Effective Business-NGO Partnerships

Partnerships between businesses and NGOs have become an established method of addressing sustainability and CSR issues. While many observers have attempted to evaluate these approaches, most critiques are generic and do not differentiate among various forms of partnerships. Businesses and NGOs each face capacity and cultural issues in negotiating partnerships and, in most situations, the parties to an agreement will be charting new territory. The risks to both sides can be substantial with the extent of risk and who bears most of it varying according to the objectives of the partnership. Guidance in knowing what to include and what to avoid in differing forms of partnerships will be extremely useful.

In 2006, the NDG applied its criteria and principles for the development of voluntary or non-regulatory initiatives to six different types of Business-NGO partnerships to provide guidance in their development and in managing the risks inherent in each. This project was supported by the Forest Products Association of Canada and the Richard Ivey Foundation and benefited from an advisory committee comprising business and NGO leaders experienced in developing and managing partnerships.

Project report:

Developing Effective Business-NGO Partnerships (pdf, 332 KB)