Corporate Social Initiatives
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES 2011
1.0 Introduction
These guidelines will be used in conjunction with the Corporate Social Responsibility Policy.
2.0 Alignment to the National Economic Development Strategy
Given WUC’s central role in the national economy, the Corporation will ensure that its Corporate Social Responsibility activities are aligned with development planning at the local, regional and national levels. To this end, the Corporation will identify opportunities to work with local economic development programmes in close liaison with national economic planning agencies, non-governmental organisations and government to assist the process of alignment.
3.0 Alignment with WUC’s Business Strategy
Corporate Social Responsibility projects will be treated as an integral component of WUC’s business activities and will therefore be aligned with and complement other business processes and strategies concerned with minimizing the negative and maximizing the positive socio-economic impacts associated with its operations. WUC will ensure that social investments are not seen as a substitute for adopting applying best environmental and social practice in relation to core business activities.
WUC will focus its funding through a strong emphasis on Management Area specific community development which stands to benefit a wide section of the community rather than an individual, with select national flagship projects that aim to profile WUC, build its reputation and allow it to partner with key stakeholders such as Government, Village Development Committees, environmental agencies and others. Each Management Area will identify a project; submit a proposal and detailed plan of implementation to the Corporate Communications Manager for approval.
WUC will split its funding and involvement amongst Management Areas that are directly involved with the Corporation’s local operations and funding made at a corporate level.
The ratio of investment will be as follows:
4.0 Measurement
WUC will implement a monitoring and evaluation plan which will aid in systematically checking that programmes are going according to plan and that money invested in them is well spent and that community priorities are not sidelined or that token community involvement does not take the place of real participation by local communities. Through the monitoring and evaluation process, full account will be taken of the community’s views of the Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
The measurement will take into account both quantifiable outputs such as new community facilities, voluntary organizations supported, community enterprise start-ups, capacity building initiatives carried out as well as qualitative outputs such as attainment of results against objectives, whether the project has the desired impact on the project recipients.
5.0 Focus Areas
To ensure maximum effectiveness of the CSR programme at Management Area level, all areas should adhere to set guidelines, criteria in funding decision making and controls.
WUC will select flagship projects and here a clear distinction will be made between funding of developmental activities and marketing initiatives. In addition, recognizing the scarcity of resources and the need to create sustainability when funding projects, joint ventures with other agencies including the community and the use of staff volunteers are more likely to endure.
The Corporation’s focus areas will therefore be:
- Community Development
- Environment
- Education
- Cultural Development
- Welfare and Poverty Alleviation
- Music and Art
- Employee Involvement (volunteer work in any of the above focus areas)