To maximise the efficiency & effectiveness of their communications with SRI investors and analysts on sustainability issues, companies need three (or four) things:
- The will to do it
- A plan
- Practical tools
- (Possibly) external support
The will to do it
Our opening article sets out nine reasons why companies should communicate pro-actively with SRI investors, including SRI market size & growth, relevance to corporate strategy, mainstream interest etc.
A plan – the ‘10 Steps’
The 10 Steps plan outlined in this document should enable companies to:
- halve the amount of time they spend on SRI and,
- double their reach and effectiveness.
We offer this for free to:
- companies to use directly and,
- consultancies to use with their corporate clients.
Practical tools
SRI-CONNECT has online tools to support most aspects of this process.
- Some of these are supplied ‘free-to-air’
- Most are available within the registered user area (registration is free but only open to those with a professional exposure to SRI (CSR Heads / IR managers etc.)
- Some (including a step-by-step spreadsheet for the ‘10 Steps’) are available to subscribed members only (Subscription costs company users and consultants £375 + VAT)
External support
Some companies will manage all of their own SRI communications in-house; others will involve external specialists. For the latter group, we provide:
- A list of CSR consultants with SRI advisory capabilities
- A list of 'sell-side brokers' that organise roadshows for companies to meet ‘buy-side’ analysts and portfolio managers
- A list of specialist SRI consultants that organise meetings with 'sell-side' and SRI agency analysts
This paper should be read in conjunction with:
- our SRI Primer report which contains a comprehensive overview of the SRI industry
- our Ecology of SRI report which lists all significant players.
Discussion points
The SRI-CONNECT discussion group, Take control of SRI communications, draws on the practical experience of investor relations executives and CSR/sustainability managers to answer the following questions:
- How much time do you spend on SRI investor communications? Is this increasing / decreasing?
- Who should take the lead on SRI communications? Investor relations? Sustainability/CSR managers?
- Do you have a formal timetable for SRI communications? How often does your company aim to meet with investors in its own country? Its region? Other regions?
- Which questionnaires do you prioritise? Why?
- How often do you organise direct meetings with investors?
- How much ‘mainstream’ investor interest have you experienced?
- What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you in SRI?
- Which aspects of SRI communications are least satisfactory? What could be improved?
- Any other questions? (SRI-C Editors will answer within 48 hrs)
Access to full discussion paper
- Site browsers can read the report's Introduction
- The following registered users can read the report online
- Company users, 'Other' users
- All subscribed members can:
- read the report online
- download a full copy of it here:
