As the economy turns into economic recovery mode, non-profit organisations (NPOs) are expected to shoulder the burden in assisting many vulnerable people in the community get back on their feet.
According to Bianca Lima-Boekhoud, executive director at the Trust Blu Foundation, it is, therefore, the most opportune time for corporate South Africa to rethink its strategy on the way in which it engages with NPOs.
The foundation, which officially kickstarted earlier this year, aims to reduce unemployment and inequality of opportunity in South Africa by enabling a number of informal, micro and small enterprises to grow.
Much like Trust Blu, many non-profit organisations could not operate at full capacity during the lockdown as a number of corporate and private sponsors cut back on funding.
“Whether they focus on poverty relief, education, healthcare, gender-based violence or socio-economic challenges, NPOs need support more than ever,” she added.
Lima-Boekhoud outlined ways in which large-scale companies can better engage with the NPO sector:
- Recognise their experience and expertise: While many corporate sponsors and donors often take the ‘heavy-handed’ approach towards their partnerships with NPOs, Lima-Boekhoud encourages corporates to accept that non-profits are the experts here – they know the landscape and the stakeholders. “They [NPOs] have the intellectual capital and experience needed to deliver the outcomes, provided they get access to the right support and resources,” she said.
- Understand that they will do better work if better resourced: “In the for-profit sector, we assume that people will expect market-related salaries and perform better if they are given the right financial incentives, [so] why do we imagine that NPOs can do their jobs if they can only pay low salaries and have to use substandard tools?” asked Lima-Boekhoud.
- Give them time and space to achieve their goals: While many in the corporate sector understand that it may take businesses a few years to break even, NPOs that fail with a creative campaign or programme often lose credibility and funding. According to Lima-Boekhoud, this is why non-profits with bold ideas that will take longer to produce ideas often struggle to obtain funding. “This encourages NPOs and social entrepreneurs to play it safe – it kills innovation in revenue generation, fundraising and developing ambitious solutions to large social problems.
Related article:
