residents for each other and their surroundings, enabling self-development and fulfillment within proximity to home, etc).
• Business Objectives: Attracting new customers, enhancing loyalty among existing patrons, increasing employee satisfaction within the retail chain’s stores, and instilling pride in the company as a whole.
PROJECT AUDIENCE
The primary target audience comprises employees and visitors of the retail chain residing near its CC-designated stores. Additionally, numerous indirect stakeholders are involved, including:
• Local and federal NGOs operating within specific territories.
• Local activists.
• Governmental and municipal bodies and institutions.
• Other socially responsible businesses in the area open to partnership ventures.
• Cultural and educational institutions.
PROJECT STAGES
1. In 2020–2021, in collaboration with the Tsentsiper Bureau and You Social agency, the project concept was developed, leading to the implementation of two pilots — initially in 5, then in 50 stores across four regions: Moscow, Moscow Region, Krasnodar Region, and Sverdlovsk Region. Expert community managers (CMs) were brought in to spearhead the stores’ new role, aiding in center launches, introducing stakeholders to new resources, and educating store employees about the project’s mechanics and center capabilities.
2. A more extensive pilot took place in 2022–2023, involving 354 stores across 9 regions, organized into two clusters by operator funds. Each operator fund established a project support team comprising CMs, with one manager overseeing 25 stores.
Starting from spring 2023, the project entered its replication phase. Presently, it is operational in 1,350 stores spanning over 450 locations across Russia. According to a 2022 survey, 81 % of shoppers advocated for the project’s continuation, as CCs have become pivotal attractions and gathering spots for them. [90]
PROJECT ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY
The comprehensive assessment of the project’s impact covered the following dimensions:
• The project’s contribution to the sustainable development of local communities, both socially and environmentally.
• Alignment with the business objectives of the retail chain and the overarching corporate social responsibility goals.
• The assessment study, conducted between November 2022 and January 2023, was led by experts from the “Charity Culture” Charitable Foundation and consisted of several key phases:
1. Desk Research (November 28, 2022 — December 5, 2022) involved familiarizing with project documentation, gathering information from open sources, and selecting a model for analyzing the project’s impact.
2. Qualitative Research (December 8, 2022 — January 12, 2023) comprised interviews and focus group discussions with key project stakeholders:
• Project coordinator from the retail chain;
• Project manager and methodologist from the retail chain, as well as leaders of partner organizations and project managers from Dobryi Gorod St. Petersburg and Good Stories;
Each CC-designated store into a platform with capacity to boost social engagement, unite people and organizations.
• Managers and mentors supporting community managers from two foundations (4 people);
• Community experts involved in the project’s pilot phase carried out without partner help (3 people);
• Community managers from partner funds (13 people);
• Store directors from two project clusters (11 people);
• Store employees (5 people);
• Stakeholders from local communities, such as event organizers at the CCs (11 people).
During the interviews, participants highlighted various successful initiatives and activities that held significance for the community. They also discussed initiatives that have been replicated across multiple stores and those with potential for future replication. Currently, the methodologist from the Dobryi Gorod St. Petersburg Foundation is curating a collection of successful practices and case studies for CC organizers in stores planning to join the project.
In some instances, the CC project achieved exceptional success due to pre-existing social networks and interactions within the community. In these cases, the CC served as a platform and catalyst for further interaction. Another key success factor for CMCs was the involvement of stakeholders, including organizations keen on engaging with the community and offering innovative formats and activities.
Figure 1. Components of the Business for Societal Impact Model
Source: B4SI. (2023). Retrieved from: https://b4si.net/. (accessed: 07.03.2024)
B4SI MODEL FOR ANALYZING PROJECT OUTCOMES
The B4SI (Business for Societal Impact) model, a global standard for corporate social impact assessment and management, formed the foundation for developing the project’s social and environmental impact assessment and management system.
The B4SI model empowers companies and their partners by providing impact information essential for various purposes, including:
• Ensuring a consistent approach to assessing contributions (inputs, various forms of investment, e.g. money, goods and services), outcomes, and impacts across company and partner initiatives;
• Informing strategic decisions regarding future directions, goals, and key performance indicators (KPIs) within the community context;
• Identifying and verifying outcomes for both the community and the company;
• Optimizing project operations and engaging new participants, including company employees;
• Communicating the results of community investments to key stakeholders;
The components of the B4SI model are summarized in Figure 1.
RESULTS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT
One of the primary objectives in analyzing the CC project was to delineate the core components of the B4SI model and devise recommendations for gathering data on the project’s products, outcomes, and impacts.
The fundamental information regarding the Inputs and Products segments resides within the reports provided by the project operators. Therefore, the initial focus was on structuring the available data and proposing a framework of outcomes and indicators for the Impact segment concerning the local community and environment.
