We ask a newcomer to the world of big business about her move from the voluntary sector and how it shapes her attitude to corporate community partnerships.
What’s struck you most about working for a major law firm?
Finding IT staff who are “here to help” came as a culture shock! The enabling, resource rich environment here is something you just don’t find in the voluntary sector.
There are significant similarities though. Lawyers are notorious for working phenomenally hard, but we put in very long hours at VSO too. And the private sector’s insistence on evaluating and measuring – again, this is something that donor requirements forced charities to do years ago.
Sounds like there were some surprises for you?
It’s no secret that each side harbours stereotypes of the other. Too often, I think, businesses confuse charities’ lack of resources for lack of management expertise. On the other hand, many of my NGO colleagues thought I was ‘selling out’ when I joined Linklaters, but I see myself as being just as involved in development issues now as I was then.
I passionately believe that business has a key part of the development picture, both here and abroad. And only when all sectors co-operate effectively will communities really develop.
So what has working for a charity taught you about engaging successfully?
It sounds trite, but it’s really important that companies treat community groups with respect and are willing to learn. After all, community groups are the ones who know the real issues and needs. The inclusion of social welfare legal advice and representation in public social exclusion initiatives, for example, is a priority issue for the Law Centres Federation. Linklaters are now supporting this campaign, but only because we took the time to sit down with law centres in the first place and talk with them.
But how do you decide which organisations to engage with?
With so many groups in East London all claiming to do roughly the same thing, this can be tricky. Checking if an organisation is undertaking impact assessments is one of the best barometers of quality that I’ve found. Wouldn’t it be easier to get out the cheque book like the good old days? Donations have their place, there’s no question. But even cash-strapped charities will admit that money isn’t always the best answer. The legal advice and business know-how we can bring through pro bono work and business mentoring, for example, has a real longterm impact. The huge impact volunteers can have on the community is something I learned from VSO!
How else does your time at VSO influence your present role?
NGOs are probably ten years ahead with some social responsibility indicators, such as diversity – one of my aims at Linklaters is for us to catch up. Multisectoral work, monitoring and evaluation of impact, flexibility, innovation, problem-solving – this is also bread-and-butter stuff for most NGOs, which I’m convinced business partners will pick up if they are genuinely engaged.
Corporate Citizenship Briefing, issue no: 63 – April, 2002
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