Business Guide for Partnering NGOs
30 July 2007 at 12:04 pm
Partnerships on environmental issues account for a third of all business corporate social responsibility partnerships on a global level and education projects are the preferred corporate social responsibility partnerships at a local level.
These are some of the key findings of "The Business Guide to Partnering with NGOs and the United Nations", a global effort to scan and rate NGOs, UN agencies and other social actors from a business partnership perspective.
The guide is published by the UN Global Compact, Financial Times, and Dalberg Global Development Advisors and was presented to 700 senior company executives, heads of international NGOs, and government officials participating in the Global Compact’s Leaders Summit in Geneva.
The report surveyed 20,000 companies worldwide, identified 550 NGOs, UN agencies, foundations, and other social actors with which companies had partnered, and profiled 85 based on company ratings.
The guide is targeted at business leaders and maps out and profiles possible social partners. It provides practical contact information, as well as case studies and aims to improve how business and the social sector work together.
Key findings and insights from the global scan of social actors include:
– 73% of companies anticipate that partnerships with NGOs and other social actors will be important or extremely important for them in the next 3 years
– The key reasons for corporations to partner with NGOs and other social actors include effectively implementing their CSR programs and to build trust with stakeholders
– A third of partnerships at the global level relate to environmental protection, while almost 40% of those at the local level are in the education sector
– Microfinance constitutes only 5% of the partnerships, but is rated the most successful type of partnership (average score of 4.17 out of a total of 5)
– Of the "hidden gems" – leading local and regional organisations identified – 40% are in Latin America.
Heinrik Skovby, Dalberg’s founding partner said that the idea of putting together a guide for business on partnering with NGOs and the UN came from hearing companies repeatedly express how difficult it is to identify appropriate social actors and successful partnership models, and how well it works when they find a good match.
He said it’s often difficult for businesses and NGOs to understand and trust each other, and the survey clearly shows how important it is for each partner to bring something to the table that is really needed.
The Business Guide hopes to increase development impact by promoting and facilitating more partnerships and good partnership practices over time.
To ensure expert advice, independence, and fairness throughout the process of the creation of the Business Guide, Dalberg and the UN Global Compact convened an Advisory Board of experts and practitioners in partnerships building.
The full report including the profiles of the NGOs, UN agencies and other social actors can be ordered on www.csrwire.com/guide and www.dalberg.com/guide
