Give Back
[giv]
1. to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow.
2. to make a gift; contribute.
As the end of the year approaches and the holidays are just around the corner, many of us are thinking about how we're going to give back to the community. While giving back in a personal sense is fulfilling, giving back in a professional sense can be equally rewarding for all those involved. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) encourages organizations to collaborate and come together for a greater good. As a meetings professional, there are plenty of opportunities to incorporate this initiative into your meeting or event. In this Education Essentials, you'll learn how your organization can benefit from promoting CSR, how FICP has incorporated CSR into a team-building activity, how you can achieve a greener meeting and more.
FICP Gives Back
Check out the results of the 18th Annual Silent Auction and the CSR activity at the 2019 FICP Annual Conference in the infographic below!
Making a Difference
Watch the video below to see how the Cheeriodicals assembled at the 2019 FICP Annual Conference made a difference in the lives of Austin, Texas-area veterans.
Why CSR?
Organizations that promote corporate social responsibility reap the benefits of their good deeds. While the act of giving back provides a wealth of personal gratification, CSR activities can benefit companies by increasing brand awareness and improving a company's public image, and increasing employee satisfaction and creativity. Check out this article for more reasons to incorporate a CSR activity at your next meeting or event.
The Power of Participating
Based on the desired outcomes, meetings professionals can strategically design programs to increase networking, educate on new process or products, reward behaviors, celebrate success or create change. At other times, they strive to be socially responsible and ignite a fire in our guests to be grateful, to educate or to share their success with others. It’s the perfect time of year to share some impactful CSR events and the elements that contributed to their success. Read more about these impactful CSR activities in this recent blog post by Sterena Strickland, ACCESS Destination Services and Lisa Warren, SpeakInc Speakers Bureau.
Green Meetings
No matter how big or small a meeting or event, it is bound to leave an environmental footprint. Check out this resource from TheNetwork that shares the benefits of hosting a green meeting and includes a set of questions to incorporate into a request for proposal regarding business sustainability practices, a hotel contract additional environmental addendum, requests to consider for your banquet event order and more.
In this green meeting checklist, you'll find factors to consider when planning for a green meeting, such as destination selection, how you market your meeting, the use of paper, transportation and more.
One way to create a more sustainable meeting is to eliminate single-use plastics. Learn how the Australian Marine Sciences Association and event management organization Encanta created a near plastic-free annual conference in this article. You'll also find a helpful tip sheet for reducing the use of plastics at your next meeting. Consider eliminating printed agendas, providing glassware beside water stations and omitting the use of dates on banners for use at future events.
#TBT - Look How Far We've Come
Before the app, Silent Auction participants placed their bids using paper and pen! Pictured above are attendees of the 2011 FICP Annual Conference in San Antonio giving back to charity recipients by browsing and bidding on the lined up Silent Auction items.
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