What are Community Interventions? Benefits & Design

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What are Community Interventions?

Community interventions are actions or programs that aim to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life of individuals and communities. These interventions can take many forms and can address a wide range of issues, such as health promotion, disease prevention, social and economic development, education, and environmental sustainability.

Community interventions involve working collaboratively with community members, organizations, and stakeholders to identify the needs and priorities of the community and to develop and implement effective strategies and solutions. The goal is to create sustainable and meaningful change that benefits the community as a whole.

Corporate community interventions for community development refer to a wide range of actions companies can take by donating money, time, products and services.

To develop capacities of communities it is important for companies to share their management knowledge and other resources for empowering communities by developing livelihood support activities through developing partnerships with NGOs and promoting employee volunteer programs.

This can be attained by formally encouraging community-company dialogue, which can provide benefits to both companies and communities, cross sector partnerships with NGOs and public sector organisations that bring specialised expertise to address issues of community development.

Such partnerships have large benefits to the company and assist them in managing their organisations more effectively and efficiently.


Benefits of Community Interventions

The details of the possible benefits to companies adopting CSR at communities are displayed in Table.

Sustainability of
the Project
Implementing CSR practices for community can definitely result in producing win-win solution for the company and community, which makes the project sustainable in the long run. For instance Daimler Chrysler (DC) energy project, India is developed through a unique scientific process to benefit the company, environment and the community. “The process adopted is plantation of Jatropha, a vegetable plant, which grows from eroded soil and requires limited water. It produces a fruit which can be used to make oil and be converted via a simple process to low-emission bio diesel (particulate matter emissions are 70 percent less than traditional fuel)”
Access to a New
Market
Strategic CSR at the community level provides access to new markets. For instance, under the Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Shakti Entrepreneur project, rural women are trained to be independent direct-to-consumer sales distributors for HUL’s soaps and shampoos. They earn Rs 700- 800 per month, i.e., double their previous income. This initiative has helped HUL to have access to a new supply chain at low cost and high community support (Stiftung, 2007).
Lesser Government
Intervention
On implementing CSR at community an organisation provides for services beyond legal compliance thus reducing government interference in achieving organisation goals and objectives. For instance in U.S.A, Maine Government has signed a law which requires developers of retail stores exceeding 75,000 square feet to conduct studies gauging the project’s impact on Municipal services, the environment and local businesses. The proposed store cannot be approved if the studies find it is likely to cause a quantifiable, “undue adverse impact” on more than one of those fronts and is expected to have a harmful effect on the community overall.”(Hudson, 2007).
Risk ManagementCompanies failing to implement CSR at communities have to face various risks and large financial damages. For instance Dupont, U.S.A, had to pay the largest civil penalty ever levied of $382 million by the court to clean up a site, pay punitive damages and monitor 8,000 residents in the area for signs of cancer due to dumping toxic arsenic, cadmium and lead at the plant endangering their health.
Support for Fair
Trade & Product
Differentiation
Companies supporting fair trade products assist in supporting livelihoods of the poor Most organisations buy tea, coffee, sugar, and biscuits & all these are available via the fair trade market. Buying these products is one way of showing that your organisation can help make a difference. Starbucks Coffee purchases coffee beans only from fair trade organisations. This aids in differentiating Starbucks coffee from others.
Credibility and
Recognition
Companies developing community infrastructure and quality of life have greater credibility and recognition in the market. For instance, Tata Steel has developed Jamshedpur to be the only city in the world that has been accredited with the UN Global Compact, which definitely distinguishes Tata’s level of community development from other organisations.
Global Market
Place Advantages
Companies having positive community support and renowned credibility of developing communities, provides them with an edge in the global market place. For instance, the credibility developed by Tata Group through their contribution to the community has rewarded them with global recognition.
Benefits of CSR at Community

Steps to Design CSR Intervention

  • Step 1: Develop a clear understanding and recognition of ‘community’ as an important stakeholder of the business and its sustainability.

  • Step 2: Match the corporate drivers and community needs. Motivations for companies to develop CSR policies and invest in local communities vary from one organisation to other.

  • Step 3: Identify the type and extent of support in which the company would like to develop partnerships with communities. Focus on key activities, which you want to initiate. For example, a bank offering microfinance product may like to develop a financial education programme for local youth and women.

  • Step 4: Identify the method and mode in which the organisation would like to implement the activities. Community development activities can be implemented by adopting various models through direct or indirect investment.


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