Social capital: What it is

What is social capital? It is “the glue that binds society together’’ and provides the opportunity for businesses to be purposefully involved in creating a sustainable future for their operations, communities, and society at large. It allows companies to demonstrate the impact of their business activities on communities, the economy, and the environment through their stakeholder engagements and the social …

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Where is the good news? I need it today!

Working in the field of community development with both funders and their implementing partners I am constantly looking for innovative and creative ways to solve social issues. Because of the amount of research and benchmarking that I conduct I am always interested in new development or investment models, flagship and signature programmes, or programmes with high impact and return.  But …

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Managing risk: Community and social investment and development

Spending money is easy. Spending limited resources effectively and efficiently is extraordinarily difficult. Doing so in ways that please everyone is impossible as long as demand for money exceeds supply.  Grantmakers are subject to a range of contradictory demands. For example, they are expected: To innovate – but not to risk failure. To make sure that funding decisions are sound …

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Failing at grantmaking?

Failing at grantmaking? Low impact and low return: Funders and grantmakers should be concernedAfter conducting numerous impact assessments for some of South Africa’s largest donors and grantmakers, Next Generation Consultants came up with a list of contributing factors to low impact and low return aspects. In our search to build an industry body of knowledge, we would like to share …

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Risk management and stakeholder engagement

Much has been said and written about best practice or effective stakeholder engagement. There are standards, guidelines and frameworks that govern stakeholder processes, and many consultants have advised on developing stakeholder management strategies and processes. However, very little is said or advice provided on what to do when absolutely everything goes wrong during the stakeholder engagement process. What follows are …

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Human rights impact assessments – the what, the why, the business case

An introduction and overview of human rights due diligence processesFor large projects and multinational companies, impact assessment studies have become standard. Social, environmental and health impacts are investigated using internationally accepted methodologies and are commissioned to anticipate multiple classes of challenges. Each impact assessment normally addresses a defined area or topic. But experience has proven that standard assessments cannot capture …

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Human rights management as part of a business strategy

“Formulating a specific corporate strategy on human rights and embedding this strategy in corporate policies is key to the successful integration of human rights management processes in a company. Such a strategy should provide the vision, map the means to integrate human rights and embody the business commitment to human rights. Taking a strategic position on human rights management can establish …

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Best practice in corporate social investment (CSI)

A well thought through, comprehensive, innovative and creative CSI programme can become a competitive differentiator for a company. A good CSI programme is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather a critical component of business success.  This article is aimed at assisting corporate social investment (CSI) practitioners through a step-by-step process to ensure: A deeper understanding for the need for CSI …

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Best practice in measuring social impact and return on investment of CSI

In the social development field, one of the most cited questions from investors and participatory stakeholders regarding social/community development and investment projects is:  “How will you measure your social impact/outcome/change of the development programme?” In the business field, what still really matters most is: “What is the return on investment of your community/social development programme?” The dilemma is to determine the …