From Charity to Investment

In business I have noticed that it’s quite a common belief that the opportunities of collaborating with non-profit organizations is seen as a one way direction: the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) ask private companies for funds, so they can achieve their mission in the field. And these companies usually provide them those funds in order to reach their Corporate Social Responsibility goals. According to this vision, it’s quite obvious that NGOs are often seen as in a pleading position.

What people do not know is that – and even more often than believed - NGOs can offer a varied range of services and benefits to the private sector. The programme ‘PN Scholarship’ designed by Passerelles numériques is a
                                             meaningful example of a fundraising strategy, that is mutually worthwhile for
                                             both NGOs and their collaborating companies.

The mechanism is simple: the company supports one or more students by paying 25% of their study fees during their training (2 years). Thanks to this contribution, the company will automatically profit from benefits such as;

• a 4-month internship(s) at the end of courses (free of allowance),
• an annual report on social impact indicators,
• interns and employed students’ performance follow-up via PN’s tutorship programme.

Moreover, in the Cambodia fast-growing and changing market, where one of the main concerns of companies is the continued employees turnover, PN ensures a minimum of 12 months loyalty from the recruited students and refunds 50% of the scholarship if these terms are not respected.

“From charity to investment”, as part of PN’s Company department mission, is to promote this new approach.

During my stay in Phnom Penh, I have the opportunity to work with the ‘Enterprise Relation Department’ and more closely with Saroem Run, who works as a Project Manager at PN Cambodia. Acting as a sales man for the NGO, Saroem’s main goal is to create new partnerships with IT related companies through the ‘PN Cambodia Scholarship’ program.

Spreading the idea of a fundraising strategy, that can turn out in a convenient investment for companies, is a daily and ambitious challenge for Saroem. Especially in a country like Cambodia, where the idea of Social Responsibility is still quite unknown in the local market. However, I am convinced that this creative approach will bring success and enables PN Cambodia to switch to new ways of raising funds!