Corporate social responsibility and housing

A day of work where your company's team spends a Saturday building walls for a family that didn't have any. That, not a press release, is what people remember. corporate social responsibility It ceased to be an appendix to the annual report and became a concrete way of demonstrating why a company exists beyond its usefulness.

In this article, we'll explain what corporate social responsibility is in practical terms, why it matters to customers and employees today, and how it applies to something as tangible as housing. No fluff: just examples your company can implement this quarter.

What is corporate social responsibility?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) encompasses the actions a company takes to generate a positive social or environmental impact, beyond its core business operations. It's not just a one-off act of philanthropy or a one-day event; it's a sustained commitment to giving back to the communities where the company earns its profits.

In housing, this takes four clear forms: donating resources or materials, corporate volunteering, sponsoring a construction project, and long-term partnerships with a foundation. Each requires a different level of commitment, and none requires you to be a multinational corporation to begin.

Why CSR matters more today

Because the problem is enormous and visible. The housing deficit in Colombia reaches 25.61% of households—4.8 million families, according to DANE—and three out of every four cases are qualitative: homes with dirt floors, without services, or with unsafe structures. This isn't an abstract statistic; it's the neighborhood next to your store.

For a company, taking action on this has a return that doesn't appear on the balance sheet but does in customer loyalty. A team that sees its company building homes works differently. A customer who knows that story chooses differently. Well-executed CSR is branding, retention, and purpose all in one. You can get a sense of the scale of the problem with official figures from DANE.

examples of CSR applied to housing

Corporate volunteering is the most visible: your team joins in a day of construction, mixing cement, painting, and installing. You come back with real photos and a more cohesive group than after any classroom training session.

Donating materials is the most direct: bricks, cement, tiles—whatever your company produces or can get at a good price goes into a specific construction project. Sponsoring a project is the most profound: your company supports a home from start to finish and lends its name to a verifiable result. If you want to offer hands-on help rather than resources, see how our program works. volunteers.

CSR and tax benefits are not at odds

One point that many managers unnecessarily overlook: doing good and managing cash flow can go hand in hand. When a donation goes to a foundation under the Special Tax Regime, your company is eligible for a 25% discount on income tax, with the required certificate.

In other words, social and financial strategies point in the same direction. We elaborate on this in our guide on corporate donations and their tax benefits. Please note that this is general information; the exact calculation should be confirmed by your accountant based on the company's tax return.

How does your company partner with a housing foundation?

Start with an honest conversation about what your company can contribute today: time, materials, resources, or a combination. You don't need a huge budget or an endless committee. A mid-sized company can start with just one day of volunteering and grow from there.

At Hepacom—Fundación Hechos Para la Comunidad, NIT 900.841.914-1, based in Itagüí with national reach—we design partnerships tailored to your company's goals. Contact us via WhatsApp at +57 300 143 7951, email us at contactanos@hepacom.org, or leave your information at [website address missing]. contact us And we start with the simplest thing: understanding what your company wants to build.

Types of corporate social responsibility applied to housing

Not all corporate social responsibility looks the same. A company can contribute money, products, employee time, or technical expertise, and each approach is tailored differently depending on its size and sector. This table outlines the most common approaches when the social focus is on decent housing, what each contributes, and provides a concrete example to help you easily identify the one that applies to your organization.

CSR Format	What does the company contribute?	Example in housing
Monetary donation	Cash resources, one-off or recurring	Finance the improvement of one home per year
In-kind donation	Own materials, furniture or product	Cement, paint, or windows from the company's product line
Corporate volunteering	Hours and hands of the team	Days of painting or home renovation
Technical contribution (pro bono)	Professional knowledge	Housing project design or legal advice

Suggested CSR formats for housing. Each company can combine several depending on its capacity and sector.

Common mistakes when putting together a CSR strategy

• Confusing CSR with a one-time donation: An isolated contribution does not build reputation or impact; social responsibility sustains its value when it is recurring and measurable.
• Not documenting the contribution: Without a donation certificate or accounting record, the company loses the support to report the impact and for any tax benefits.
• Choosing causes unrelated to the business: When the cause does not connect with what the company does or with its environment, the message is diluted and the team does not get involved.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is corporate social responsibility in simple terms?

These are the actions a company takes to generate a positive social or environmental impact beyond its core business. In the housing sector, this can take the form of donating resources or materials, corporate volunteering, sponsoring a construction project, or forming long-term partnerships with foundations.

Can a small company do CSR in housing?

Yes. It doesn't depend on size but on commitment. A corporate volunteer day or a donation of materials are real starting points, and the partnership can grow over time depending on what the company wants to commit to.

Does CSR offer any tax benefits?

When a donation goes to a non-profit organization (ESAL) under the Special Tax Regime, the company is eligible for a 25% discount on income tax with a donation certificate. This is general information; the accountant will confirm the calculation for each specific case.

How does my company start working with Hepacom?

With a conversation. You write to us on WhatsApp +57 300 143 7951 or to the email contactanos@hepacom.org, we define what type of contribution suits your company and put together the alliance tailored to your needs, from a specific event to a project sponsorship.

This guide is part of our Complete guide to decent housing in Colombia, where we bring together how to access housing and how to help another family have their own.