At Standard Chartered we have split our response pot - half for immediate emergency relief, and then half for rebuilding and recovery in the medium term. Much of this is likely to be aligned with our strategic priorities around education, entrepreneurship, employability and eye health so we will also be looking to support our partners in these sectors to leverage their strengths and help to rebuild communities through these pillars, some of which wouldn’t be considered in the traditional emergency recovery brackets.
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@Josh Newton, good to hear that you are recommending that funding commitments should be unrestricted as this is where all NGOs Oxfam included are really stretched right now with shop closures, while the need for us to respond to the Humanitarian crisis playing out is huge
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I totally agree - we do need to broaden our donor pools. A key challenge with establishing new partnerships at this time is that funding relationships can take time to establish.
Communicating and talking to each other is more important than ever. We need to understand each other’s realities and how we can work around them.
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Absolutely. I’d add that in some cases, those immediate impacts may threaten the entire basis of an NGO’s ability to achieve things for those they support, both now and in the future. NGOs in partnership with companies may be working through existential organisational risks, while wrestling with the best ways to support vulnerable groups who need them more than ever.
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The closer partnerships are to core business, the more mission-critical to the business, the more likely they will prioritise those partnerships. I suspect that we will see a very large number of companies withdrawing from partnerships which, as someone else put it, are ‘nice to have’. For companies that are genuinely worried about their own survival, I think that is a not unreasonable response. For companies simply trying to protect their profits, I think that is unacceptable and such companies will, I hope, be judged harshly.
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Our second question today:
Q2. What can companies and NGOs do in order to ensure strong partnerships during this crisis? In particular managing immediate impacts?
Could not agree more @Sinead Duffy
Absolutely Bess, as I observe in my A1, where businesses can step up, they’ll need to. At the moment, they only make up a small portion of total charity income, but since the rest of that income has completely halted, we’ll rely on those successful businesses to step in and help lead the response.
Be human, be honest, be flexible and be innovative!
- Be human - both partners must display empathy and understanding that Covid-19 will inevitably impact projects and partnerships. Ultimately, the main priority should be to ensure all necessary precautions are taken to keep partnership staff and beneficiaries safe and well.
- Be honest – honest, regular and open communications are crucial. Both partners should discuss the challenges they are facing, the potential impacts they may have on the partnership and opportunities to mitigate.
- Be flexible - seek alternative ways to support beneficiaries and adapt project delivery if appropriate.
- Adapt activities – recognise that partners may experience difficulties achieving some of the outputs or outcomes agreed prior to the outbreak;
- Discuss timelines – if possible be flexible on partnership terms, offer extensions on deliverables and reporting deadlines etc;
- Financial flexibility – some partners may need to redeploy funding to deliver services differently and ensure work can continue;
- Service may need services to be provided in different ways, or when systems need to be flexible to ensure that needs are met.
- Be innovative – but play to your strengths! These times of crisis present superb opportunities to encourage innovation and organisations must be open to adapting to the new context we find ourselves in; but is it important to play to strengths and leverage existing resources and networks.
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There are whole host of things that companies and NGOs could do together. Match funding, product donations, utilising dormant assets are just a couple of examples. To help companies distil what to prioritise, CAF have established a resources hub full of insight and set out four clear recommendations to businesses and other donors on how to manage immediate impacts:
- Talk to your partners
- Make funding unrestricted
- Bring forward any planned giving
- Do your research and be imaginative
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A2 ctd: So far, we’re seeing clients follow this guidance and find new ways of supporting their partners. For instance, M&S have not only found additional budget to support their partner Neighbourly, as well as other organisations, they have also added them to their Sparks card.
We’re also talking to clients in industries more adversely affected like insurance as well as industries where staff have been put on furlough. It’s more complex for them to publicly announce additional support but we are seeing them doing it still.
On the whole there’s a great deal more needed. Already we’ve had over 20 large clients pledge additional £4m of funds, which is incredible but unfortunately just a fraction of the £60m+ that the London marathon generates alone.
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I think we also need to think of the role of companies beyond just funding. Depending on the sector, they offer expertise, products, services and other practical solutions. Another reason why (as has come up earlier) having partnership close to the core areas of business and expertise is so important.
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The impact of CV-19 on a business NGO partnership cannot be underestimated. The way partners navigate through this period can make or break a partnership. It is a true test to the resilience of a partnership. The winners will be those who can build mutual understanding of the challenges and opportunities each partner faces, and in the face of these, able to creatively re-evaluate how we might bring our respective skills and resources to support each other to positively impact the most vulnerable communities who have the most to lose as a result of the coronavirus
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Fully agree Kate! All essential.
Exactly this, @Kate_Woodhead. I started writing something similar, but you’ve written it far better than I would have done!
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A2.1 STRONG PARTNERSHIPS At times like this, partnerships are more vital than ever. As the virus continues to spread, it has reached countries and communities most vulnerable to the health and economic impacts. It is critical that we all act now to provide vital support to the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Strengthening Partnerships during the Crisis -
- Openly recognise that this is not business as normal. We are all impacted both similarly and differently and it will be taking its toll both personally and professionally.
- Communicate effectively – Trust is critical. Updating each other on the changes and challenges we are facing ensures we understand the positions we are both in. We need to be transparent and clear of what we can and can’t achieve during these times to enable our partners to pivot in response as soon as possible.
- Consider our shared goals that could mitigate the risk and impact of the crisis and how we can achieve them.
- Bring forward flexibility – adapt plans and activities to meet needs, reduce restrictions on funding or provide unrestricted funding.
- Be proactive – we need to collaborate (swiftly and at scale) to navigate the situation.
Most recently, some of our partners, including Zurich Foundation, Twinings, AB World Foods have trusted and supported us by relaxing restrictions on the use of funds, encouraged programme adaptation and relaxed reporting schedules.
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It is important to act fast, review how the interests of all parties can align, and what are the most important deliverables now, and in the mid-term. Being agile and adapting the current programming is paramount. For example, Mercy Corps is embedding analytics and information sharing in each of its programming – analytics to better understand the social and economic impact of COVID to inform programming and advocacy; and information sharing to ensure the right information reaches everyone - about government regulations, hygiene practices, market shortfalls and surpluses, open trade routes, etc. Mercy Corps in Nigeria is developing WhatsApp groups to connect all traders and inform them about open trade routes, and is embedding hygiene and food handling information. Leveraging partnerships to share the right information at the right time is key!
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The partnerships you have built and will continue to build during this crisis are critical to navigating your impact. How you communicate with partners will influence the strength of your response efforts. As you evaluate your risks to impact, be upfront with your employees, funders and partners. Share your needs and invite your community and partners to work collectively to find a better way forward. If hard decisions need to be made, be honest. The relationships you have with your funding partners are also important. Be open about your financial situation and embrace transparency early on so that indecision does not hinder your future. The earlier organizations know about funding gaps, the earlier organizations can understand their gaps and strategize solutions. We have tools on our website to help you have better conversations with your funders. Lastly, don’t stop fundraising, because this will end, and we’re going to need your services more than ever.
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