Building Social Capital in the country is necessary
Social Alliance: 10 years modeling responsible corporate leadership

 

Social investment by the corporate sector has always existed in Venezuela. But the specialization in the Corporate Social Responsibility issue began to be strongly heard in the 80s throughout the world and in the late 90s in our country. Presided by Pedro Palma, VenAmCham created Social Alliance in the year 2000 with the purpose of promoting the social responsibility of corporations and improving the quality of life of Venezuelans.

The year 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of Social Alliance, not only reaping the rewards of its efforts but projecting its actions on the years to come.

One of the most significant achievements of Social Alliance has been its contribution to modeling responsible leadership in the corporate world through events, workshops, advisory and publications that have made this issue an item of the country’s agenda. The committee was founded by sixteen companies and has grown to its current sixty-four.

We have arrived to this tenth anniversary with more than one million direct and indirect beneficiaries through training programs. We want to share the testimonies of those who have worked and have benefited from this modeling. In this respect, Carlos Rivas, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Unicasa says:

“The companies that are part of this committee have found a space to learn and exchange experiences that have allowed us to improve our management and enhance social investment. Several audiences meet at Social Alliance to obtain vital information.

Social Alliance became a space to institutionalize good corporate practices in matters of CSR and is today a referential institution that models the construction of a system that strengthens the Venezuelan social fabric and creates a better society”.

In 2005, Diana Hernández Cruz won third place in the university contest “Promoting Socially Responsible Leaders” organized by Social Alliance and Rotary with the sponsorship of Banco Mercantil. She is currently teaching CSR at the Accounting School of Universidad Central de Venezuela. She believes that entities such as Social Alliance are significant as promoting actors of the country’s social capital.

“Through the support of research works about corporate social responsibly, support through training to Third Sector organizations and the development of initiatives in alliance with other institutions, Social Alliance has had a positive impact on the development of responsible leadership from different sectors of our society: corporations, universities and social development organizations”.

To Margarita Méndez de Montero, Executive Director and founder of Social Alliance, even though the work accomplished has generated the projected impact, the challenges have increased as well. In Latin America, the social gap continues, inflation levels are severe and Venezuela is no exception. Modeling Socially Responsible Corporations through transparent management processes becomes increasingly necessary. Dialogue and social inclusion is still a core issue in our country and therefore, VenAmCham’s Social Alliance evangelizing mission promises multiplication in the following years with more actions and strategies designed to position this issue not only in our territory but in the rest of the continent.

“We have exported experiences such as the University Contest “Promoting Socially Responsible Leaders” that is being held in Mexico since this year, proving that the formulas started through alliances have been planned, are sustainable and replicable. The idea is to generate a larger impact through training programs that includes mass media and are directed to increase the awareness of social conscience at times when the population is asking for dialogue and inclusion”.

Montero also said that, in its tenth anniversary, Social Alliance is closing 2009 with the IX CSR Symposium with the purpose of contributing to the construction of the 2010 agenda and the VI Social Alliance Directory where 245 Social Development Organizations and 49 corporations will be participating.

Social Alliance in figures and impact

•     More than 10 thousand persons have been involved in the 25 events organized by Social Alliance.

•     3548 students from 26 national universities have been trained in Social Responsibility and social projects, improving their communities and their family environments.

•     More than one million persons have benefited directly or indirectly from the 210 workshops offered by Social Alliance since 2000.

•     Social Alliance has influenced the modeling of the mass media by incorporating information, supplements and columns.

•     Approximately 5 million persons have been impacted by the 733 institutional columns that VenAmCham’s Social Alliance published in six national newspapers:  Últimas Noticias, El Nacional, Notitarde, Diario Los Andes, Correo del Caroní and Yaracuy al día. 

•     The columns act as a bridge between the civil society and private corporations, offering useful information to the least favored sectors and disclosing positive initiatives of the corporate sector.