Business and NGO Partnership Facilitation
Find the right partner, in the right district, for the right programme
Business and NGO Partnerships explained
Businesses increasingly want community programmes with measurable results, and NGOs increasingly need private sector support that goes beyond a single donation. What usually blocks both sides is not willingness but matching: knowing who works where, what they have already delivered and whether they can absorb the kind of support on offer. We hold that information and use it to make introductions that stand a chance of lasting.
We deliver this service across 8 countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, working from our office in Nairobi.
Who this is for
- Corporate sustainability and CSR teams building community programmes
- Foundations and trusts seeking local implementing partners
- Companies entering a new county, district or province
- Employers setting up community investment, bursary or health initiatives
Matching on capability, not just cause
Most partnership failures in this sector trace back to a mismatch of capacity rather than commitment. An organisation doing excellent frontline work may have no experience reporting against a corporate results framework, and a company may have a budget line but no personnel on the ground in the district where the problem is worst.
We work from the directory, which records each organisation's sector, locations, programmes and existing partners. That allows us to shortlist organisations that already operate where the business wants to work and have demonstrated they can deliver, rather than simply the loudest names in the sector.
How the facilitation process runs
We begin with a briefing from both sides: what the business wants to achieve, which geography matters, what budget and time frame apply, and what the NGO needs and can absorb. From there we prepare a shortlist with contact details and profile information, arrange introductions and sit in on the first meetings.
Where useful we help draft a simple memorandum of understanding covering scope, deliverables, reporting and publicity, so both parties know what they are committing to before money or staff time changes hands.
Publicising the partnership
Well-run partnerships are also communication assets. We publish partnership announcements in the directory and on this website, and can prepare a written case study describing the programme, the locations and the results.
That visibility brings further value to both organisations: the NGO gains credibility with other funders, and the business gains documented, third-party-verifiable evidence of community impact that it can use in sustainability reporting, tender responses and staff communications.
What you receive
- Briefing session with the business and candidate organisations
- Shortlist of verified NGOs matched by sector, location and capacity
- Warm introductions with contact details and programme profiles
- Support drafting scope, deliverables and reporting expectations
- Optional partnership announcement and written case study
Other services
Business and NGO Partnerships: common questions
How do you decide which NGOs to recommend?
We start from the directory records, which document each organisation's sector, districts of operation, programmes and known partners, then confirm current capacity with the organisation before recommending it.
Can you help a business that has no community programme yet?
Yes. We help define the focus area and geography, identify organisations already delivering there, and structure a programme that matches the budget and staff time available.
Do partnerships have to involve funding?
No. Many effective partnerships involve in-kind support, employee volunteering, technical expertise, logistics or market access rather than cash, and those routes often start faster.
Related pages
Browse verified NGO profiles by country, see how we support organisations and businesses, or read the guides that answer the questions we are asked most often.
NGOs by country
Find organisations country by country.
What we do
Services for NGOs, businesses and donors.
Guides and answers
Sector guides, common questions and next steps.