World NGO Day, 27th February 2023, is an international day dedicated to recognizing and celebrating all non-governmental and non-profit organizations and the people behind these organizations. At SocialMarks, our bespoke assessment of charity partnerships looks at how companies use their positioning to support the work of NGOs.
SocialMarks assessment looks at the number of partnerships, the longevity of these, the amount donated to each partnership, uniqueness of a given partnership, the quality of reporting, and the overall impact and success of partnerships. Here we look at some of the best partnerships we have seen across SocialMarks:
Merck & Co Inc
Merck partners with a multitude of NGOs and non-profits. A notable non-profit partnership is with Year-Up. Year Up’s mission is to ensure equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults. Year Up accomplish their goal to close the opportunity gap in the job market for economically disadvantaged youth by offering six months of intensive training and a six-month corporate internship. To date, Merck has worked with Year Up to offer 24 student internships.
Merck also partners with the Alzheimer’s Association. The Merck Foundation provided a $1.5 million, four-year grant to the Alzheimer’s Association to support the expansion of its Dementia Care Coordination program in Massachusetts and replicate it in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
Goldman Sachs Group
Goldman Sachs receives an assessment score of 10 for their charity partnerships. As part of the firm’s commitment to philanthropy, Goldman Sachs Gives has contributed more than $2 billion in grants. Since establishment in 2008, Goldman Sachs Gives has partnered with 9,000 non-profits globally.
A standout from Goldman Sachs Gives is their partnership with Food Education Fund which supports culinary-focused public high school students in New York City. Together, they announced a $600,000 grant to establish a new college scholarship fund and career readiness program for New York City high school students exploring culinary skills and hospitality.
Cisco Systems Inc
Cisco Systems has approximately 50 charity partnerships. They provide a detailed case study of their partnership with the New Teacher Center. Cisco’s latest support helped to launch the Classroom Connection Program, a program that protects teacher-student relationships from the harmful effects of stigma and bias. Through the partnership with NTC, it has reached 1.8M students, 33K teachers, and 400 districts participated across 22 states.
Discover Financial
Discover Financial supports The Nora Project, a non-profit organization which offers an elementary-school curriculum, pairing students with a peer with disabilities in classrooms to teach empathy, normalize differences and create meaningful connections. Since 2018, they have provided $265,000 to The Nora Project. In 2021, they provided $70,000 to fund the launch of the organization’s Community Friendship Events program and its annual Teacher Training Camp. Both initiatives have impacted local schools and neighbourhoods across the Chicagoland area.
Discover Financial also supports Boys and Girls Clubs across multiple cities by providing financial support. Employees volunteer at Clubs to help with general upgrades as well serving as mentors to Club members, helping with homework and developing social skills.
Nike Inc
Since 2018, Nike has partnered with Girls Inc., a non-profit which looks to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, through both service and advocacy. The non-profit serves girls ages 6-18 at more than 1,400 sites in 337 cities across the US and Canada. Nike has teamed up with Girls Inc. to support their “Sporting Chance” program that helps girls build a foundation for enjoying sports, adventure, and physical activity throughout their lives.
Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash
