SM Foundation’s social good programs recognized at Quill Awards for Effective CSR Communications

SM Foundation’s social good programs recognized at Quill Awards for Effective CSR Communications

The pandemic situation has affected many Filipino lives, causing uncertainty about what happens next. In the spirit of Bayanihan, many organizations mobilized to lend a helping hand and to share hope. The SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI), which has long been advocating to help the nation achieve a brighter future through its social good programs and the stories they share, mobilized quickly to do its part in uplifting lives during these trying times.

SMFI distributed various medical equipment to hospitals to help in the fight against COVID-19

Spreading stories of hope

Among the programs that SMFI strengthened as the pandemic started to take its toll on the country were its CSR communications campaign dubbed #SocialGoodStories and its COVID-19 response.

Through SMFI’s COVID-19 initiatives and stories, SM has shown that it is one with the nation in fighting the pandemic and that Filipinos, together with SM, choose not to feed the pandemic with fear, but of hope – and focus not on isolation, but on spreading social good amidst this crisis.

Spreading #SocialGood Stories Online is a social media storytelling campaign by SM Foundation that elevates its programs that touch the lives of Filipinos in its host communities nationwide.

It utilizes the influence of digital platforms to continue to communicate the legacy and principles of Tatang Henry Sy Sr., which enabled it to grow its online community to more than 400k engaged followers – consistently topping its peers in online engagements.

With more people going online as a result of the community quarantines, the #SocialGoodStories have helped in bringing inspiration through its content whose messaging, tonality, and content have been revamped in order to engage the Philippines’ discerning and highly visual online public.


By utilizing various communication channels, SMFI has also been constantly updating stakeholders of its #SocialGood programs, which, in 2019 was able to provide college and techvoc scholarships, school buildings, health facilities and medical services, sustainable farming technologies, and relief for thousands of Filipinos nationwide.

SM Foundation distributed thousands of Kalinga packs to families and individuals affected by the pandemic

In addition, SMFI was also able to provide support in managing the pandemic to more than 200 health care institutions and grassroots communities – on top of its distribution of thousands of Kalinga Packs of those who were affected by the pandemic. Through its communication strategy, SMFI intends to inspire Filipinos to emulate its principle of Spreading Social Good.

Excellence in Communication

These communications efforts to reach out and spread hope and positivity through the challenges of the pandemic were recognized during the annual Philippine Quill Awards, winning seven Quills in five categories namely Audio/Visual, Social Media Programs, Publications, Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility.

From almost a thousand entries, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) uses global standards that measure and determine the finest, the sharpest, and the brightest in the business communication industry. It is the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communications.

Debbie P. Sy, SMFI Executive Director, underscored the importance of communicating with their stakeholders as a way to promote social development. “At SMFI, we always ensure that our programs are well communicated.

With more and more people being supported by SM Foundation (SMF), we intend to help the nation to achieve a brighter future not only through our social good programs but also through our stories.

After all, we’ve been passionately committed to the needs of our stakeholders since 1983. So it’s the perfect moment to reshape our identity and strengthen our presence to a wider audience.”

Continuous spreading of #SocialGood stories through virtual events
For the SMFI executive director, communication plays an important role in social development and the awards that they received have validated their updated strategies.

“It’s not just putting our message out there, but making sure that stakeholders can hear us. At SMFI, we believe that effective communication engages. You might have the best story in the world to tell, but if no one is listening, then your communication strategy is not very effective.

Being able to bag several Quill awards is a bonus for us since our main goal is to promote social development, especially in areas where we operate. Winning the awards means that we are right on a track especially on communicating our social good efforts.”

It is challenging to execute SMFI’s social good programs because of the pandemic, she adds. “But by utilizing technology, we are able to execute some of our social good programs digitally.

By utilizing various platforms, we are able to bring social good to more stakeholders and engage them. At SMFI, we don’t limit ourselves to just executing and innovating our social good projects; we also continuously innovate our communication tools.

We believe that end-to-end communication efforts present proof of a company’s commitment to sustainable social development. If your communication strategy is well contextualized and authentic, your social good program can unite various institutions in spreading social good – which in turn multiplies impact.”

Source: Business Mirror