Table of content:

• ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS
• PREFERRED DISASTER SUPPORT
• CASH DONATIONS
• NON-CASH DONATIONS
• PARTNERSHIP SUITABILITY

ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS

Established relationships are the most effective: they allow preparedness in advance of a crisis to maximise appropriateness of response.

New relationships are hard to establish during a major disaster.  Should your company try to begin a partnership at such a time, the process to accommodate may be difficult for humanitarian actors whom are already stretched by the crisis itself.

Partnerships set up in advance have had time to establish a working relationship, develop mutual understanding of one another's strengths and set a plan in place for an effective disaster response strategy.

PREFERRED DISASTER SUPPORT

When you offer help to humanitarian agencies, it is of greatest assistance if you allow the agencies to determine where it is most needed, rather than insisting it be directed to the most "newsworthy" disaster.

When a disaster catches the attention of the world press, there is inevitably an outpouring of resources from all over the globe. The danger is that, while needed help is provided for that scenario, the suffering of people elsewhere may be overlooked. Indeed, their plight may be worsened if too much attention is placed upon the current crisis and too little on what the Humanitarian actors refers to as "forgotten" disasters.

Help is, moreover, not only needed in the wake of disasters, but, also, in advance of them. Assistance can be given to people in vulnerable regions to mitigate against the disaster impact. Jan Egeland, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, says: "Prevention, as we all know, is cheaper than the cure." (http://ochaonline.un.org/)

CASH DONATIONS

Donated cash continues to be ideal: its flexibility allows agencies to target their most urgent requirements with specificity and speed.

Often donors tire of the request for cash yet it must be provided if agencies are to address their most urgent needs and deal with the greatest speed and appropriateness.

NON-CASH DONATIONS

Donations of goods, services and expertise can be highly valuable, but only if they fit the programmes of the organisations concerned.

It is important, therefore, that corporations enquire of agencies to learn what is needed before making their offers. Listed needs may be found:

• for UN agencies, listed needs can be found at OCHA.
• for NGOs, connect directly to the specific organisation partnership information
  

Note: When donating goods, freight should usually be provided for as well, and the goods offered must not be out of date or inappropriate.

Often donors would like to make in-kind responses through provision of goods, transport, and expertise.

Dangers: There are sensitivities associated with in-kind giving that are important to honour. If items are culturally inappropriate, they can cause offence. If they require ongoing technological support, spare parts and the relevant know-how may be hard to find. If donated product varies in quality, discontent, and even unrest, can result among those to whom they are distributed. If goods are not in date, they may be dangerous. If inappropriate goods clog valuable supply lines to disaster areas, it may be difficult for essential items to be rapidly deployed.

Benefits: In-kind donations can be invaluable when they fit the needs expressed by humanitarian organisations, given their expertise in regard to the above. The donation of product, core competencies and services can allow agencies great savings and free up scarce financial resources for channelling elsewhere. Donated logistic support, if tailored to humanitarian requirements, can empower the agency in synergistic ways. Donated expertise can both save costs and increase the efficiencies of humanitarian agencies.

The critical factor with in-kind response is that it be demand-driven, rather than supply-driven: that in-kind offers match the agenda and needs of the relevant humanitarian agencies.

PARTNERSHIP SUITABILITY

Agencies have certain criteria by which they assess the suitability of potential partners. Suppliers of anti-personnel landmines, for example, cannot serve as UN partners. Further constraints, too, may govern the nature of liaisons permitted by further agencies. Look at the Business partnership orientation guide from OCHA.

As surely as corporations exercise caution in choosing appropriate commercial partners, humanitarian agencies must also take care that there is no suggested compromise in the liaisons they form and, indeed, that the company offering partnership is truly a "match".