The following excerpt is taken from an article by Jason Saul and Cheryl Davenport currently featured on CRO Magazine's website and to be published in the October print edition.    

In an opinion piece in last week’s Washington Post, the respected author and global editor of Thomson Reuters, Chrystia Freeland, blasted corporate social responsibility as a “cult” and a “fetish.”    At first glance, I found Ms.

“To realize meaningful benefits, philanthropy cannot be treated as just another ‘check the box,’ but rather must be executed no less professionally, proactively, and strategically than other core business activities.”

“The business just doesn’t get what we’re trying to do here!” “The C-suite doesn’t have time to spend on this…it’s not at the top of their priority list.” “…We have a strategy.  We’re just looking for Marketing to help us with the tagline.” 

More than a dozen leaders of the corporate social responsibility community in Chicago gathered on Friday, September 18th to share their experiences and ideas over lunch.  Hosted by Mission Measurement as part of the Leaders in Social Innovation (LSI) luncheon series, the discussion drew representatives from banking, healthcare, professional services, insurance, social media and philanthropy.