Are Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives providing the societal good they promise? After decades of CSR research, it appears to occur only rarely. In this article, we suggest a new approach to CSR that can deliver on its promise. Drawing from the impact evaluation literature of development economics, public policy, and education, we argue that the CSR field should reconceive itself as a science of design in which researchers formulate CSR initiatives that seek to achieve specific social and environmental objectives. In accordance with this pursuit, we provide seven guidelines to enable CSR practitioners to improve the design of their initiatives.