Sustainability professionals face many challenges in their efforts to create positive social and environmental impacts. One of the most common and complex challenges is how to engage effectively with the communities where they operate or source from.
These communities often have diverse and sometimes conflicting needs, expectations, and interests, and may lack the resources, skills, or trust to participate in sustainability initiatives.
One way to overcome this challenge is to partner with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have expertise, experience, and credibility in working with communities on sustainability issues.
NGOs can help sustainability professionals to understand the local context, identify the key stakeholders, design and implement appropriate interventions, and monitor and evaluate the outcomes.
However, partnering with NGOs is not a simple or straightforward process. It requires careful planning, clear communication, mutual respect, and continuous learning.
We will share some practical advice on how to partner with NGOs for sustainable community engagement, based on our experiences engaging with NGOs. We will outline the benefits and challenges of such partnerships, and the key steps and principles for success.
Benefits and Challenges of Partnering with NGOs
Partnering with NGOs can bring many benefits to sustainability professionals and their organisations, such as:
Access to local knowledge and networks.
NGOs often have a deep understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental aspects of the communities they work with. They also have established relationships and trust with the community members, leaders, and other relevant actors.
This can help sustainability professionals to gain insights into the community needs, preferences, and concerns, and to identify potential opportunities and risks for their sustainability initiatives.
Increased legitimacy and credibility.
NGOs can act as intermediaries or facilitators between sustainability professionals and the communities, and help to bridge the gaps in expectations, perceptions, and values. They can also help to communicate the goals and benefits of the sustainability initiatives to the communities, and to address any doubts or objections they may have.
This can enhance the legitimacy and credibility of the sustainability professionals and their organisations, and increase the acceptance and support of the communities for their initiatives.
Improved efficiency and effectiveness.
NGOs can provide technical and operational support to sustainability professionals in designing and implementing community engagement activities, such as conducting assessments, consultations, trainings, or awareness campaigns.
They can also help to monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of the initiatives, and to provide feedback and recommendations for improvement. This can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the sustainability initiatives, and reduce the costs and risks involved.
Enhanced innovation and learning.
NGOs can bring fresh perspectives and ideas to sustainability professionals, and challenge them to think creatively and critically about their sustainability issues and solutions. They can also share their best practices and lessons learned from their previous or ongoing projects, and facilitate learning and knowledge exchange among the partners and the communities.
This can enhance the innovation and learning capabilities of the sustainability professionals and their organisations, and enable them to adapt and improve their sustainability initiatives over time.
However, partnering with NGOs also poses some challenges to sustainability professionals and their organisations, such as:
Finding the right partner.
Not all NGOs are suitable or willing to partner with sustainability professionals or their organisations. Some NGOs may have different or incompatible missions, values, or approaches to sustainability.
Some NGOs may have limited capacity, resources, or experience to partner effectively. Some NGOs may have negative or distrustful attitudes towards sustainability professionals or their organisations, especially if they have a history of conflict or controversy.
Therefore, finding the right partner that shares a common vision, interest, and commitment to sustainability, and that has the relevant expertise, experience, and credibility to work with communities, can be difficult and time-consuming.
Managing the expectations and interests.
Even if the partners have a shared vision and interest in sustainability, they may have different expectations and interests in the partnership and the sustainability initiatives.
For example, sustainability professionals may expect the NGOs to deliver certain outputs or outcomes within a specific timeframe or budget, while the NGOs may expect the sustainability professionals to provide more flexibility or support.
The partners may also have different interests in terms of the scope, scale, or impact of the sustainability initiatives, or the allocation of roles, responsibilities, or resources. Therefore, managing the expectations and interests of the partners, and ensuring that they are aligned and balanced, can be challenging and complex.
Building and maintaining trust and communication.
Trust and communication are essential for any successful partnership, but they are not easy to build and maintain, especially in cross-sector and cross-cultural contexts. The partners may have different backgrounds, perspectives, languages, or styles of communication, which can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or conflicts.
The partners may also have different levels of transparency, accountability, or feedback mechanisms, which can affect the quality and frequency of information sharing and reporting.
Therefore, building and maintaining trust and communication among the partners, and ensuring that they are open, honest, and respectful, can be demanding and delicate.
Key Steps and Principles for Success
To overcome the challenges and maximise the benefits of partnering with NGOs for sustainable community engagement, sustainability professionals and their organisations should follow some key steps and principles, such as:
1. Identify clear reasons and objectives for partnering.
The first step is to identify why and what you want to achieve through the partnership and the sustainability initiatives.
You should have clear and compelling reasons and objectives that are relevant and meaningful to both parties, and that are aligned with each other’s mission, values, and strategies.
You should also have a common understanding and agreement on the scope, scale, and impact of the sustainability initiatives, and how to measure and report on them.
2. Conduct due diligence and select the right partner.
The second step is to conduct a thorough and systematic assessment of the potential NGOs, and select the one that best fits the criteria and expectations.
You should consider various factors, such as the mission, vision, and values of the potential NGOs; their expertise, experience, and credibility in working with communities on sustainability issues; their capacity, resources, and reputation; and the compatibility, trust, and rapport between the potential NGOs and your organisation.
You should also conduct site visits, interviews, or references checks to verify the information and validate the suitability of the potential NGOs.
3. Define and formalise the partnership terms and conditions.
The third step is to define and formalise the partnership terms and conditions, and document them in a written agreement or contract.
You should specify the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of each party; the deliverables, outcomes, and indicators of the sustainability initiatives; the timeline, budget, and resources of the partnership and the sustainability initiatives; the governance, communication, and reporting mechanisms of the partnership and the sustainability initiatives; and the dispute resolution, exit, or termination clauses of the partnership and the sustainability initiatives.
You should also ensure that the agreement or contract is clear, comprehensive, and mutually beneficial, and that it is reviewed and approved by the relevant stakeholders of each party.
4. Implement and monitor the partnership and the sustainability initiatives.
The fourth step is to implement and monitor the partnership and the sustainability initiatives, and ensure that they are executed and evaluated according to the agreed terms and conditions.
You should coordinate and collaborate closely and effectively, and leverage each other’s respective strengths and resources. You should also communicate and report regularly and transparently with the NGO, and provide constructive feedback and suggestions.
You should also track and measure the progress and impact of the partnership and the sustainability initiatives, and use the data and evidence to inform decision making and improvement.
5. Learn and improve the partnership and the sustainability initiatives.
The fifth and final step is to learn and improve the partnership and the sustainability initiatives, and ensure that they are adapted and enhanced over time.
You should conduct periodic reviews and assessments of the partnership and the sustainability initiatives, and identify the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.
You should solicit and incorporate the feedback and inputs of the communities and other relevant stakeholders, and ensure that they are satisfied and engaged.
You should also celebrate and recognise the successes and contributions of the partnership and the sustainability initiatives, and share and disseminate the best practices and learnings with others.
Partnering with NGOs for sustainable community engagement can be a powerful and rewarding strategy for sustainability professionals and their organisations.
By following the key steps and principles that we shared , sustainability professionals can overcome the challenges and maximise the benefits of partnering with NGOs, and create positive social and environmental impacts for their communities.
