y? Be the first one to invest. Here are some suggestions:

• Scholarships
• Provide scholarships to your local high schools
• CERT Programs
• CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) are under the direction of FEMA, and provides community resources during disasters
• Support Road clean-up and maintenance
• This is may seem like a small contribution, but the roadside signs announcing who is responsible for a stretch of road are read by virtually everyone in the community.

Create eco-friendly offices

Have you considered how "green" your agency is, and how you can become even more ecologically responsible? Maximizing natural light, controlling the thermostat and recycling are just a few ways to create a more eco-friendly agency.

Provide an annual CSR report to your clients

If you are going to make a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, then also make a commitment to let your customers know how you value your community. Prov

It's a brave new world. Effective management now means more than how you handle your staff. Management also includes how you manage your social reproducibility to others in your community. "There is no way to avoid paying serious attention to corporate citizenship: the costs of failing are simply too high. There are countless win-win opportunities waiting to be discovered: every activity in a firm's value chain overlaps in some way with social factors - everything from how you buy or procure to how you do your research - yet very few companies have thought about this.

The goal is to leverage your company’s unique capabilities in supporting social causes and improve your competitive context at the same time. The job of today’s leaders is to stop being defensive and start thinking systematically about corporate responsibility.”

Michael Porter, Professor, Harvard Business School, at the April 2005 Business and Society Conference on Corporate Citizenship, sponsored by the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management

Most agencies will probably agree that they have a moral obligation to serve as a contributing member of their community. What many are not sure of, however, is exactly how it is done.

I was visiting with an agency recently about the idea of adopting more socially responsible business practices. This particular owner expressed his personal view - "Our agency is here to write business and take care of our clients, not the entire community."

After talking with this owner, I began looking into the idea of social responsibility to better understand an agency's place in their community. I discovered a new buzz word working its way into the 21st century definition of doing business. The term is "CSR - "Corporate Social Responsibility".

It seems that a growing body of evidence suggests that social responsibility is a sound business strategy, and worth every agency investing their time to learn more about.

What Is Social Responsibility?

According to Wikipedia,

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that organizations, especially (but not only) corporations, have an obligation to consider the interests of customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and ecological considerations in all aspects of their operations. This obligation is seen to extend beyond their statutory obligation to comply with legislation.

CSR is closely linked with the principles of Sustainable Development, which argues that enterprises should make decisions based not only on financial factors such as profits or dividends, but also based on the immediate and long-term social and environmental consequences of their activities.

Christine Arena, author of "The High-Purpose Company", says "more businesses are using CSR not just for feel-good philanthropy or to polish their public image, but as long-term corporate strategy." In particular, this corporate strategy includes increased profitability because the buying public is becoming more and more demanding of the people they do business with. CSR is an excellent opportunity for independent agents to create a unique place in their markets.

What Can You Do?

Certainly, the opportunities for an independent agent to be a high-purpose company differ significantly from the major corporations Christinie Arena writes about in her book. But the reality is that the idea of CSR is hitting a chord in the American public.

Here are some ways to bring the idea of a high-purpose company to your agency:

First, establish a clear vision for your agency

To be a "High-Purpose" agency you must first have a vision. Establishing a clear vision is more than a statement you carve out and put on your wall. Communicating why your agency is in business and where it is going provides staff and customers something to believe in, and buy into.

Invest in your community

In almost 100 agencies I have visited in the past 12 months, I can count on one hand the number of agents that make investing in their community a regular part of how they do business. Do you want your community to invest their trust in your agency? Be the first one to invest. Here are some suggestions:

• Scholarships
• Provide scholarships to your local high schools
• CERT Programs
• CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) are under the direction of FEMA, and provides community resources during disasters
• Support Road clean-up and maintenance
• This is may seem like a small contribution, but the roadside signs announcing who is responsible for a stretch of road are read by virtually everyone in the community.

Create eco-friendly offices

Have you considered how "green" your agency is, and how you can become even more ecologically responsible? Maximizing natural light, controlling the thermostat and recycling are just a few ways to create a more eco-friendly agency.

Provide an annual CSR report to your clients

If you are going to make a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, then also make a commitment to let your customers know how you value your community. Prov

robably agree that they have a moral obligation to serve as a contributing member of their community. What many are not sure of, however, is exactly how it is done.

I was visiting with an agency recently about the idea of adopting more socially responsible business practices. This particular owner expressed his personal view - "Our agency is here to write business and take care of our clients, not the entire community."

After talking with this owner, I began looking into the idea of social responsibility to better understand an agency's place in their community. I discovered a new buzz word working its way into the 21st century definition of doing business. The term is "CSR - "Corporate Social Responsibility".

It seems that a growing body of evidence suggests that social responsibility is a sound business strategy, and worth every agency investing their time to learn more about.

What Is Social Responsibility?

According to Wikipedia,

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that organizations, especially (but not only) corporations, have an obligation to consider the interests of customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and ecological considerations in all aspects of their operations. This obligation is seen to extend beyond their statutory obligation to comply with legislation.

CSR is closely linked with the principles of Sustainable Development, which argues that enterprises should make decisions based not only on financial factors such as profits or dividends, but also based on the immediate and long-term social and environmental consequences of their activities.

Christine Arena, author of "The High-Purpose Company", says "more businesses are using CSR not just for feel-good philanthropy or to polish their public image, but as long-term corporate strategy." In particular, this corporate strategy includes increased profitability because the buying public is becoming more and more demanding of the people they do business with. CSR is an excellent opportunity for independent agents to create a unique place in their markets.

What Can You Do?

Certainly, the opportunities for an independent agent to be a high-purpose company differ significantly from the major corporations Christinie Arena writes about in her book. But the reality is that the idea of CSR is hitting a chord in the American public.

Here are some ways to bring the idea of a high-purpose company to your agency:

First, establish a clear vision for your agency

To be a "High-Purpose" agency you must first have a vision. Establishing a clear vision is more than a statement you carve out and put on your wall. Communicating why your agency is in business and where it is going provides staff and customers something to believe in, and buy into.

Invest in your community

In almost 100 agencies I have visited in the past 12 months, I can count on one hand the number of agents that make investing in their community a regular part of how they do business. Do you want your community to invest their trust in your agency? Be the first one to invest. Here are some suggestions:

• Scholarships
• Provide scholarships to your local high schools
• CERT Programs
• CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) are under the direction of FEMA, and provides community resources during disasters
• Support Road clean-up and maintenance
• This is may seem like a small contribution, but the roadside signs announcing who is responsible for a stretch of road are read by virtually everyone in the community.

Create eco-friendly offices

Have you considered how "green" your agency is, and how you can become even more ecologically responsible? Maximizing natural light, controlling the thermostat and recycling are just a few ways to create a more eco-friendly agency.

Provide an annual CSR report to your clients

If you are going to make a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, then also make a commitment to let your customers know how you value your community. Prov

hat organizations, especially (but not only) corporations, have an obligation to consider the interests of customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and ecological considerations in all aspects of their operations. This obligation is seen to extend beyond their statutory obligation to comply with legislation.

CSR is closely linked with the principles of Sustainable Development, which argues that enterprises should make decisions based not only on financial factors such as profits or dividends, but also based on the immediate and long-term social and environmental consequences of their activities.

Christine Arena, author of "The High-Purpose Company", says "more businesses are using CSR not just for feel-good philanthropy or to polish their public image, but as long-term corporate strategy." In particular, this corporate strategy includes increased profitability because the buying public is becoming more and more demanding of the people they do business with. CSR is an excellent opportunity for independent agents to create a unique place in their markets.

What Can You Do?

Certainly, the opportunities for an independent agent to be a high-purpose company differ significantly from the major corporations Christinie Arena writes about in her book. But the reality is that the idea of CSR is hitting a chord in the American public.

Here are some ways to bring the idea of a high-purpose company to your agency:

First, establish a clear vision for your agency

To be a "High-Purpose" agency you must first have a vision. Establishing a clear vision is more than a statement you carve out and put on your wall. Communicating why your agency is in business and where it is going provides staff and customers something to believe in, and buy into.

Invest in your community

In almost 100 agencies I have visited in the past 12 months, I can count on one hand the number of agents that make investing in their community a regular part of how they do business. Do you want your community to invest their trust in your agency? Be the first one to invest. Here are some suggestions:

• Scholarships
• Provide scholarships to your local high schools
• CERT Programs
• CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) are under the direction of FEMA, and provides community resources during disasters
• Support Road clean-up and maintenance
• This is may seem like a small contribution, but the roadside signs announcing who is responsible for a stretch of road are read by virtually everyone in the community.

Create eco-friendly offices

Have you considered how "green" your agency is, and how you can become even more ecologically responsible? Maximizing natural light, controlling the thermostat and recycling are just a few ways to create a more eco-friendly agency.

Provide an annual CSR report to your clients

If you are going to make a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, then also make a commitment to let your customers know how you value your community. Prov

unique place in their markets.

What Can You Do?

Certainly, the opportunities for an independent agent to be a high-purpose company differ significantly from the major corporations Christinie Arena writes about in her book. But the reality is that the idea of CSR is hitting a chord in the American public.

Here are some ways to bring the idea of a high-purpose company to your agency:

First, establish a clear vision for your agency

To be a "High-Purpose" agency you must first have a vision. Establishing a clear vision is more than a statement you carve out and put on your wall. Communicating why your agency is in business and where it is going provides staff and customers something to believe in, and buy into.

Invest in your community

In almost 100 agencies I have visited in the past 12 months, I can count on one hand the number of agents that make investing in their community a regular part of how they do business. Do you want your community to invest their trust in your agency? Be the first one to invest. Here are some suggestions:

• Scholarships
• Provide scholarships to your local high schools
• CERT Programs
• CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) are under the direction of FEMA, and provides community resources during disasters
• Support Road clean-up and maintenance
• This is may seem like a small contribution, but the roadside signs announcing who is responsible for a stretch of road are read by virtually everyone in the community.

Create eco-friendly offices

Have you considered how "green" your agency is, and how you can become even more ecologically responsible? Maximizing natural light, controlling the thermostat and recycling are just a few ways to create a more eco-friendly agency.

Provide an annual CSR report to your clients

If you are going to make a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, then also make a commitment to let your customers know how you value your community. Prov

y? Be the first one to invest. Here are some suggestions:

• Scholarships
• Provide scholarships to your local high schools
• CERT Programs
• CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) are under the direction of FEMA, and provides community resources during disasters
• Support Road clean-up and maintenance
• This is may seem like a small contribution, but the roadside signs announcing who is responsible for a stretch of road are read by virtually everyone in the community.

Create eco-friendly offices

Have you considered how "green" your agency is, and how you can become even more ecologically responsible? Maximizing natural light, controlling the thermostat and recycling are just a few ways to create a more eco-friendly agency.

Provide an annual CSR report to your clients

If you are going to make a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, then also make a commitment to let your customers know how you value your community. Provide your clients, and possibly even your prospects, with an annual CSR report that outlines your contributions for the year, and your plans for the future.

One of the most significant challenges we face as independent agents is communicating the customer's need for an agent. Corporate Social Responsibility can be an effective way to increase profits, and gain the confidence of your community.