Today’s post will take a look at a technology company that understands the importance of CSR and is utilizing it every day in their corporate strategy. Google has been a worldwide leader in technology since its founding in 1998, but the company was also recently named the number one CSR company in world by Forbes. This ranking came about because of their continued focus on improving the world around them while also providing a product that we all use. This is the statement that Google published on their website about why they feel CSR is so important.
“We hope that by leveraging our own strengths and resources in-country, we will raise awareness of the importance of corporate philanthropy, and encourage society to participate in and contribute to the development of social responsibility.” – (Google)
Google implements three campaigns to help them reach this goal and they each focus on a different area of philanthropy.
The first is Google China Social Innovation Cup for College Students a program that is aimed at empowering China’s Youth through a CSR competition. Each yeah Google receives thousands of applications from schools throughout the world pitching ideas on how to solve social problems within China. The top 36 proposals are selected and Google provides the capital and resources needed to make the projects come to life. This competition has helped to correct Social issues including education, poverty alleviation, disability aid, healthcare, women and children, arts and culture, and community development. It is now in its 5th year and the program has already made an impact within China.
In addition to the China Social Innovation Cup, Google is also a large donor to the earthquake relief efforts around the world. Their biggest effort was focused on the 8.0 magnitude that hit China in 2008 and destroyed thousands of buildings. In order to help with the recovery efforts Google and its employees raised over $18 million and donated another $7 million in free services to China. The majority of this money was used to rebuild 15 schools throughout the country that allowed 18,000+ students to return to school.
Finally in addition to the other two programs outlined above Google is known for their grant program in which they donate money to organizations around the world. The full list of grants and Google’s other CSR activities can be found here.
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