Episode 3: Corporate Social Responsibility, with Andrea Vassallo Meyer

Andrea Meyer has worked on both the agency and client side of PR with internal communications and marketing in the mix. Most recently, she was the PR Lead for the IL/WI Region of Verizon Wireless. She was part of the team which opened Verizon’s largest store in the U.S. in November 2014 for which she received the 2014 Midwest Area PR Award. In the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, Andrea worked in conjunction with the HopeLine (domestic violence) program and the Verizon Foundation (STEM & healthcare) which resulted in more than $1M in grants being distributed from 2011 through 2015 in the Region. Before Verizon, Andrea has had the privilege to work on a host of stellar brands including Cartier, Lucasfilm (THX sound division), Montblanc, Sony (the North American launch of the PlayStation), Toyota and Weber. Andrea graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Sociology. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What is corporate social responsibility and why does it matter? Why your first audience is your employees and the importance of engaging with them Why over delivering on one thing is better than under delivering on two things Examples of businesses that do prioritization well The biggest mistakes people make with CSR programs How to measure success in CSR programs Why millennials require CSR programs What you can do right now to get started on CSR if you aren’t already Ways to contact Andrea: Twitter: @andreamv LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andreavassallomeyer Resources: Comcast Cares Day Clorox – supports disaster relief (in conjunction with American Red Cross) Cracker Barrel Operation Rocker Verizon Hope Line Tips: Company mission: If one exists, does it provide a natural fit for community outreach? Is there a central theme to align with publicly? (economic empowerment, education, etc.) If one does not exist, then create it. Start small: Take a survey of employees to determine areas of interest (animals, children, education, environment, etc.) Identify local non-profits that have established programs for volunteers. Schedule monthly activities with first-come, first-served involvement. Identify team leaders for each event. Tax Exemption Requirements