NGOs are coming of age in how they engage the private sector on shared value efforts.
While past interactions with corporations tended to be limited to their corporate responsibility departments, nongovernmental organizations are increasingly working directly with business divisions to achieve their goals.
Rethinking a broader array of corporate channels to engage has been a “huge evolution,” said Talya Bosch, Western Union’s vice president for social ventures and internal communication, whose company counts more than 700 NGOs as its clients.
Yet that maturation process is still a work in progress, she told Devex Impact in a recent video interview.
“What may not be happening fully yet is for that thinking to permeate all of an NGO,” she said. “I find that a lot of the connections that we have is through [working with an organization’s] headquarters … I would really welcome the day when someone from a local community comes to us with a true shared value play.”
Devex, in partnership with the Shared Value Initiative, FSG and Global Impact, is examining how the world’s largest international nongovernmental organizations are transitioning their partnership strategies from traditional corporate partnerships to more scalable initiatives. We’ll look at how these initiatives accelerate both social impact and a business return on investment, while highlighting engagement in shared value during this special series “The Future of International NGOs.” Join the conversation using #FutureINGO.
About the author
Naki B. Mendozamfbmendoza
Naki is a former reporter for Devex Impact based in Washington, D.C., where he covered the intersection of business and international development. Prior to Devex he was a Latin America reporter for Energy Intelligence covering corporate investments and political risks in the region’s energy sector. His previous assignments abroad have posted him throughout Europe, South America and Australia.
