Corporate partnerships ‘resilient’ despite safeguarding scandals, says report

19 Sep 2018 News

The commitment of both corporates and charities to partnerships remains “resilient” despite the fallout from sexual harassment and safeguarding issues earlier in the year, according to a new report. 

The ninth annual barometer report, compiled by C&E Advisory, has been published this morning and showed that 75 per cent of surveyed companies and charities said the international aid scandals earlier in the year “had neither a positive nor negative effect” on their approach to partnering. Indeed 15 per cent of surveyed charities said that the scandals had positively affected cross-sector partnering “due to improved oversight”. 

The report said that while the scandal, which begun in February of this year, “necessitated a ‘pause and reflect' by both companies” and charities it has not “led to any lessening of investments in – or prioritisation of – cross-sector pairing”. 

Only 10 per cent of surveyed corporates and 8 per cent of charities said the safeguarding scandal had “negatively affected” their partnerships, while not a single surveyed company or charity said their partnerships had been “very negatively” affected. 

The barometer report was compiled using responses to a confidential online survey. The survey had 83 respondents made up of FTSE 100 companies and leading UK charities “by brand and revenue ranking”. The sample was made up of 52 per cent charities and 48 per cent corporates.  

Commenting on the findings, Manny Amadi, chief executive of C&E Advisory, said: “Media reports of sexual exploitation and poor disclosure at some leading international aid agencies clearly caused both companies and NGOs involved in cross-sector partnering to pause and reflect but have not led to a lessening of investments in, or prioritisation of, cross-sector partnering by either companies or NGOs.

“The barometer findings illustrate the fundamental importance of cross-sector partnering between corporates and NGOs and highlight the growing maturity of the strategic partnerships agenda as purpose and mission take centre stage. Rather than suspend or withdraw from partnering with each other and perhaps seek alternative solutions, it appears that companies - and NGOs - instead focused on system and process improvements designed to protect and deepen the fundamental role and value of partnering across sectors. 

“There have therefore been greater efforts at improving due-diligence, enhancing relationship management and in securing more effective governance and oversight for strategic partnerships.”

Save the Children and GSK voted ‘most admired’ partnership again

For the third year in a row the corporate partnership between pharmaceutical company GSK and Save the Children was voted “the most admired” by both corporate and charity professionals. This partnership captured 15.5 per cent of the total vote. 

Second place in the barometer went to the Boots UK and Macmillan Cancer Support partnership, with the “consortium collaboration” between Tesco, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK entering the top three “for the first time”. 

Claire Hitchcock, head of the GSK and Save the Children partnership at GSK, said: “Our partnership with Save the Children is a source of great pride at GSK and this recognition from our peers is a further endorsement of its value and impact. 

“This unique partnership combines GSK’s science and expertise with Save the Children’s insights and sector leading on-the-ground knowledge, to deliver programmes that are improving the health of children and saving lives. We will continue to build on our achievements together, focusing on long-term health programmes strengthening healthcare systems, finding new treatments and advocating for global change.”

Helen D’Oyley, partnerships and philanthropy director at Save the Children, said: “We are delighted that Save the Children’s partnership with GSK has been voted the most admired partnership for the third year running. 

“Our partnership demonstrates what can be achieved working with corporates and business when you combine global skills, expertise and resources, to help save children’s lives. Together we have reached over 2,800,000 children across 45 countries and treated over 187,800 children for the biggest child killers of malaria, pneumonia, or diarrhoea. 

“We are incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished together – and are looking forward to continuing our pioneering work saving children’s lives and changing their futures.”

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