Some time ago, I was asked by a client, "What is the value proposition of Corporate Social Responsibility and teambuilding activities as it relates to conferences, meetings or incentive travel programs?" I explained that events that give back are rewarding to participants, the organizational culture and to the local communities in which they take place. More recently, I heard a definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), that I really like and wish I had included in my response; "CSR is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the honoring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit".

For one ACCESS client, our community service project, “Military Makeover,” offered something new for attendees – something significant - that made a difference! 70+ conference attendee volunteers came to the aid of a young military spouse who was having a hard time keeping up with home maintenance while her husband was deployed on his third tour of Iraq. Attendees replaced fences, landscaped the lawn, caulked, painted and built shelves making a huge difference to the comfort and pride of this family. In the evening, attendees shared stories and celebrated the day’s success at a nice group dinner. The next night we continued the patriotic theme at the Officers’ Club on an active area military base where event proceeds contributed to better services and quality of life for our service men and women and their families, like the one the volunteers helped.

I am happy to report that the family in the above story is doing well. The husband returned from deployment and is now employed on base. Husband and wife were both very appreciative of the help they received when it was most needed. Our client reports that the volunteers in the project still talk about how meaningful and rewarding that conference was, as compared to other conferences without a CSR component.