How can you design a CSR program to address food insecurity?

Peel back the layers of the problem to get to the root cause. With each layer, identify all the target audiences, including those experiencing food insecurity, those who have the logistics and community respect to deliver programs, those providing the food, legislators. Form a community of with regular interaction and built-in feedback loops, with at least monthly 'what is working, what do we need to do differently?' Set benchmarks for progress, evaluate whether they are the correct benchmarks. Watch for unintended consequences. Set up a methodology for identifying and resolving.

It's great advice to start with a clear vision of what you want to achieve and why. But it's important to be completely honest about the "why" within your organisation. I've seen many private businesses set out a vision and intention to work with charities/non-profits/community partners, only to disappoint when the reality of their organisational and resource commitment hits. Be truly realistic about what your organisation is willing and able to achieve. Clearly set out the business case, resources and project timeline, and ensure it's signed off with relevant internal stakeholders, and you have the necessary organisational and senior management "buy-in".

It actually makes a lot more sense to assess the needs and opportunities in your context *before* deciding on your vision. Speak to organisation that are doing the work on the frontline. Without any agenda, ask them open questions - "what would good look like for your organisation?" "what are the biggest internal and external challenges?". Listen carefully to what the real experts say, and treat them as experts - even offer to cover their time to speak to you. Every moment they're giving you free advice is a moment that could be spent helping their beneficiaries. Fundamentally, food insecurity is a "wicked problem", sustained by deep structurally inequalities. Be aware of your power & privilege & deploy resources generously & wisely.

This is a key step. Applying an agile and lean startup methodology to a CSR program can help improve and iterate it a lot faster. Proactively getting feedback from all stakeholders at all stages can make a big difference. Think about embedding learning and improving at the core of the program. Some of the most effective teams in the world host daily lessons learnt sessions.

Before you roll out your project, it is absolutely imperative that you seek feedback from stakeholders so you can discover the potential effects. Thinking they were helping to address famine, US organisations used to donate American-made food products to African countries. Dumping free products essentially killed off the local market and made it impossible for local companies to survive. This caused more people to spiral into poverty. Be aware that your solutions will have both intended and unintended consequences. Understand what they are early. Adapt your strategy before implementation to minimise negative outcomes.

Given the context of the CSR initiative - food insecurity - the UN sustainable development goals should take centre stage (SDG 2 to be precise). The SDGs are a mirror of the sustainability issues that matter in our world and will guide you in putting your CSR initiatives into perspective. Also, remember that impact isn't always better determined by quantitative assessments because numbers - including unverified ones - tend to get thrown around often. As a matter of fact, qualitative assessments backed with verifiable data and strong evidence tell a much better story when sustainability objectives are involved. This ensures that impact isn't only made but also objectively seen to have been made.