“Wealth is not new. Neither is charity. But the idea of using private wealth imaginatively, constructively, and systematically to attack the fundamental problems of mankind is new.”
~ John W. Gardner, former US Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; and founder of Common Cause
Philanthropy and social responsibility in India are witnessing an evolution. Led by corporates, these are now viewed as an essential and integral functions and the business community is engaging actively and willingly in this exercise.
India is a country with structural and deep-rooted inequities in society such as poverty, malnutrition, access to education, high infant mortality, etc. Issues like water scarcity, pollution, and agrarian distress have exacerbated the hardships that communities face despite government-led development programs. In a large and diverse country like India, the challenges faced by communities are complex and often unmanageable for any single agency to tackle. Lasting social change requires stakeholders with relevant competencies to come together to catalyze sustainable, equitable, resilient, and inclusive change.
This requires a strong corporate/NGO partnership, one that takes development initiatives from transactional to transformational. As corporates evolve in their approach to social responsibility, a shift toward associations with credible NGOs is harnessing a synergy led by relative competencies.
The future of social change will depend on collaborations between nonprofits and corporate entities to lead the way to a more equitable, resilient, and inclusive society.
Summary
India requires strong corporate/ NGO partnerships that will development initiatives from transactional to transformational. Hope for the future depends on collaborations between nonprofits and corporate entities leading the way to a more-equitable, resilient, and inclusive society.
The Need for Synergy Between Corporates and NGOs
More corporates are realizing the need to change their approach from working for the community to working with the community to create positive change. Welfare activities require them to create the necessary infrastructure, allocate financial resources to hire employees, devise conflict resolution mechanisms, maintain governance and transparency, and have the vision to achieve community benefit.
Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives have transformed welfare into a strategic practice that requires adequate ground-level expertise. NGOs offer unique benefits that can enhance the philanthropic goals of corporations. NGOs have deeper and stronger ties with communities. Ground-level experience enables them to efficiently identify goals that align with the business vision. In addition to grassroots experience, NGOs offer technical expertise and knowledge of deeper community interactions.
Thus a successful partnership between corporates and NGOs leads to greater authenticity and a commitment to social initiatives that create measurable social impact. The very nature of the status of NGOs is voluntary and nonpartisan, which lead to an effective transparency and governance. The alignment also leads to enhanced visibility and strengthens trust with businesses, governments, and communities.
Summary
Corporates are realizing the need to change their approach from working for the community to working with the community to create positive change. A successful partnership between corporates and NGOs creates authenticity and commitment in social initiatives with measurable social impact, enhanced visibility, and strengthened trust with businesses, governments, and communities.
Building a Successful Partnership
Without a single model for success, multiple and diverse ways can build successful partnership projects/ relationships to create meaningful change. Some corporations have partnerships as part of their business strategy, while others view them as a conduit to better corporate governance and responsibility. The most compelling element of the success of an NGO and corporate partnership offers something positive to each party.
Some parameters of a successful partnership that draw from mutual strengths:
1) A Shared Vision for the Community. It is key for the corporate and NGO to have an aligned vision so the company can visualize its role in the community. Co-creating a project with the company, one that leverages the NGO’s strengths to address the community’s needs is the cornerstone of a program that is inclusive and flexible to accommodate mutual goals.
2) Investing in the Partnership. Philanthropy needs to be a core part of the NGO’s vision. Leaders in the corporation should be involved in the program and articulate what the NGO aims to accomplish. The involvement of company across levels should be involved with a view of community benefit rather than mere compliance.
3) A Long-Term Vision. Social change takes time. Deep-rooted inequity in the system cannot be addressed in a short period. Making a real difference requires a long-term commitment from the company. The NGO must be unable to invest in capacity building and in measuring and modifying its strategy. Measurable social change requires investing time in a partnership.
4) Mutual Respect, Trust, and Transparency. The company and the NGO should view each other as partners with equal stakes. Drawing on mutual skill sets and understandings ultimately lead to demonstrable mutual trust and intent.
5) Accountability. The deliverables on both sides must be clearly defined at the start of the project. While corporates are the donors and have the right to know, NGOs should be open about their adapting models. True synergy is achieved when accountability leads to raising the bar and achieving community goals.
Summary
Without a single model for success, multiple and diverse ways can build successful partnership projects/ relationships to create meaningful. The most compelling element for the success of NGOs and corporate partnerships is one that offers something positive to each party that draws from their mutual strengths.
Conclusion
United Nations 2005 adopted a resolution “Toward Global Partnerships” that recognized the joint role of the private sector and NGOs in the eradication of poverty and national development.
The resolution recognized the role of non-governmental organizations, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders in national development efforts through collaborative partnerships. As countries realized the joint role of NGOs and corporates in promoting development, the merger of corporate responsibility to society was finally being appreciated. This union of NGOs and the business sectors through synergistic partnerships was now a reality with the promise to make changes for community benefit.
Businesses do not necessarily possess the know-how needed to carry out and integrate successful community projects into their business models. NGOs, with their structural advantages, possess skills for an accurate allocation and dissemination of resources leading to better uptakes and greater benefit for communities.
Summary
The joint role of NGOs and corporates in promoting development, and the merger of corporate responsibility to society are now finally being appreciated. NGOs possess skills for an accurate allocation and dissemination of resources that lead to better uptakes and greater benefit for communities.
S M Sehgal Foundation: Driving Grassroots Programs and Development through Partnerships
S M Sehgal Foundation (Sehgal Foundation) is a sustainable rural development NGO in India engaged in five key program areas: Water Management, Agricultural Development, Local Participation and Sustainability, Transform Lives one school at a time, and Outreach for Development. Established in 1999 as a charitable trust, S M Sehgal Foundation has a skilled and dedicated team that creates and implements sustainable programs to address rural India’s most pressing needs. These programs are backed by a skilled research team that engages in participatory research, impact assessment, and interactive dialogues to determine informed actions to achieve sustainable results.
With support from donors and partners across geographies, S M Sehgal Foundation’s grassroots programs and development interventions have already reached three million people across India, empowering individuals and communities in need to escalate and enhance their development.
Summary
With support from donors and partners across geographies, S M Sehgal Foundation’s grassroots programs and development interventions have already reached three million people across India, empowering individuals and communities in need to escalate and enhance their development.
The role of a rural development NGO is to improve the livelihoods and lives of the rural communities and families residing in the most impoverished and precarious conditions, with emphasis on the empowerment of women and girls who have long been disadvantaged. For example, S M Sehgal Foundation, a sustainable rural development NGO in India, has five main programs supported by a skilled research team that engages in participatory research, impact assessment, and interactive dialogues to determine informed actions to achieve sustainable results.
A good rural development NGO promotes sustainable livelihoods by building the capacities of farmers on improved agricultural development practices and the latest technologies that increase crop yields, conserve water, and improve soil fertility. The NGOs work with farmers in rain-fed and irrigated areas to facilitate the adoption of advanced agricultural practices, including crop production management, soil health management, input-use efficiency, small farm mechanization, horticultural development, water-efficient irrigation techniques, livestock management, and the use of information and communication technology in agriculture.
S M Sehgal Foundation partners in the corporate, social sectors, government, academic, and on the ground in rural communities are key to the success of its rural development initiatives and consistent growth.
Rural development focuses on the actions taken for the development of rural areas. A few areas that usually demand more attention and initiatives in India are education, public health, and sanitation, women’s empowerment, infrastructure development, agriculture research and extension, availability of credit, and employment opportunities. S M Sehgal Foundation, a sustainable rural development NGO in India, engages in five key program areas: Water Management, Agricultural Development, Local Participation, and Sustainability, Transform Lives one school at a time, and Outreach for Development.
The most-common challenges are illiteracy, unemployment, geographical inaccessibility, lack of infrastructure, malnutrition, transportation, lack of medical facilities, and meeting fundamental needs. However, financial constrain, migration for employment, limited access to advanced tools, logistics, traditionalism, and conservatism are other issues that will be resolved with the solutions to the ones mentioned above.
A successful partnership between both corporates and NGOs leads to authenticity and commitment in social initiatives further creating measurable social impact. The very nature of the status of NGOs is voluntary and nonpartisan. This leads to a more-effective display of transparency and governance. The alignment also leads to enhanced visibility and strengthens trust with businesses, governments, and communities.
Contact us 
Sign up for