The Benefits of Digital Dashboards for Corporate Social Responsibility
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Introduction
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable. In this digital age, dashboards have become a significant tool in managing CSR activities effectively. Let's delve into the benefits of digital dashboards for CSR.
Real-Time Data
Digital dashboards provide real-time updates and insights, enabling companies to make immediate decisions based on current data. This is particularly useful in CSR initiatives where timely response is crucial.
Improved Transparency
With digital dashboards, companies can share their CSR progress with stakeholders and the public in a transparent manner. This can enhance the company's reputation and build trust among its stakeholders.
Efficient Resource Allocation
Digital dashboards allow companies to see which CSR initiatives are performing well. This can help them allocate resources more efficiently, ensuring that their CSR efforts have the greatest impact.
Let's begin:
I have developed a very simple and easy to understand spend dashboard for corporate social responsibility. it is intended for senior CSR executives such as CSR committee members.
How is this dashboard organised?
On the left hand side, you have the KPIs. and on the right hand side, you have the respective spend shown in percentage of the total. In KPIs, you have the yearly spend, spend by domain (such as education), spend by location ( e.g. state), spent by NGO. It quickly gives a bird eye view of the spend. By choice, it's a static dashboard. It can be updated and customised as often as required. It can be put in conference room, in the reception area for communicating the progress of CSR spend.
Reading the dashboard:
Let's say you want to know the spend on Domain – health. It is shown as 27% as a numeral as well as a corresponding darkened arc in a circle. The arc starts from equivalent position of 9 o'clock on the clock face. Any progresses clock wise. Showing the data in percentages of the total, helps in getting a grasp of the size of the proportion. Let's take another example. We want to know the spend on the top NGO as a percentage of the total. It is shown as 35%. This will help you take an executive decision such as reducing the spend on the top NGO.
How is this dashboard made?
It is drawn using 100% Visual Basic For Applications (VBA). It is customisable in so many different ways. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can also be linked. Similarly you can add photos, logos, other art clippings.
The concept can be extended to cover other functions namely Sustainability, Marketing, Social Media, Sales, Admin. And many more.
It is not using chars from excel and pasting it in Dashboard. It uses native shape objects of PowerPoint.
But it uses excel for data and necessary calculations. The VBA code resides in Excel. You may put your actual data. Such static visualisations have great impact in corporate conference room discussions.
Conclusion
Digital dashboards offer numerous benefits for managing CSR initiatives. By providing real-time data, improving transparency, and aiding in resource allocation, they can help companies make a significant social impact.
