Business activism – how your company becomes active

Business activism - What it is and how you become active! Crowd walks on the street holding colorful banners

It is a common belief that “politics has nothing to do with business”.

We at FairForce would like to challenge this view and help companies to take their responsibility and become agents of social change.

If you’re interested in learning more about corporate activism and how you can get involved in this space, you’ll find everything you need to know in this blog post.
We’ll explore what business activism is, and show you some practical steps to get started.

Is activism for business?

When we think of activism, we often think of social movements, protests, or organized actions against social injustice.
However, activism can take many forms, some of which are readily available to and within businesses.

Activism is, in effect, mobilizing available resources to support social causes. Businesses have a wide range of resources at their disposal, whether it’s funds, manpower, or platforms with a large following and community.

Businesses can also choose to mobilize their resources in support of social causes and engage in meaningful action.

What is corporate activism?

Corporate activism is a long-term process that requires strategy and commitment. However, it’s not about complicated or futile efforts.

Corporate activism is a set of actions or programs that help your company transform into a platform that drives change on social and political issues.

At FairForce, we believe in the motto “Courage to change”.

Entrepreneurial activism requires a committed intention to move away from business-as-usual practices Solve their problems and a willingness to go beyond traditional (in our opinion, outdated) business tactics.

Business belongs to politics and, more importantly, to communities.

If your company’s mission is to help a specific target group (people!) to help solve a problem, then your business already has the potential to engage in social and community instances.

How you can get started with business activism

Get in tune with your audience: explore the values of your community

First, companies need to understand what causes they care about most and how to integrate those causes into their business model.
To this end, they should ask their audience aka the community and find out how they can link the business purpose to issues that are relevant to the community and its needs.

What are social or political causes that affect your community that your company can support?

Connect with your community

Business activism must focus on community interests and not become a one-sided branding tactic. Before you commit to a cause, you need to make real connections and have direct experiences with the community you care about. Educate yourself and listen to the community to form informed opinions on issues.

Educate yourself and be proactive

Education and proactive engagement with the cause (or issue) are the most important steps on the path to meaningful corporate activism.
Before you begin to engage yourself and your organization in the cause, you need some time and tools to familiarize yourself with the cause and the narrative you want to embrace. Make sure you’re spending enough resources on learning, paying professionals to help you understand the problem, and proactively working to develop a grounded sense of confidence in the issue.

Refrain from perfectionism and take risks

Perfectionism is a gatekeeper. Many people hold themselves back from getting involved in social causes for fear of making mistakes and saying the wrong thing. Impact and activism are learning processes that require courage, vulnerability, and the intention to take risks for the greater good and higher goals.

Organizations must be willing to leave perfectionism behind and risk vulnerability if they want to drive change.

Enlist the help of experts

There are many leaders and professionals who offer advice and training on impact and social justice issues. Working with them to shape your unique contribution is the most valuable step in integrating activism into your business practices.

Define your impact strategy

Think strategically about how you want to position yourself and your company in activism work, and evaluate which actions are most valuable and necessary within the scope of your business to achieve impact. Impact strategies can vary and their effectiveness depends on context. Be sure to conduct a thorough assessment of your individual approach to impact before you act.

Action planning and programming

Once you’ve completed your education and impact analysis, it’s time to act. Talk about it, write about it, adapt your business model and offering to advance the things that matter to you. Make sure your organization is inclusive and able to promote social justice and community care issues and solutions.

In conclusion, we believe that not only do companies have a responsibility, but they also have a wide range of opportunities to promote social change.

There are many ways to do this, and each company must find the approach that works best for them.

We hope this article has given you some ideas on how you can make a difference.

If you need help developing a business activism strategy for your company, you can contact the FairForce team. We are happy to help you get started!

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