For the past few years we’ve all been hearing buzzwords about “corporate responsibility” and the importance of company values. But beyond writing a mission statement and hanging it on the wall, what does it really mean to practice specific values as a company? And how does that play out in the everyday work of your organization, your people and your community?
As an agency owner, my personal values and my company values have always been closely aligned. I care about supporting specific causes in my community — the arts, education and women’s leadership issues are at the top of my list. It always felt natural for me to inject those same values into the way I run my business. I hire people who also care deeply about helping their communities, and we decide as a group how to spend our charitable-giving budget every year.
This year we are making a group donation to an organization that encourages women and girls to take leadership roles in politics. We also support our employees in the causes that are most important to them, by encouraging everyone to volunteer freely, even if that means they’ll be unavailable during the work day.
One employee spends a morning every month at her local food bank. Another has spent the past six months enrolled in a community action course on poverty. I often close my laptop early to meet with other business and political leaders working to solve issues in my community. Together, we provide pro-bono marketing support for the organizations we care most about. Since we work remotely, our values aren’t on a wall — they’re in the way we spend our time and money.
I’ve always been impressed with the way that BBR Creative builds service into its corporate mission, so I asked Cherie Hebert, CEO and Partner of the firm, to share more about how they developed their unique approach to service. Here’s what she had to say.
How would you describe your company’s values?
BBR’s core values — what we call our “non-negotiables” — are centered around honesty, respect, excellence and passion. Our goal has always been to create a different kind of agency — one based on work-life balance, creativity and a sincere respect for the people we work for and with.
Our brand promise is to make a positive impact on our clients’ businesses, on our community and on each other. Our Service Grants program supports all of those values by providing us with a forum to give back to our community while also enabling growth opportunities for our team.
BBR employees work closely with participants in our intern program to provide worthy organizations with the marketing tools and resources they need to succeed. We’ve created logos, websites, brand identities and other materials for area nonprofits. Those organizations have included everything from animal rescue groups to a shelter for homeless men. We’re grateful to be able to work on such a wide range of causes and issues.
How do your values drive how you do business?
The idea of service and community is at the heart of everything we do. In our business we’ve seen the tremendous value of public-private partnerships in tackling major challenges. No one can do it all on their own, but when we work together and apply all our talents and energies, we can accomplish great things.
How do your values shape your approach to community service?
As a women-owned business celebrating 20 years in 2017, we’ve always seen it as our mission to support charitable causes in the community, especially those connected with women and children.
We make time for giving back, both as an agency and on a personal level. Whether that’s supporting employees’ individual volunteer efforts or group activities like charity bowl-a-thons, we get great satisfaction from pulling together for a good cause. And when we have an idea — like a toiletries drive for the local homeless shelter — we run with it.
Tell me more about the Service Grants program. How did that come about?
It evolved from a need to formalize some of our existing charitable efforts as well as provide meaningful experience for our interns. We know there are deserving nonprofits who normally cannot afford to hire us, so the Service Grants program makes it possible.
We start by accepting applications for each upcoming semester. We then evaluate the requests and try to pair prospective interns with projects that match their interests and abilities. Then the interns get to work with the supervision of BBR employees, who help guide their efforts and mentor them. When each project is completed, the nonprofit has received valuable assistance and the intern has an impressive piece of work for his or her portfolio.
What’s your advice to other agencies interested in adopting this approach?
I would start by identifying what needs exist for your services and then explore different ways of providing them. Focus on causes and issues that are close to your heart. My main message to other businesses considering a program like this is to really think about the possibilities and come up with an approach that suits your unique business and community.
We’re proud of our program because it delivers value for everyone involved — and we get the satisfaction of knowing that our work is making a difference.