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What is Corporate Social Investment?

Written by Trialogue on . Posted in Uncategorised.

What is Corporate Social Investment?

Gain an understanding of corporate social investment (CSI), and grasp related concepts in responsible business.

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This course is created by Trialogue. 

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What is CSI? Corporate social investment is the practice of companies contributing to social development. Now, CSI is becoming more strategic, with companies focusing more on how they can make a valuable and sustainable impact.  

“What is Corporate Social Investment?” is a short course that gets you up to speed with definitions, key concepts and trends, and how CSI is part of responsible business, with great potential to contribute positively to society.

TESTIMONIALS

Mike Panashe Mberi

Founder and director of Building Leaders Across Continents (BLAC)

The ‘What is CSI’ course surpassed my expectations, offering a profound strategic insight into Corporate Social Investment (CSI) that I deem exceptionally valuable. I wholeheartedly recommend this course to fellow professionals aiming to seamlessly integrate social impact initiatives into their organizational strategies.

What level is the course?

This is a short foundational course for people in business who work in fields related to CSI and corporate responsibility, and for people aspiring to work in these areas. It is also for non-profit leaders and staff who want a deeper understanding of how businesses see  corporate social investment.  

An overview for corporates and non-profits

The course was created using Trialogue’s extensive experience in corporate social investment research and consulting. Three modules cover important CSI concepts and trends. It includes valuable insights from CSI experts at Trialogue and leading international experts.  

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Learn fast in your own time

Total learning time is approximately 2 hours. Additional resources are provided to guide you to dig deeper and learn more. At the end of each module there is a short quiz to help you cement your learnings from the module. 

What will you learn in this course?

You’ll discover the foundational concepts of CSI and how it relates to responsible business concepts such as shared value. 

  • Module 1: What is CSI and why is it important?

    • Define corporate social investment and understand why CSI important for business and society.
    • Understand the difference between CSI and corporate social responsibility (CSR). 
    • Clarify what socioeconomic development (SED) means and the link between SED and CSI. 
    • Keep updated with CSI trends in South Africa and globally.

  • Module 2: Strategic CSI and shared value

    • Get familiar with the concept of strategic CSI and Trialogue’s CSI positioning matrix. 
    • Understand the concept of shared value, and how it relates to CSI. 

  • Module 3: What is responsible business?

    • Understand how business is an integral part of society and its potential for making a positive impact.
    • Explore the concepts that make up responsible business and the relationships between them.

    What will this course do for me?

    By the end of this course you will: 

    • Understand what CSI means and why it’s important. 
    • Learn how CSI relates to CSR, SED, shared value, and responsible business. 
    • Gain relevant insights from top experts on the trends in CSI. 
    • Explore the concepts that make up responsible business and how business can positively impact society.

    REGISTER

    This course is created by Trialogue.

    Continue reading

    Professionals having a strategic CSI meeting in an office

    Strategic CSI Masterclass

    Written by Trialogue on . Posted in Uncategorised.

    Strategic CSI Masterclass

    Gain the practical tools to make your CSI programme more strategic.

    Don’t miss out on our next Strategic CSI Masterclass—subscribe now to stay in the loop and secure your spot!

    Subscribe now

    More and more, companies realise that corporate social investment (CSI) is moving beyond traditional corporate philanthropy.

    CSI is becoming an increasingly professional sector in Africa. Trends show that it’s progressing from once-off projects that create only reputational benefit, or the reactive donation of funds. CSI professionals need to strategise carefully to ensure their CSI initiatives balance high business value with meaningful development impact. But how do you achieve this? Which questions should you be asking? How do you evaluate your programmes and know you are achieving optimal outcomes?  

    It’s easy to get stuck managing complex CSI programmes. Now it’s easy to get unstuck. 

    Responsible business leaders want to create a positive impact for their business and for society. This is a notoriously difficult challenge. During this course, you’ll be able to solve problems with experts and exchange workable solutions with other CSI practitioners. Wherever the pain points exist with your current CSI initiatives, it’s time to take a step back and create a strategy that moves your CSI goals forward.  

    What level is the course?

    The Strategic CSI Masterclass is for senior leaders and decision-makers working in CSI, including CSI managers, trustees of foundations, and heads of foundations. The course is suitable for delegates engaged in CSI across Africa.  

    Course description

    The Strategic CSI Masterclass provides you with the tools to think strategically about CSI in your organisation and to make choices that optimise the business and development value of your CSI initiatives. 

    Learn about strategic CSI in online classes with industry leaders

    Trialogue has been engaged in industry research and supporting corporates and non-profits on CSI strategy and thought leadership for more than two decades. The Trialogue Strategic CSI Awards have evaluated and celebrated lead practice in CSI for over five years. And Trialogue has been running in-person CSI courses in-person for more than a decade.  

    Now, these tried-and-tested approaches are available to you online, through interactive video sessions, case studies and research. The course allows you to apply the concepts you learn to your business and take practical steps to apply them to your projects. 

    TESTIMONIALS

    Yumna Mathese

    Social impact manager at V&A Waterfront

    “To be honest, I have learnt so much from this course than from any other. Thank you for putting me on the spot and for encouraging me to participate so actively.

    I’ve learnt to understand shared value so much better. I’ve learnt to think more strategically about my role, projects and my portfolio in its entirety. I am currently applying this knowledge by rethinking and reshaping all this.”

    Katie Andrews

    Managing Director, Nahana Foundation

    “I found everything very beneficial and it’s given me a lot to work on going forward. I look forward to developing and drafting a clear and focused CSI strategy for 2023 and beyond.”

    Portia Oduro-Morrison

    External Communications and CSI Officer, Stanbic Bank Ghana  

    “Everything I learnt will be applied, from shared value to outcomes of our CSI programmes going forward.”

    What will this course do for me?

    By the end of this course you will: 

    • Possess the knowledge and skills to derive shared value from your CSI initiatives. 
    • Learn from other CSI projects through analysing case studies. 
    • Evaluate your company’s CSI programmes. 
    • Know how to drive change in your CSI initiative.

    Created for CSI professionals in Africa

    This is the only course that teaches strategic CSI in an African context. Modified from a popular in-person course, taught only in South Africa, the online version allows delegates to join from across Africa. 

    Who are your course instructors?

    • Nick Rockey

      Nick Rockey is the managing director of Trialogue, having started the business as founding director approximately 20 years ago. He was one of the early pioneers in the field of corporate sustainability, overseeing Trialogue’s first publication in this field in 2006, The Good Corporate Citizen. Nick has over 20 years of consulting and research experience across many market and industry sectors, and plays a lead consulting role in the fields of sustainable business and CSI. He has worked with a wide range of corporate clients, providing support for strategy development and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and reporting.

    • Cathy Duff

      Cathy Duff joined Trialogue in 2008, was appointed a director in 2011, and manages Trialogue’s Johannesburg office. Her experience includes almost 20 years of research and advisory work in the corporate responsibility and philanthropic sectors and five years in strategy consulting. Prior to Trialogue, Cathy was research and development manager at Tshikululu Social Investments, research manager at New Philanthropy Capital in the UK, and manager at Deloitte Consulting. Cathy oversees the research, content and production of the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook and the Trialogue Business in Society Conference. She has worked with numerous corporate clients on their CSI and sustainability strategies, reports, and project reviews.

    Book your place now

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    What is Corporate Social Investment?

    Written by Trialogue on . Posted in Uncategorised.

    Gain an understanding of corporate social investment (CSI), and grasp related concepts in responsible business.

    Coming soon!

    This course is created by Trialogue.

    Corporate social investment (CSI) is the practice of companies contributing to social development. Now, CSI is becoming more strategic, with companies focusing more on how they can make a valuable and sustainable impact.  

    “What is Corporate Social Investment?” is a short course that gets you up to speed with definitions, key concepts, and the latest trends in the sector.  

    What level is the course?

    This is a short foundational course for people in business who work in fields related to corporate responsibility, and for people aspiring to work in these areas. It is also for non-profit leaders and staff who need to understand how the non-profit sector relates to corporate social investment.  

    An overview for corporates and non-profits

    The course was created using Trialogue’s extensive experience in corporate social investment research and consulting. Five modules cover important CSI concepts and trends. It includes valuable insights from CSI experts at Trialogue and leading international experts. 

    Learn fast in your own time

    Total learning time is approximately 2 hours, and each lesson takes an average of only 5 minutes. Additional resources are provided to guide you to dig deeper and learn more. At the end of each module there is a short quiz to help you cement your learnings from the module. 

    What will you learn in this course?

    You’ll discover the foundational concepts of CSI, from both a corporate and non-profit perspective.  

    Module 1: What is CSI?

    • Discover Trialogue’s definition of corporate social investment and related terms and concepts. 
    • Understand the difference between CSI and corporate social responsibility (CSR). 
    • Clarify what socioeconomic development (SED) means and the link between SED and CSI. 

    Module 2: Why is CSI important? 

    • Find out why companies do CSI, based on Trialogue’s extensive research.
    • Understand why corporate social investment is important for business and society.

    Module 3: What is strategic CSI?

    • Get familiar with the concept of strategic CSI and Trialogue’s CSI positioning matrix. 
    • Understand the concept of shared value, and how it relates to CSI. 

    Module 4: What are the trends in CSI?

    • Contextualise CSI to its function in South Africa. 
    • Hear the current South African trends in CSI from an expert. 
    • Learn about international trends in corporate giving.  

     Module 5: How does CSI relate to the non-profit sector?

    • Find out what the research reveals about CSI support of non-profits. 
    • Understand the benefits of corporate-NPO partnerships.
    • Learn how to pitch effectively to corporates as a non-profit.  

    What will this course do for me?

    By the end of this course you will: 

    • Understand what CSI means and why it’s important. 
    • Learn how CSI relates to CSR, SED, shared value, and responsible business. 
    • Gain relevant insights from top experts on the trends in CSI. 
    • Understand how CSI relates to the non-profit sector.