The Ask:
A Fortune 50 client sought to better inform policymakers of the impact of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) investments, tying its efforts more directly to the lives of constituents.
Our Process:
Via a quantitative survey, Ballast asked policymakers to benchmark the client’s CSR efforts against other prominent organizations. This provided a more comprehensive picture of how policymakers valued the client’s CSR focus area and level of investment relative to its industry peers.
Over a series of qualitative interviews, policymakers then provided direct feedback on the client’s current CSR communications strategy, as well as recommendations for how the client can “break through the noise” of DC advocacy.
Our Findings:
Despite spending millions of dollars on philanthropic engagement, the client suffered from low policymaker awareness of its CSR investments, as well as lack of clarity on its CSR goals, priority, and impact.
The Solution
Ballast worked with the client to build an interactive tool to easily track and communicate CSR investments across congressional districts, improving their ability to highlight the direct impact of their efforts on each policymaker’s constituents. Ballast supplemented this tool with a series of one-pagers and associated collateral to help inform local, state, and DC-based policymakers of the client’s presence in their districts.