Corporate social responsibility essential

Corporate social responsibility is on the rise as Millennials demand more of big business.

Penny Fowler with heart transplant patient Arielle. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

Flick through the annual reports of Australia’s biggest companies and you will see carefully worded commitments about corporate social responsibility.

As public companies seek to please shareholders, lure investors and build a brand, corporate social responsibility has become a key issue.

What has changed in recent years is the way Millennials research the issues a company supports and the extent to which it contributes.

With millennials numbering 1.8 billion people — about a quarter of the world’s population — corporate social responsibility is more important than ever.

It’s one reason why News Corp’s News in the Community program has taken on added importance. That is not the only reason, of course.

Community initiatives have been a part of News’s DNA and heritage for the past 87 years. In 1931, the Good Friday Appeal was launched under Sir Keith Murdoch to raise funds for the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital. This year, the Good Friday Appeal raised $18.4 million, taking the total up to $349m overall.

Support for the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute — Australia’s leading medical research centre into childhood disease — dates back 30 years to News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch.

Other long-standing commitments include the Pride of Australia Awards, which have heralded the work of quiet achievers in the community for 14 years.

The News in the Community program has stepped up a gear in recent years, however, coming five years after the Murdoch family split the company into two, separating entertainment from publishing.

The separation enabled the Australian arm of the company to unite all of its philanthropic initiatives into a dedicated community program, at a time when the idea of corporate social responsibility had become a growing topic in boardrooms.

In 2013, Penny Fowler, chairman of News Corp’s Herald & Weekly Times subsidiary, was chosen to be the company’s community ambassador to help oversee the next generation of community initiatives.

Ms Fowler says: “My children are millennials, and I see first-hand how they constantly challenge and question issues and topics they are passionate about. They connect strongly with companies and brands that stand for something and give back to their communities.

“We have a long and proud history at News of making a difference and giving back to our communities, beyond the important work we do in sharing news and information with people across the country every day.

“I am personally inspired by the role we play each day, in helping to build stronger communities in this country.”

Among the more recently launched community initiatives are the Shine Awards, which for the second consecutive year recognise the courage and resilience of rural women; Kids News, a national news website for primary schoolchildren; the Clontarf Foundation, an organisation dedicated to improving the lives of young indigenous men with a network of football academies supported by Fox Sports; and backing for the Ask Izzy initiative to help the homeless.

“We are extremely proud to be a part of Ask Izzy, a single online source of up-to-date information for homeless people seeking locally relevant services.

“A cornerstone of the News in the Community program, Ask Izzy is a mobile site that connects people in need to housing, meals, support and counselling,” Ms Fowler says.

A staff donations fund has so far provided support to more than 90 charities that employees have personally nominated.

News Corp’s Fox Sports Australia achieved “white ribbon” accreditation this year following two years of work to promote awareness about violence against women.

Last month, News unveiled Fox Squad to provide women with an arena to network with their peers.

At a launch event in Sydney, former magazine editor Deborah Hutton and Foxtel executive Amanda Laing spoke about the importance of gender diversity and other forces shaping the corporate world.

Another initiative is the company’s Reconciliation Action Plan. News Corp partnered with HarperCollins to support the indigenous Literacy Foundation’s The Great Book Swap. Working with more than 30 publishers, the foundation has already donated 250,000 new books to 250 remote indigenous communities through schools, libraries, playgroups, women’s centres and youth centres.

Part of a concerted push to support indigenous communities is seen in the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. The initiative provides scholarships for indigenous students at some of Australia’s leading schools and universities. This newspaper has joined the effort by telling the stories of the scholars.

And to support the recent Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience Hoodie Day, News created a national marketing campaign across its print and digital media platforms.

News Corp is a “company of storytellers, driven by passion and commitment to community initiatives”, says Ms Fowler. In this sense, the two made a natural fit.

“We celebrate the unsung heroes every single day, campaign for change, and provide a voice to people without one,” she says.

“News in the Community is about showing our compassion for the communities we serve and the work we do outside of our newsrooms.”