Driving Social Impact: The Power of Partnerships for Positive Change

Every business has a social footprint, as an employer, as a neighbour, as a provider of products or services. This brings both responsibility and opportunity for business to be a key player in tackling social issues related to their business operations. When social impact is embedded in core business everybody wins. Businesses that take this strategic approach recognise that the greatest impact comes when they work in partnership with diverse stakeholders. ?

When organisations from different sectors, such as business, nonprofits, governments, academia, and communities come together the resulting partnerships enable the pooling of knowledge, skills, and resources. Organisations on the ground have the experience and first-hand knowledge of the barriers faced by the communities and the individuals they work with. This experience will help guide the direction of support or interventions business can provide that can have real social impact. ?

If we take employment as an example – we are currently at full employment, employers are struggling to find talent. At the same time, there are disproportionate levels of unemployment and under-employment for certain groups such as people with a disability or migrants.

In a recent BITCI survey as part of our Elevate Inclusive Workplace Pledge, we found that over 90% of employers who partnered with Employment Support Organisations were successful in recruiting colleagues as a direct result of their partnership. ?

Companies such as Bidvest Noonan and RSA Insurance and 123.ie have been active partners with BITCI’s Employment Support programmes for the last two years. Both companies provide funding support to the programmes and are actively involved in co-creating their individual partnerships, resulting in increased service delivery for jobseekers that need support as well as clearly identifiable gains for the business, including recruitment. ?

Our Education programmes are built around partnerships between schools and local businesses. One of the many companies involved is Boots Ireland . Boots has partnered with BITCI’s Education programmes since 2012 and currently supports eight DEIS secondary schools around the country. The partnership is one of the ways the company uses to introduce the idea of social cohesion at an early stage in their leaders’ careers. It is also an opportunity to showcase careers within the retail sector whilst building the skills of the students. In addition, Boot's employees benefit by acquiring new skills as well as gaining an understanding of the advantages of working in an inclusive society. ?

Collaboration of diverse perspectives can provide the spark for creative solutions and innovation. It encourages out-of-the-box thinking, stimulates cross-sector learning, and generates novel approaches to drive meaningful change and address complex societal challenges more effectively. Whether in the realm of education, employment, poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, or any other area, partnerships can be essential drivers of positive change. However, successful partnerships require effort and commitment over time to ensure they work for everyone. The most important foundation for success is a shared set of values and a common North Star keeping the desired societal impact at the heart of all activity. ?

How can BITCI Members get involved??

BITCI facilitates 100s of partnerships annually either directly through our own Education or Employment programmes or by brokering relationships between Business and NGOs to deliver strategic charity initiatives.

For more information visit our website:

Business in the Community Ireland (bitc.ie)