FTI Consulting case study – Supporting better collaboration between charities and businesses

Situation

The past decade has seen a step change in business leaders committing to generate not just profit but purpose. The forces driving organisations towards greater purpose are powerful, with customers and employees demanding it – and the evidence is mounting that it makes sound business sense.  

However, despite having increasingly concurrent objectives about building a better world, businesses and charities appear to be striving for purpose in relative isolation from each other. They are running on parallel tracks, but the junctions at which they intersect are few and far between. 

This makes poor business sense for both sides: charities are not harnessing the vast potential for impact the private sector can have, and businesses are missing opportunities to tap into the unique expertise of charities and their deep roots with communities. 

There is a willingness from charities to work more closely with business, however, barriers to businesses effectively partnering with charities remain. In a research and collaboration project supported by FTI Consulting Strategic Communications, Pro Bono Economics sought to understand the driving forces behind more prosperous partnerships and how business and charities can align more effectively to achieve shared social purpose and impact.

Our Role

FTI Consulting supported Pro Bono Economics to launch a five-part roundtable series to understand the drivers of collaboration between businesses and charities, and what might be done to improve the impact and longevity of business-charity partnerships.

Roundtable discussions sought the perspectives of businesses, charities, intermediaries, human resource leaders, corporate social responsibility professionals and small business CEOs and revealed key insights about the behaviour, benefits, opportunities and challenges to developing and sustaining effective partnerships.  

• Challenges to partnerships: Despite great potential, not all partnerships thrive. Common barriers include power imbalances, short-termism and misaligned goals. Stakeholders warned against “cookie-cutter” partnerships, which often fail to deliver meaningful outcomes. 
• Shared purpose as the gold standard: Partnerships anchored in a shared purpose are more likely to be sustainable, particularly those with thematic or place-based meaning. 
• Business benefits: Companies partnering with charities gain more than just a positive profile. Employees engaged in volunteering report improved skills, greater engagement and better mental and physical health. Businesses also benefit from reduced absenteeism and increased productivity.

Our Impact

Following the roundtable series, FTI consulting supported Pro Bono Economics in the drafting and development of a new report, A prosperous Partnership: Supporting better collaboration between charities and businesses. Advisory support was also provided to launch and promote the report, which gained interest from social sector and business media.

The report will remain a long-standing reference guide for key stakeholders including policymakers, businesses, charities, and a source of best practice for business-charity partnerships globally.