Relationships between corporates and NGOs are often difficult due to the fact that both parties have different goals and reasons for existence. Most corporates enter partnerships with NGOs to improve their reputation and their credibility; NGOs enter partnerships with corporates to access funding. In order to create effective societal change, we need partnerships between NGOs and corporates to extend beyond the money/reputation exchange. Companies need to engage with NGOs and other stakeholders beyond the strict ambit of their business practices in order to focus together on solving the social problems in our society.
These shared value partnerships are vital mechanisms for developing innovative responses to shared problems. This workshop will explore the concept of shared value partnerships between NPOs and companies. It will focus on examples of successful partnerships (in South Africa) and explore the elements of successful shared value partnerships. It will also work with the participants on a plan to develop successful sustainable funding partnerships with corporate donors that are mutually beneficial.
Learning outcomes
- Understanding the concept of corporate shared value and how it is relevant for their organisations
- Understanding how to identify and source key partnerships
- Understanding the elements of what makes a successful corporate funding partnership
Who should attend: Non-profit organisations, corporate funders
Session style: The first part of the workshop will focus on the concept of shared value partnerships. I will bring one of the Children’s Hospital Trust corporate partners, Comair/British Airways, to present as an example of a good corporate partnership. I will also give other examples and engage the audience in sharing their examples. We will then workshop the elements of what makes these partnerships successful. Once these elements have been identified, we will work in groups to work on a plan for the attendees on how they can go about sourcing these partnerships. The audience will be inspired by examples of successful partnerships, including inspirational videos. They will be engaged in sharing their examples within the session with shared discussion and brainstorming around partnerships that will work for them.