a winning filmmaker in the Power of Storytelling Grants program, valued the opportunity to engage directly with a century of iconic content and cultural history.
She expressed that the NBCU archive represented a hundred years of how people have seen news, entertainment, and each other, and the direct access to that material felt like an invitation to be in conversation with that legacy.
These examples demonstrate that investing in the next generation is a win-win for both the community and the company. By capitalizing on their core capabilities and using them to create pathways for others, businesses can solve real challenges while also achieving their strategic objectives. In doing so, they embody what corporate social responsibility should be: a win-win for the community and the company.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
