Business for Social Responsibility
Common Questions and Answers About BSR and Membership
If you don't see your question answered here, please drop us a line.
On Becoming a Member
- Who may join BSR?
- Does BSR offer membership for individuals?
- How does my company or organization join BSR?
- How much does membership cost?
- What forms of payment does BSR accept for membership?
- I'm writing a check, can I pay for membership in currency other than US dollars?
- When can my company or organization join BSR?
- Is membership annual or is it one-time?
- What are my company's obligations once it becomes a member?
- Is membership an endorsement of a company and its CSR efforts?
- How can I request printed materials about membership?
- Are there special membership rates for students doing research?
- Can I get the BSR Weekly without becoming a member?
Once You're a Member
- What happens once I've submitted the Membership Application?
- I've forgotten my password, how can I get it?
- How do I subscribe to the BSR Weekly or change the email address it is sent to?
- How do I unsubscribe from the BSR Weekly?
- How do I tell other BSR members about my company or organization, and the services we offer?
- How can my company or organization promote its membership in BSR?
- How can I get a copy of an article that was summarized in the BSR Weekly?
- Is it acceptable for me to forward the BSR Weekly to my coworkers?
- Is it acceptable for me to forward the BSR Weekly to someone who doesn't work for my company?
- My company has just done innovative CSR work, how may I get it mentioned in the BSR Weekly?
About BSR
- What is BSR's mission?
- Who are the members of BSR?
- Does BSR certify companies?
- May I have a copy of your mailing list?
- May I have a copy of your annual report?
- Does BSR endorse any global standards?
- When and where is your next Conference?
- How can I get in touch with the local BSR chapter or network?
- May I intern at BSR?
- How do I contact BSR?
1. Who may join BSR?
BSR is an inclusive membership organization; membership is open to all companies, regardless of size, sector, location, level of CSR experience, corporate reputation or other factors. There are no standards for CSR performance that must be achieved before a company can become a member of BSR. Associate membership is also open to "non-company" organizations, suchas nongovernmental organizations/nonprofits, government agencies, academic institutions, foundations, and trade associations.
2. Does BSR offer membership for individuals?
No, membership in BSR is open to companies only. Individual memberships are available from BSR's sister organization, Net Impact.
3. How does my company or organization join BSR?
Complete this inquiry form and we'll send you a membership agreement letter.
4. How much is membership?
Annual dues are based on a company's gross annual revenues. Annual Associate dues are based on annual operating budget. You may find a chart of our annual membership dues here.
5. What forms of payment does BSR accept for membership?
BSR accepts payment by credit card (VISA, Master Card, or American Express), check (make payable to "BSR") or wire transfer (email web@bsr.org for wire transfer details). Membership dues are non-refundable.
6. I'm writing a check, can I pay for membership in currency other than US dollars?
At this time, payment is accepted in US dollars only.
7. When can my company or organization join BSR?
Membership may be initiated any time.
8. Is membership annual?
Payment covers twelve months and renews in the month your company joins. BSR sends an invoice for renewal 60 days prior to renewal.
9. What are my company's obligations once it becomes a member?
We ask that all members read and adhere to our membership policies, created to protect our members' privacy, the value of membership, and the intellectual property of BSR. Every member receives a copy of BSR's Membership Policies and Definitions on joining, which may also be obtained for free by downloading the PDF file.
BSR places no other formal obligations or expectations on its members in terms of their policies, practices or performance.
10. Is membership an endorsement of a company and its CSR efforts?
No, membership in BSR is not an endorsement of the member company or organization, its policies, practices or performance, or that of any subsidiaries or business partners.
11. How can I request printed materials about membership?
To help BSR reduce the environmental impact of our operations, please refer to our website for current membership information. To receive an information pledge by mail, send your name, title, business mailing address, phone, fax and email address to web@bsr.org.
12. Are there special membership rates for students doing research?
Student memberships are not available. We encourage students to contact Net Impact, a network of emerging business leaders committed to using the power of business to create a better world.
13. Can I get the BSR Weekly without becoming a member?
Sorry, trial subscriptions are no longer available to non-members.
Once You're a Member
1. What happens once I've submitted the Membership Application?
BSR will acknowledge your application upon receipt of your payment. BSR will send a "Welcome Kit" that includes instructions on how to access benefits and a copy of Membership Policies and Definitions. In addition, BSR will contact the Primary Representative to schedule a call with your BSR Relationship Manager to further discuss how BSR can provide assistance to you and your company.
2. I've forgotten my password, how can I get it?
Go to the Member Login page and click on the "Forgot your password?" link. Please follow the directions on that page.
3. How do I subscribe to the BSR Weekly or change the email address it is sent to?
Members may email web@bsr.org with additional contact names (name, title, business mailing address, phone, fax, and email address) which we will add to the distribution list.
The complimentary BSR Weekly subscription is available to direct employees of member companies or associates only. BSR asks that members provide valid company or organization email addresses (for example, jdoe@company.com or jdoe@organization.org). Please see Membership Policies and Definitions (PDF) for complete details on the complimentary subscription.
4. How do I unsubscribe from the BSR Weekly?
Email web@bsr.org with your request. Do not hit "reply" to the email you received with the BSR Weekly as this is a distribution email only, and your message cannot be read.
Unless you specify otherwise in your email, BSR will only unsubscribe you from BSR Weekly. This means you will still receive the very occasional email about our Annual International Conference or important changes to membership.
5. How do I tell other BSR members about my company or organization, and the services we offer?
Members may not send mass communications or other solicitations to other members. BSR does not distribute third-party solicitations.
6. How can my company or organization promote its membership in BSR?
BSR requests that members obtain permission to use BSR's name, logo and statement of membership by contacting Corporate Services at web@bsr.org).
Members may place a BSR's logo, a statement of membership, and/or a link to the BSR site (www.bsr.org) on their website. Members may also use BSR's name and logo on other promotional materials with approval from Corporate Services.
The use of BSR's name and logo are proprietary and protected by federal law. Membership and use of BSR's name and logo cannot be used as a statement of endorsement.
7. How can I get a copy of an article that was summarized in the BSR Weekly?
BSR does not provide the full text of articles summarized in the BSR Weekly because of copyright restrictions, but does provide publication contact information either in the Sources Index at the end of each issue, or in response to requests to web@bsr.org.
8. Is it acceptable for me to forward the BSR Weekly to my coworkers?
Yes. However, BSR prefers to distribute the BSR Weekly directly to individual recipients.
Each subscription provides for up to 10 individual recipients. The addition of additional recipients is up to the discretion of BSR's Corporate Services. The complimentary subscription is available to direct employees of the member company or associate only as indicated by a valid company or organization email address.
The BSR Weekly may be shared with unlimited contacts within a member company, however, contents may not be shared with contacts who are not direct employees of the member company. A trial subscription of the BSR Weekly is available upon request for parties who are interested in learning more about BSR membership. For more information, forward a request to Member Services at web@bsr.org.
BSR normally distributes the BSR Weekly directly to individual recipients within a company, however we appreciate that within some member companies, it may be preferable for a limited number of contacts to receive and distribute the BSR Weekly to their coworkers and/or to post the BSR Weekly to a company intranet. While links to articles are provided wherever possible, copies of full articles reference in the BSR Weekly are not available from BSR. When forwarding the BSR Weekly to fellow employees, BSR suggests that the entire PDF document be forwarded with a reference to the e page and title of the relevant summaries. Many of our members have found this a convenient way to let their coworkers know about the BSR Weekly. To add recipients to the BSR Weekly distribution, please forward the new recipient's title, location, telephone number and email address to Corporate Services at web@bsr.org. BSR also allows for a member to share the BSR Weekly with direct employees through an internal system, such as a newsletter or intranet, so long as that system is strictly for direct employees of the member. BSR asks that the member reference BSR within the internal system with the following:
The following is Business for Social Responsibility's "BSR Weekly", an electronic newsletter on corporate social responsibility published weekly by BSR (www.bsr.org). We share this valuable information with permission from BSR. [Member Name] is a member of BSR and any of our direct employees may receive the benefits our membership. If you would like to receive the BSR Weekly directly, or access more of the benefits of BSR membership, please email BSR’s Member Services at web@bsr.org.
BSR asks that, if possible, members also link to www.bsr.org and place the BSR logo within the internal system. Member Services can provide a high-resolution file of the logo for this purpose.
9. Is it acceptable for me to forward the BSR Weekly to someone who doesn't work for my company?
No, the BSR Weekly that members receive is a complimentary subscription available to direct employees of the member only.
If you know someone who would be interested in the BSR Weekly or in receiving more information about BSR, you may ask us to send membership information. Your referral can be referenced in the accompanying letter so they know you believe they will find BSR a valuable resource.
10. My company has just done innovative CSR work, how may I get it mentioned in the BSR Weekly?
The BSR Weekly is a weekly summary of media stories about corporate social responsibility. BSR does not accept press releases as source material.
About BSR
1. What is BSR's mission?
As a nonprofit business association, BSR promotes corporate social responsibility (CSR) by helping companies implement and improve CSR policies and practices to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations.
2. Who are the members of BSR?
An illustrative list of BSR's members is available here. To protect our members' privacy, BSR does not publish a complete list.
3. Does BSR certify companies?
No, BSR does not provide certification.
4. May I have a copy of your mailing list?
No, to protect our members' privacy, BSR does not share its mailing list with third-party organizations.
5. May I have a copy of your annual report?
Currently BSR does not publish an annual report. If you have a general inquiry about BSR that are not answered on our website, please email us at web@bsr.org with questions specifically about membership.
5. Does BSR endorse any global standards?
BSR does not establish or promote particular standards in CSR or in any related issues. This enables BSR to be in an objective position to positively engage with companies.
6. When and where is your next Conference?
This and other information about our upcoming Conference is available at www.bsr.org/conferences.
7. How can I get in touch with the local BSR chapter or network?
BSR does not have local-based chapters or networks.
8. May I intern at BSR?
Historically, BSR has partnered with Net Impact to fill internship positions. BSR strongly encourages students to check out the resources available for CSR-minded students at Net Impact. (Disclosure: BSR used to be the fiscal sponsor of Net Impact from 2002-2005.)
9. How do I contact BSR?
Please visit our Contact Us page for more information