In a recent America's Charities poll of employers at nonprofit organizations, 86 percent of respondents said that employees expect them to provide opportunities to engage in the community; 88 percent said that effective employee-engagement programs help attract and retain employees; and 77 percent said that employee-engagement opportunities are an important millennial recruitment strategy. Stats like these illustrate the weight that corporate social responsibility carries for employees.

Understanding the importance of corporate social responsibility to employees and society at-large, many associations are developing CSR programs that align with business goals and principles, says Katy Moore, managing director of corporate strategy for the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, which runs the Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility, a professional-certificate program for CSR professionals.

Here are Moore's suggestions for associations preparing to enact or expand CSR programs:

Start with purpose. It's important that your CSR initiative has a purpose, Moore says. Consider your motivation for starting or enhancing a program: Are you trying to build your brand, improve employee morale, reduce your carbon footprint, or achieve some other goal?

Understanding the importance of corporate social responsibility to employees and society at-large, many associations are developing CSR programs that align with business goals and principles.

Develop your strategy. Operationalize your goal by developing a strategy. Consider tasking one or more employees with oversight of the CSR program and identify the types of resources that you have available to support your goals—such as cash for charitable contributions, product donations, employees' volunteer time, and staff expertise, among others.

Write your business plan. Writing a business case for your association's CSR program helps you to both document your goals and it encourage stakeholders to sign on. Make sure to include projections on cost and time to implement. "You can weigh these real expenses with intangible benefits you will receive from having a higher profile in the community, receiving increased media coverage, and increasing employee satisfaction," Moore says. "Take your business case to senior leadership and the board—and remember to emphasize that it's the right thing to do."

Recruit and incentivize staff volunteers. Using staff volunteers to jumpstart a CSR initiative can be a low-cost way to get started, Moore says. "It can be as easy as organizing a group of willing employees to take part in a walk to raise money for a favorite charity, or as robust as matching C-suite executives with available nonprofit board seats."

Many employers incentivize employees by offering staff members paid time off to volunteer. Others match employees' personal donations to charities up to a certain amount or offer cash gifts to charities where employees volunteer significant amounts of time. "These incentive programs are also effective methods for encouraging employees to log and measure their involvement in the community," Moore says. Plus, she says measuring your organization's community efforts and involvement is key to proving your CSR program's effectiveness and securing additional resources for the program in the future.

Partner up. Moore suggests seeking partnerships with nonprofits as a way to take your CSR program to the next level: "Find strategic nonprofit partners in your space." She also says it makes sense to "stay in your lane" when seeking a partner—for example, a home builders association may choose to work with a nonprofit focused on homelessness or affordable housing. For lists of qualified charities, consult GuideStar and CharityNavigator, or see if your city has a local charity listing. For instance, in Washington, DC, the Catalogue for Philanthropy lists and vets local charities.

When you partner with a nonprofit that complements your association, you can "go deep" in your volunteerism efforts and offer opportunities for your staff to spend a few hours on pro-bono work. "You can send your marketing team or editors out to help a group with a website redesign or in developing marketing materials," she says. Such endeavors benefit both the nonprofit and association staff members who may be able to develop skill sets.

Communicate internally and externally. Finally, Moore recommends communicating your association's CSR efforts both internally in employee newsletters or other communication channels and externally in alerts to association members or the media. Moore says associations should showcase the good work that they are doing in the community. Regardless of your association's size, incorporating a CSR initiative can be a great way to make a positive impact both inside and outside your organization.