Cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development

augustus 2016

Cross-sectoral partnerships have become a common part of modern-day sustainability practice for firms as well as NGOs. In terms of knowledge however, NGO-firm partnerships are still quite a new phenomenon, and there is much to learn about the dynamics of such cross-sector collaborations.

This study investigates what NGO-firm collaboration encompasses, and why and how NGOs and firms collaborate. The report explores how over 100 employees involved in Dutch NGO-firm partnerships experience the collaboration in cross-sector partnerships. Building on key concepts from the academic literature on partnerships, this study focuses on four elements of cross-sector collaboration: (1) the motives of NGOs and firms to enter into partnerships, (2) the criteria used to select a partner, (3) the collaboration process, and (4) the performance of NGO-firm partnerships.