With a recession looming, inflation, and companies struggling to attract and retain talent, Sona Khosla, Chief Impact Officer at Benevity, suggests adding a corporate social responsibility (CSR) model to your business structure.

Can you share a bit about your background and experience working in mission-driven companies? 

I've only ever worked in mission-driven companies throughout my career. What I've learned is that there is a distinction between a mission-driven company – which is purely focused on its own mission – versus a purpose-driven company that cares about what its people (and the world) need it to care about. Benevity, where I've been for the past 7 years, has been an eye-opener (and heart-opener!) in seeing the connected, driven and highly performant culture, and the positive impact you can create when you are centered on purpose first and foremost.

Define corporate social responsibility in your own words. Why is it crucial for organizations to have CSR programs in place? 

At its core, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a model that businesses use to ensure they are making an impact in their communities. Over time, however, the definition has grown to encompass a business's social accountability to its employees, customers, stakeholders and members of the public – it's an evolution to a more encompassing concept of a company's corporate purpose. Because of this, no two corporate purpose programs are exactly the same. Different companies base their programs on their values, the issues they are looking to solve and what their employees are passionate about. Corporate purpose programs typically comprise community investment or granting (the best ones allow employees to get involved in philanthropic decisions!), employee giving, matching and volunteering, positive actions and now, diversity, equity and inclusion.