Standard Bank: CSI strategy review

Date of work: 2024

“Two things stand out that separate Trialogue from others: firstly, the strategy was very evidence-based and not just ideas on paper, and secondly, Trialogue developed a detailed work plan which is now being implemented by the team. Those two things meant the value added was absolutely incredible.”

– Kirston Greenop, Head Corporate Citizenship, SBSA.

Standard Bank SA (SBSA) has an established corporate social investment (CSI) programme, which focuses on early childhood development and foundation phase education and includes contributions from local business divisions, disaster management responses, and an employee volunteer programme.

SBSA undertakes a CSI strategy review every five years. In 2024, the bank engaged Trialogue to evaluate its existing strategy, facilitate internal consultations to revise the strategy and assist with implementation planning for the updated CSI strategy (2025–2030).

Trialogue used three of its proprietary frameworks during the strategy review:

• Trialogue integrated social impact framework which identifies how the CSI programme is integrated within the core business and how the elements of the programme combine effectively to ensure optimal social impact.
• Trialogue CSI positioning matrix which looks specifically at the developmental/business positioning of flagship projects (or clusters of projects).
• Trialogue strategy review framework which covers six broad topics included in a strategy, with up to 20 sub-topics.

The SBSA CSI team and other business stakeholders took part in a collaborative process facilitated by Trialogue to create a refined strategy. The revised strategy takes into account long-term alignment with the business and the potential to leverage social impact, and is built on three main objectives:

• To establish an impactful CSI programme that creates pathways to economic upliftment that can be leveraged to achieve scale, sustainability and extended impact.
• To ensure South Africans have the financial means and opportunities to educate or upskill themselves for employment, entrepreneurship or income-generating opportunities.
• To establish a CSI programme that supports the corporate citizenship ambitions of the bank, enhances key business stakeholder relations and brand reputation, and reinforces the social impact of Business Units and functions in the bank.

Trialogue assisted the team in developing a comprehensive strategy implementation plan, which following the necessary approvals, is being rolled out in 2025.