To achieve the Community Mark, companies must demonstrate excellence in five key principles of community investment:

• Identify the social issues that are most relevant to the business and most pressing to the communities you work with.
• Work in partnership with your communities leveraging the combined expertise for mutual benefit.
• Plan and manage community investment using the most appropriate resources to deliver against targets.
• Inspire and engage employees, customers and suppliers to support community programmes.
• Measure and evaluate the difference investment has made in the community and your business. Strive for continual improvement.