Government
Drivers for Business-NGO partnerships
Traditionally, the relationship between businesses and NGOs has been characterised by
mistrust and conflict
Recently, however, more and more scholars and practitioners have argued that business–NGO
partnerships can generate positive impacts for both business and society
Today businesses and NGOs need each other and that no single actor can solve all societal
problems alone
Today, NGOs have grown in number, power and influence and have become institutional
actors in line with public and private-sector actors
From the corporate standpoint, stakeholder expectations on corporate social investment are
on the rise, and collaborating with NGOs is a straightforward way for companies to fulfil their
social obligations
Business
Businesses tend to work with local and national NGOs in relation to
Philanthropic donations that have direct impact on poverty alleviation or
environmental impact
Implementation programmes that position company well with local
communities
Demonstration projects that will build government relationships and greater
license to operate
Business tend to prefer to work with international NGOs in relation to
Emergency relief and crisis or post-conflict situations
Strategic approach to global issues
Programmes designed to meet significant scale
Benefits in partnering with NGO
Building greater employee motivation, loyalty and productivity from working for a
company that they believe to be acting responsibly and one which takes employee
well-being seriously
Strengthening stakeholder relationships
Giving a stronger licence to operate
Providing opportunities for positive brand, differentiation, market development and
new product/service development
Better understanding of development issues from the not-for-profit sector
perspective which leads to organizational learning and system change
Drivers for Business-NGO partnerships
Consequently, NGOs have been driven towards partnerships with the private
sector in order to meet demands for improved efficiency and accountability
To create new funding opportunities and to implement social and environmental
improvements
Summary- Why Cross Sector Partnership
Major companies and NGOs doing cross
sector partnership
BUSINESS
BP, Eureka Forbes, HSBC, J&J, Microsoft, Nike, Nokia, Rio Tinto, Shell,
Uniliver,Vodafone
GLOBAL NGOS
INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES
LOCAL NGOS
Example- WWF and Coca Cola
Coca Cola Company and WWF seek to drive awareness and action to address water
challenges
One of the partnership goals is to improve Coca-Cola’s water efficiency and reduce its carbon
emissions from manufacturing operations
WWF’s key competences within water and energy efficiency have allowed Coca-Cola to
reduce water consumption by over 2%, while its sales volume has increased by more than
21%
This reduction in water consumption adds to WWF’s mission of conserving and protecting
freshwater resources by setting industry standards
Furthermore, WWF has received funds from Coca- Cola earmarked for conserving seven key
freshwater basins worldwide, and WWF also utilises the partnership as a platform for
leveraging global movement to address water challenges
The partners together seek to generate value for each other by tapping into one another’s
resources and key competences
Different forms
Philanthropy
Form of cash or gifts in kind-donations from
companies or employees
Improve image and strengthen social license to
operate
Social investments
More strategic approach- eg. Proving skills,
community development programmes, cause-
related marketing, targeted education
programmes that are aligned to company’s
principal business
New commercial initiatives
Aligned with company’s core business then to
focus on developing new markets, products and
services- which are many times targeted at low
income households.
Core Business
Strengthening the social and environmental
sustainability of current operations
Complying with regulations to improving
performance of global operations
Example: Toms Group and IBIS
Danish Confectionary company- Toms Group and IBIS a Danish developmental NGO
In 2005, Toms Group experienced critical exposure in the Danish media regarding its suppliers
use of child labour in Ghana
Partnership with IBIS. IBIS had expertise in the education area in Africa. Together they identified a
need for better education of children in cocoa growing areas of Ghana
IBIS started working with teachers in cocoa producing areas in order to motivate parents to
send their children to school instead of work
Instead of switching suppliers in the crisis, Toms Group turned the challenges they were facing
into opportunities by engaging in the well-being of people in the Ghanian cocoa value chain
Toms Group benefitted with IBIS’s legitimacy when communicating how the company dealt with
child labour abuse in Ghana
IBIS on the other hand, furthered its advocacy and information work regarding child labour
issues and improved quality of primary school education in Ghana
In 2012, the launched a plan for extending the scope of partnership to include issues of
traceability in the cocoa value chain and development of new farming techniques
Motives for partnerships
Partnership Type
Low engagement, arm’s length (e.g. traditional philanthropy or cause related marketing)
Deep-engagement partnerships (e.g. joint ventures)
Characteristics of partnerships
Pilot Projects/.short term arrangements
With the intention of handling over some or all of the programme to the public sector for
long-term delivery or finding other ways to sustain the delivery or outcomes outside the
partnerships
Tri-partite arrangements
Including the public sector from the beginning/at an early stage
Strategic influence
Aiming at infrastructure development, developing the enabling environment and/or system
change
Partnership Types
Partnership Types
Partnership Types
Partnership Types
Partnership Types
Partnership Characteristics
Main barriers for partnerships
BUSINESS ABOUT BARRIERS
Conflict of interest and strategic orientation
Lack of common expectations for the partnership
Lack of communication and unclear context and expectations
Limited project management, administrative and financial skills at partner
institutions
Organizational challenges, embedding partnerships into the core business
Understanding and recognition of very different positions/roles
Lack of knowledge about NGO culture and mid set and vice-versa
Speed in developing and executing partnerships
Main barriers for partnerships
NGOS ABOUT BARRIERS
Time and resource to activate the partnership from both sides
What’s in it for me- difficult for business partners to see the value
Difficult to understand the special NGO mind set
Companies do often have a short-term strategy in this area and focus only on
increasing the PR value
It is a new area of operation. We are struggling to find our role and to harmonize it
with money making thinking
They don’t understand the third world circumstances, work environment and
limited resources of NGOs and likewise, we probably don’t understand them
Measurements for partnership
Partnership Myths and Truths
Case Studies
Mission Mangalam
Inclusive Development through Social Business Enterprises
Market Survey
Strategy of Integrated Approach Linkage with
involving Corporates Domestic/ Foreign Product Design
Markets
Managing the
Production Financial Linkages
Activity
Organize themselves QC with the requisite Scientific production Adherence to QC Packaging and labeling
training techniques standards QC
SHG/NGO
Logistics and time Receipt and stocking High product quality Incorporating local Offer their brand for
commitment conditions into QC value enhancement
Funds for Training Incentives for SHG Funds at affordable Incentivize large Incentivize scientific
raw materials costs for Tech grade scale QC supply chains
Government
Assisting in Incentivize Assist in organizing Delegations for Build SHGs as a brand
integrating production and w/h Tech. upgradation knowledge sharing
Training needs Procurement and Organize production Design , Implement National/Intl market
aligned to market transportation value chain and Audit QC links
Corporate
Training modules Inventory Upgrade production Continuously Capture value from the
and trainers management value chain upgrade QC SHG brand ‘Stree Shakti’
Case Studies
CoC act as intermediary
Operates through Community CoC are owned by communities
Accelerating:
producers
CoC brings local crafts of the Different artisans involved in Price for product produced and
region different stages of production share in profits of the company
Fabindia
(Approval of
designs)
125 stores
Fabric
Warehouse
Supplier
Fabindia Overseas
Pvt Ltd CoC
Stitching
Printing Unit
Unit
Cutting Unit
Mangalam Yatra
Mangalam Yatra
4 day (1st Thu to Sun) bazaar
1 at Future Group outlets for
SHGs to sell their goods., • Future Group enters into
4 contract with SHGs