The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) it is a strategic part of any business. His appearance aims to “give back”, in some way, to society everything that it has given him. Included in this program are the solidarity activities (either through the involvement of the team or the economic donation) that the company makes in favor of those most in need: people, animals or the environment.
But, CSR also results in the benefit of the business itself. Not only does it make employees feel more useful and happy, but it revalues the brand, adding values that are very important for the potential customer, in the face of the purchase.
What’s more, In several countries there are tax incentives for companies that help NGOs. In the case of Spain, there are deductions in the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) and the Corporation Tax (IS).
What can an SME do to be socially responsible?
Businesses are places where buyers gather, people with money who are willing to spend it. That’s why company managers have a lot of power when it comes to encouraging their customers to engage in good deeds. An example of this is to use your online store to start a solidarity campaign and encourage users to participate.
For it, Ecwid by Lightspeeda global e-commerce platform, where anyone can create their own online store in 24 hours without technical knowledge, provides technology for small businesses so that they adopt social responsibility programs.
Merchants who use Ecwid by Lightspeed to sell online can receive donations in your ecommerce with the integrated functionality. The ease of use of this functionality is described in detail in the article “Increase sales by doing good deeds”.
In addition, the platform makes it easy for them to choose a social action to publish their stores. For it, Ecwid by Lightspeed has partnered with Oxfam Intermón and Aspaniontwo important charitable organizations, with which users of the platform can already collaborate, since the beginning of the month.
NGOs are a means of channeling that have already established processes to distribute aid where they need it. Therefore, it is much easier to collaborate with them than to do it individually.
Within its CSR policy, one of the agreements signed by Ecwid was with the Red Cross, as part of the IMPULSA initiative, to educate entrepreneurs on how to start selling online and help them get through these last few uncertain months.
NGOs already prepared for collaboration
As we have indicated before, merchants have already been announced to use Ecwid by Lightspeed to enable their Social Responsibility programs by collaborating with Oxfam Intermon Y Aspanion. These organizations fulfill the technical aspects of collecting donations in Lightspeed’s Ecwid stores.
Oxfam is an international organization, founded in 1956, with a mission to combat poverty and ensure that all human beings can fully exercise their rights. The NGO is present in 94 countries and its programs have improved the lives of more than 19.5 million people in the last year.
“At Oxfam Intermón, we believe that all people have the right to a dignified life, regardless of where they were born. This alliance with Lightspeed’s Ecwid will allow our intervention with the most vulnerable people to have a greater impact”, commented Bárbara Salinas Miranda, Corporate Alliances at Oxfam Intermón.
For its part, Aspanion is the Association of Parents of Children with Cancer of the Valencian Region. It was founded in 1985 by the community of affected mothers and fathers. His job is to support sick children and adolescents, as well as their whole family.
“For Aspanion, the collaboration of companies and initiatives such as Lightspeed’s Ecwid is essential. We need them to be able to continue helping families affected by childhood and adolescent cancer, so that they continue to have psychological care, social support, respite days… Providing customers with the possibility of donating to our entity represents a double benefit for us: that of obtaining economic resources and that of reaching many people and making the reality of our group visible”, indicated Marián Germes, Foreign Relations of Aspanion.
