ANIKA BERNING: NGOs must be part and parcel of achieving global SDGs

While the Covid-19 pandemic rages, we often focus all our attention on surviving the day-to-day struggles while neglecting crucial global long-term goals. One specific such set is the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN in 2015 as a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for everyone.

These SDGs, which should be achieved by 2030, are promoted as an inclusive process, working hand in hand with for-profit organisations and social impact organisations (SIOs — also known as non-profit organisations in need of rebranding). The collaboration specifically with SIOs is a strategic decision to tap into expert knowledge and encourage ownership of the goals at the local level. However, SA SIOs have yet to mobilise around the SDGs and realise the benefits of active engagement with the goals.

Globally, SIOs have an important role to play in translating the SDGs from a global framework into local programmes that fit community needs. According to Suzanne Nazal from Asian Development Blog, SIOs contribute critical local knowledge that is needed to identify development priorities, advocate for the needs of the poor, and ensure that development programmes prioritise and reach the most deprived areas.

As influential actors in local communities SIOs can effectively localise the SDGs, transforming them from an abstract framework into local programmes that improve people’s quality of life. Those SIOs that have mobilised around the SDGs have identified various benefits; for example, they add international legitimacy to the work of an SIO as the organisation can now access an international network supporting their mission. It also creates a platform for SIOs to engage in international and domestic discussions on global development which have local implications. It increases the possibility of forming new coalitions, while opening SIOs up to new funding sources.

Together with Social Causes and Ikapa Impact we launched a research project aimed at gaining more insights into how local SIOs perceive the SDGs. Haley Hardie from Syracuse University, an intern at Ikapa Impact, assisted us in investigating whether these SIOs apply any of the SDGs in their organisations, whether they measure their contributions towards the SDGs, as well as the perspectives of corporates when providing funding to SIOs, and whether they require SIOs to contribute to the SDGs specifically.

Most SIOs showed a low level of engagement with the SDGs primarily because of funding shortages. The SIOs that we interviewed reported no active engagement with the SDGs as they did not incorporate the goals into organisational strategy, messaging, or monitoring and evaluation. Though they recognised that the goals are aligned with their mission and work, they struggled to quantify how their programmes contribute to the SDG goals. No interviewee could recall seeing material about the SDGs from other organisations in their network, indicating that low levels of engagement with the SDGs are commonplace.

Several SIOs viewed the SDGs as a macro-level policy framework that is far removed from the work they do in the communities. They prefer a community-based approach that focuses on visible needs rather than engaging with policy. Perpetual funding shortages mean that SIOs operate within cycles of crises, which hampers their ability to mobilise, form coalitions, lobby the government, and focus on long-term goals.

We also interviewed corporate organisations to get better insight regarding their stance on whether SIOs should focus on the SDGs as a funding requirement. The interviewees indicated that their organisations align the business strategy and corporate philanthropy with the SDGs, but do not require the SIOs they fund to do the same. Instead, the corporate organisations look at the quality of an SIO’s programming, governance controls, and impact reporting. Particularly important is the ability of SIOs to demonstrate the impact of their development initiatives. However, all the interviewees expressed a desire to see the SIOs they fund align their mission with the SDGs because it demonstrates that the SIOs have a clear organisational strategy, which will provide them with a competitive advantage when applying for corporate funding.

Increased engagement with the SDGs is not only critical for the successful implementation of an SIO’s goals, but also for its sustainability. While SA SIOs remain disengaged, largely because of a lack of resources and uncertainty about the legitimacy of political and international agendas, ultimately, the mission of SIOs and the SDGs are the same: to improve the quality of life for all people. To achieve this vision and make sure no-one is left behind, it will take the efforts of all stakeholders — government, civil society, and the private sector. While several SIOs already make substantial contributions to their communities, mobilising around the SDGs can enable them to accomplish even more.

Berning, a lecturer in the business management department at Stellenbosch University, is reading for a PhD in management systems and strategy in SIOs.