12/15/2022

Drive Your ESG Framework With Five Key Questions

The need for ESG strategy is growing

Association executives are navigating the role of their organization in advancing environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. There has been an elevated need for a formalized and proactive strategy due to the mission-driven purpose of associations and the strong ESG stance embraced by the private sector.

If your association is looking to develop an ESG strategy, here are five questions to ask to engage stakeholders in discussions and uncover ESG strategic priorities that align with your organization. 

1. What Are the Key Goals and Targets That Resonate With Stakeholders?

The purpose of ESG discussions is to create the space for organizations and professionals to recognize their impact and make choices about their future. Creating tangible goals and objectives and key results (OKRs) is a critical step in creating your ESG framework. To establish your goals and OKRs, you can start with research initiatives to reveal which ESG priorities resonate with your stakeholders and what their commitment is to different aspects of ESG. This is an opportunity for associations to take an honest look at their impact on these issues and weigh stakeholder perspectives in the context of their industry/profession and its relationship to the issues. Once you have the data, use it to inform facilitated goal-setting discussions with your board and employees that can later be incorporated into your strategic plan, competencies, and programs. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.