Comment by Myriam Galopin for December / January CCB 115
This issue’s stories highlight an interesting evolution of the “partnership” concept.
Community partnerships are no longer synonymous with businesses granting funds to non-profits. New forms of initiatives have emerged, such as social enterprises, base of pyramid programmes, and the ever-growing “private sector coalition” model.
The Social Business Trust (SBT) is a great illustration of the latter. It is a small group of companies who have identified their unique strengths, and who have decided to work together to maximise their value and impact. The initiative has a very clear focus – to support sustainable social enterprises in the UK who want to scale up their organisations. Together, the businesses which make up the SBT offer strengths and capability from a combination of their commercial and industrial experience; their insights into the needs of social enterprises; their operational expertise; and access to growth capital.
Similarly, the Litter Challenge Group is bringing together government and key businesses which together can play a part in reducing litter. By encouraging companies to take action through their individual products and communications, the initiative ensures both tailored approaches and a united front.
While this approach might not be suitable for all types of businesses or community issues, it can inspire every company to reflect on its unique value added potential, and to think creatively about how they can contribute beyond cash donations. For a company like Unilever with a strong advertising position, it can be through public awareness and health campaigns. For big employers such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, it can take the form of helping unemployed people find work in stores. The challenge is no longer to have the biggest budget, or largest number of employees engaged. The greatest impact lies in finding your company’s unique potential, and if this fits with other partners, to join forces and work together for shared objectives.
Myriam Galopin is a consultant at Corporate Citizenship
Company coalition encourage social enterprise growth
A coalition of six companies launched a new venture the ‘Social Business Trust’ 0n 9 December – a £10 million service to encourage the growth of social enterprises. The founding corporate partners are management consultants Bain & Company, legal firm Clifford Chance, investment bank Credit Suisse, accountants Ernst & Young, private equity firm Permira, and media company Thomson Reuters. Cash, time and expertise will be contributed over a 3-5 year period with the aim of accelerating the growth of social enterprise, defined by the Trust as “businesses with a product or service to sell but, at their heart, led by a social mission”. The UK’s most promising social enterprises will be provided with the capital, confidence and expertise to scale up their operations, allowing more communities to benefit from their innovative services.
Cross-sector group tackle Britain’s litter problem
The Litter Challenge group, comprised of businesses, local authorities and voluntary organisations, has developed a new initiative to tackle Britain’s growing litter problem. The new ‘Love Where You Live’ communications campaign is to be launched publically in the Spring and is supported financially by corporate members of the group including Coca Cola, Greggs, Imperial Tobacco, McDonald’s and Wrigley alongside Defra, Keep Britain Tidy and local councils. Research carried out by the Local Environment Quality Survey, published on 16 December, highlights that the UK’s litter problem isn’t improving. Levels of litter related to smoking, confectionery packaging, non-alcoholic drink and fast food were all found to have increased in the past year. The new initiative is part of a wider government aim for a substantially cleaner Britain by 2020.
Standard Chartered Bank employees donated their last hour’s pay in 2010 to the Bank’s fundraising programme to tackle preventative blindness, raising more than $600,000. The ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme was initiated in 2003 as part of Standard Chartered’s 150th anniversary and raises money to prevent avoidable blindness in 20 cities in the developing world. The flagship fundraising programme has already raised $17 million against its target of $20 million by 2012. Around 90% of preventable blindness cases occur in the developing world, creating an issue that affects the economic productivity of many communities in which Standard Chartered operates.
A new communications centre at a village for HIV-affected mothers and children opened 8 December near Johannesburg, sponsored by BT South Africa, in partnership with Infinite Family. The facility at the Nkosi’s HavenVillage provides resident children with video conferencing technology, enabling them to communicate with friends and mentors around the world. Over 50 children and young adults, infected or orphaned by HIV or AIDS, will participate in the programme, with mothers also assisted in developing their computer skills. The programme aims to improve confidence, computing skills and employability, supporting NHV’s mission to assist families in learning how to live with HIV and AIDS.
Shell and Siemens support ScienceMuseum’s ‘atmosphere’ gallery
London’s ScienceMuseum opened a new gallery at the beginning of December devoted to climate science. Shell and Siemens are the principal sponsors of the atmosphere – exploring climate science gallery which focuses on the science, history and existing knowledge of the changing climate rather than the politics, debate or scandal. Visitors are provided with both hands-on interaction and a wealth of up-to-date information. An outreach programme has also been set up, including a schools programme and extensive online learning resources. The sponsorships form part of Siemens’ corporate responsibility programme and Shell’s science education programme.
Wireless operator Voila, a subsidiary of Trilogy International Partners, and Haiti’s premier bank Unibank have launched Haiti’s first mobile money solution. Hundreds of thousands of the country’s ‘unbanked’ population will now have access to a full suite of banking and mobile commerce services through their Voila mobile phone. The partnership utilises Unibank’s nationwide network of merchants and Voila’s base of more than 1 million subscribers.
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