Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and Implications for the Nonprofit Sector

Abstract

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been considered an important philanthropic support for nonprofits worldwide, little is known about how perceptions of CSR are associated with actual CSR practices that may benefit nonprofit organizations in different institutional contexts. This study applies stakeholder theory to examine how South Korean firms perceive CSR outcomes, and how these perceptions lead to different CSR practices. We constructed a panel dataset using two waves of the Giving Korea survey of CSR and two additional sources. The results indicate that perceived CSR outcomes may play a critical role in CSR practices: 1) the more financial performance is perceived as an outcome, the more will be donated; 2) the more organizational culture is perceived as an outcome, the greater the engagement in employee volunteering; and 3) the more reputation is perceived as an outcome, the more nonprofit organizations are supported. From the findings, we discuss theoretical implications and provide suggestions for nonprofit organizations.