At the 11th Annual CBSR Summit, the issue of creating and maintaining effective multi-sector partnerships in order to increase efficiencies and overall CSR impact came up in every panel discussion, illustrating the importance of work in an area spearheaded by Realized Worth.
Realized Worth was at the recent 11th Annual CBSR Summit, during which the importance of effective collaboration and multi-sector partnerships in relation to gains in CSR and sustainability was significantly highlighted.
All four panel discussions Realized Worth attended touched on how crucial it is to bring stakeholders from multiple sectors (corporate, non-profit, civil society, government) to the table in order to improve the process and outcomes of CSR and sustainability programs. In particular, the panel moderated by Realized Worth’s own Nicholas Luff (Senior Associate), a trained member of the Partnership Brokers Association, entitled How to Sustain Effective Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Partnerships, shared the best practices of facilitating collaboration between sectors.
Panelists and moderators emphasized that effective multi-sector partnerships employ a specific methodology and/or framework that is incorporated into the organizational culture of the company in question. With the end goal being a collaborative two-way engagement, it is through this comprehensive collaborative structure that solutions can be found to the issues and challenges we are facing together.
Your company might ask: What’s in it for us?
In an age where CSR programs are expected to yield significant results (often while being under-resourced), effective multi-sector collaboration offers a unique opportunity to pool diverse expertise from all concerned stakeholders. Doing so spares organizations that cannot find the time or hone the skills internally. According to the Partnership Brokers Association, multi-sector partnerships that do not have all of the essential elements, or are not managed appropriately, fall short of expectations and can even fail. It is therefore in your company’s best interest to make sure these partnerships are operating efficiently, offering your company and community the maximum return-on-investment (ROI).
Realized Worth is guiding the industry towards this best practice in two ways:
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- The Creation of a Multi-Sector Collaborative Forum – RW is leading the creation of a United Nations Global Summit for the Advancement of Corporate Volunteering, which aims to facilitate multi-sector partnerships and solutions through corporate volunteering practices globally. This is not a conference. The Summit is both a declaration of commitments of partners from across several of society’s sectors and a celebration of the dedication of employees across the globe to address the social issues facing the communities in which they live and work. The inaugural event is set for May 2014 and will include participants from corporations, governments, civil society, and international organizations.
- Client Work – RW is incorporating a best practices methodology for the creation, training, and maintenance multi-sector partnerships into its traditional consulting work helping clients design and implement local and global employee volunteering and giving programs. Clients will benefit from on-the-ground vetting and training of partners, which will ensure effective long-term partnerships thereby increasing the success and impact of their volunteering and giving practices.
Does your company currently engage in effective multi-sector collaboration? What kinds of challenges does your company face? If you want to learn more about how you can be involved in the UN Summit or would like to benefit from RW multi-sector partnership consulting, call us at (855) 926-4678 or email us at contact@realizedworth.com