NGO’s have long been considered by a hindrance to the corporate process. Ask most company execs what they think of NGO sector’s influence over corporate communications and their most likely quote negative examples like a Greenpeace exposé or even direct action groups like UK Uncut. But whilst corporate communicators are right to worry about their brands vulnerability to attack from aggressive NGO’s it is often overlooked that corporate brands can benefit from well thought out partnerships with charitable organisations that share similar aims and ideals.
In the last 15 years corporate-NGO partnerships have dramatically increased. Many companies desire to engage in good CSR but do not necessarily have the knowledge or background to engage properly. NGOs, on the other hand, have become central to development work internationally, but they generally do not have the resources to carry out their projects efficiently. This sharing of knowledge and best practice can benefit both parties, with corporations exercising meaningful CSR whilst NGO’s can make use of corporate resources to achieve their aims.
NGO’s also offer a gravitas to corporate communications that cannot be achieved through communications from commercial entities alone. For instance, a sound proofing company would add weight to their external PR if some communications were channelled through a NGO like the Noise Abatement Society. A headline like “Sound Proofing Ltd and the Noise Abatement Society Join Forces to Launch New Report into Sound Pollution” is not only likely to garner more coverage but will help CSR credentials as well.
Whilst NGO’s have traditionally been the curse of the corporate communicator by utilising their expert knowledge in development work PR’s can boost their companies CSR credentials and remove perceived commercial bias from their communications.
Resources
Damlamian, C (2006) “Corporate-NGO Partnerships for Sustainable Development” Sustainable Development, University of Pennsylvania
