Campbell Soup: Make a Difference Week

“Campbell’s most inspiring achievements are not measured in dollars, but in the spirit of our employees who volunteer thousands of hours to build and sustain healthy communities. From the C-suite to the plant floor, Campbell’s people are motivated to enhance the quality of life in the areas where we live and work, starting right here in Camden.”--Denise Morrison, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company celebrates Make a Difference Week April 4 through 11. (The event started as a day-long celebration, but seven years ago, when more employees wanted to volunteer, the company expanded it to a full week.) Over 3,000 employees across the United States are expected to participate in one of the 70 projects planned for the week. Planting trees at a local school, reading to children, sorting and boxing food for food banks, building raised vegetable gardens, and preparing backpacks full of food for children who might not have anything to eat during the weekend are some of the activities planned for the eager volunteers. The company, its employees, and even some partner organizations are tweeting about Make a Difference Week using #CampbellMADW.

CEO Morrison told reporter Mark Abrams, "“We believe that employee engagement is really important and drives better performance, and so if we can get our people engaged in the community, they realize that you can make a profit and make a difference.”

Make a Difference Week is only one aspect to the portfolio of CSR initiatives sponsored by the company. Campbell's CSR activities stem from a reflective and thorough CSR philosophy with four strategic focus areas:

• Nourishing Our Planet: Environmental stewardship 
• Nourishing Our Consumers: Our interactions with customers and consumers 
• Nourishing Our Neighbors: Community service 
• Nourishing Our Employees: Building a high-performance workplace

(Using "nourishing" is a nice reflection of their core products and industry. Interestingly, too, the names are not tied to issue areas but to key stakeholder groups.) Each focus area is clearly connected to strategic goals with relevant and clear metrics. The Global Reporting Guidelines inform Campbell's reporting which is available for interested parties to download. The Sustainability/Community Affairs team maintains a separate twitter account.

Campbell's efforts in their hometown, Camden, New Jersey, may be particularly critical since a range of social and economic problems bedevil the city, which is the poorest in America according to 2011 census data. Additionally, it has the highest crime rate among cities in the United States. Children in Camden are more likely to live in poverty than those in surrounding cities, and only 49% of students graduate high school.

To revitalize their hometown, Campbell's created the Healthy Communities program. Camden is a signature town for the program, and Campell's has funded neighborhood improvements and a community soup kitchen as they provide nutrition education, advocate and assist in food access and physical education, and maintain cooperation with community stakeholders.

Of particular note, Campbell Soup Company also cultivates skill-based employee volunteerism. In the 2013 fiscal year, skills-based volunteering accounted for 20% of total volunteer hours, allowing Human Resource professionals to assist community members in writing resumes and preparing for interviews, while chefs and nutritionists provided healthy cooking and nutrition demonstrations for young people, and members of the Marketing group provided local non-profit organizations assistance with marketing and development plans.

Whether traditional or skills-based volunteerism, the Campell Soup Foundation provides eligible non-profit organizations with a $500 grant for every 25 volunteer hours contributed by an employee through the "Dollars for Doers" program. Employees also participate in design teams that develop innovative products to respond to issues related to hunger. These include the produce-to-donate products Just Peachy (a salsa sold to benefit the Food Bank of South Jersey), Super Smoothie (donated to children in need through non-profit partner organizations), and Nourish (a hearty, nutritious meal in a can donated to Food Bank Canada and Free the Children).

Based on their exemplary CSR activities and strong corporate ethics, for the fifth year, Campbell Soup Company has been recognized by Corporate Responsibility Magazine as a top corporate citizen. In 2010, Campbell Soup Company received the Corporate Engagement Award of Excellence from the Points of Light Foundation, which highlighted the company's skills-based volunteer efforts and the company's work in hunger relief efforts. Then-CEO Douglas R. Conant commented, "We deeply appreciate this award, as it recognizes the efforts and dedication of Campbell employees who freely give of their time and share their expertise to help others. Our company is absolutely committed to making a difference in the communities in which we operate and to nourishing peoples' lives everywhere, every day."

Whenever I have my students analyze a company, the final question usually requires them to provide recommendations for improvement. I remind them that even companies that perform very well can always do something to improve. I myself have to turn a very critical eye to find areas for improvement. One suggestion might be to include all of the performance metrics in a single location, since some of the data distributed across the website isn't included in the formal CSR report. Though this might be available through a private employee volunteer portal, more information about employees' roles in CSR and a chance to interact with others could enhance employee engagement. Overall, Campbell's CSR program, as well as its sustainability initiatives and reporting, exemplify current best practices in the field. Their CSR portal provides valuable information about the content and communication of CSR activities that serve as a model for other corporations.