CSR, corporate investment in sport needs re-evaluation - research

The research, published ahead of the Beyond Sport Summit and Awards in Cape Town, calls on the industry to both examine the motivation behind its CSR investment and demonstrate that it is fulfilling its objectives. KantarSport, KantarMedia's specialist sport arm, interviewed more than 250 NGOs, international sports federations and corporates.

A key disconnect was between the 72% of corporate respondents who pointed to the positive impact of CSR on brand and reputation and the fact that only 41% of the CSR budgets in question were marketing-based. Those statistics add to the impression that the sport and development industry as a whole must demonstrate more effectively that CSR is not simply a charitable donation, but can be an important part of a company's business.

Employee time will achieve more success

Likewise, the positive effect reported on issues such as improved relations with stakeholders should be highlighted by those seeking to engage corporate investment. With budgets tight, but two out of three corporates willing to provide employee time, those NGOs which seek employee time and skills rather than straight financial injections are likely to achieve greater success in terms of attracting corporate support.

Nick Keller, the founder of Beyond Sport, said: "At Beyond Sport United in September, Harvard's professor Michael Porter spoke of the importance of taking CSR to a new level with the concept of Creating Shared Value (CSV) - the introduction by companies of social and developmental policies that benefit their business as well as having a positive effect on their communities. This research by KantarSport highlights a similar theme. It is up to all of us in the world of sport and development to demonstrate that backing projects seeking to have a real social impact through sport is in the best interests of corporate sponsors, rather than simply putting out our hands and hoping for hand-outs."