I had always admired the work of Corporates within the communities. In my view, these organizations took the medal when it came to caring for the communities around them. The media coverage of these events made everything seem so perfect, that I actually participated in these events whenever possible, that is until I found myself in a somewhat strange predicament.

A few months ago, a very good friend of mine invited me to a cycling event that was meant to raise money for charity. In this particular event, the funds raised were meant to go towards providing water to a very dry and poverty stricken area – a very noble cause.

So, as you can already guess, I jumped at the idea of ‘cycling for water’ and in my excitement, I invited my brother to join me and he quickly accepted.

My friend confirmed that a renowned international bank was sponsoring the event and liaising with a local cycling company to provide the cycling gear which was to include the bicycles and helmets. The only requirement was that participants be at the starting point on time, everything else was to be catered for by the bank.

Come the D-day, my brother and I woke up very early, eager to get to the starting point on time. In fact we were so early, we were the first ones to arrive. The next group of people to arrive came in over half an hour later.

The route chosen was very scenic – by the countryside, hilly and rocky with plenty of fresh air.  We even managed to spot a dear that was quickly hunted down by some members of a hunting community who inhabit the area.

At the end of the cycling event, to soothe our sore muscles, we were to dip ourselves in the hot water springs which are said to have medicinal value. People with skin diseases claim to be healed by the water and those without skin problems come out of there glowing… we could not wait to dip ourselves in the hot springs. We were so excited; little did we know what fate had in store for us.

Surprisingly as the bicycles were unloaded from the lorry, the participants realized that there were no helmets available, but decided to proceed on with this noble cause but with caution to avoid injuries.

Within minutes after flag off, the bicycle which my brother was using fell apart as some of the screws had not been fastened properly. He fell down head first at a very high speed going down a steep hill – without a helmet of course.

I was just a few seconds behind him, so I quickly stopped to help him out. He was badly injured and was not breathing in the first few seconds immediately after he hit the ground. He had blood all over his body, making it difficult to know exactly where he was hurt. The tarmac was all blue from the tatters of the new branded T-shirt which he had received from the bank and put on a few minutes prior to the accident.

To cut a long story short, we got him into an ambulance and took him to hospital. The medical personnel at the hospital were convinced that he had been hit by a speeding vehicle, judging from his injuries. We actually had a difficult time trying to convince them otherwise.

My brother suffered amnesia. Initially he could not recall anything in his life going back for about 5 years.

Within the last few months he has greatly improved but he still does not remember bits and pieces about his life. Thankfully he is still able to lead a normal productive life.

Accidents do happen and they can happen to anyone anytime. The only thing that I did not anticipate is that the big bank would bail out on me at the hour of need. The bank conveniently stepped back and refused to offer any help. I felt sick to my stomach to imagine how inhumane the bank could be.

My brother was unfortunate to suffer the most during this incident, but I came to learn later that a lot of people also suffered from friction wounds and minor cuts as they fell off their bikes and off to the rough terrain as they too ‘cycled for water’.

I also learnt a few lessons which I hope to share with you so that you do not find yourself in a tight corner as you try to help the communities around you in the name of CSR.

THE BIG LESSON: What nobody ever tells you…

If you are really want to participate in a charity event organized by any corporate, confirm that as a participant you are insured for that particular activity, if not, make specific/personal insurance arrangements for that particular day. Bear in mind that most corporates already have their staff under medical insurance cover; hence any medical bills for employees are more or less catered for. The individuals who need to watch out are those not covered by the company’s medical scheme.

Alternatively you can choose to participate at your own risk – in which case you should clearly understand what you are getting yourself into.

You could also sue after the fact, in which case even if you won the case, it would be too little too late in my opinion.

A lot has been said about CSR both the good and the not too good stuff. In my view, these are the gains for the participants of CSR:

1. You give back to the community in terms of money, time, or  in kind;
2. There is great  fulfillment in knowing  that you made someone else’s life that much better;
3. On a personal note – you get to learn new skills (e.g. organization skills), socialize and probably make new friends and get new hobbies;
4. On a professional note – you may just thrust yourself in the limelight in your company for the good deeds that eventually makes the company look good.

Let’s see now what is in it for the company:

1. Staff  help build the brand by contributing money from their personal income, and getting further contributions in money and/or in kind from friends and relatives.
2. The companies want to differentiate their brands – There are those core CSR activities that each company undertakes that are closely associated with the sponsoring company. This is a marketing strategy – makes the communities (read consumers), develop a soft spot for the company and therefore become more receptive to the company’s products (goods/services).
3. There is taxation implications as some of these costs are tax deductible.

Either way that I look at it, the individuals who participate in CSR do so out of a generous spirit while the company is just gaining mileage riding on the participants’ good will and intentions.

It makes me wonder, what happened to professional ethics – whereby a company’s good conduct is also based on how well they cater for incidental as well as unexpected risks. Does it mean that these organizations do not provide for people who get hurt promoting their brand, unless they are their own employees?

I expect that there are some rules that govern CSR which require the company involved to assess the possible risks in carrying out a certain activity, and then come up with a sound strategy on how to handle it – In this particular case, if people are riding bicycles what are the chances that someone will fall of their bike? Further still, if they are riding without observing the mandatory safety requirements (read without safety gear), what are the chances that someone will get badly hurt in a fall. Does anybody look at these risks any more? It seems that all the corporates see is the mileage they will gain in the communities – ‘Hey we provided water (or whatever else) to you when you really needed it, now come on and bank with us….’

Ethically speaking, how do they go to donate money for a ‘worthy cause’ when one of the people who assisted them to get that money is lying in hospital and they can’t even acknowledge his contribution? Someone please tell me, what is the difference between the money obtained by these corporate organizations in this manner, and the money obtained from selling blood diamonds – it’s all tainted as far as I see.

You have probably faced a similar situation or know someone else who has. This is the place to air your views freely. Please post your comments, concerns or observations on my blog. I would love to hear from you. What’s your story?