Bridging the Public-Private Divide: Partnerships for Disaster Philanthropy

The Social Impact Show

In today's episode, you'll learn about the pivotal role of the private sector in global disaster response and the importance of public-private collaboration. We explore how corporations provide immediate relief aid while also focusing on pre-disaster preparedness and long-term reconstruction.

Andrew Jones, a Senior Researcher at The Conference Board, highlights that the number of natural disasters is rising globally. As climate change intensifies, over 90% of major firms expect disasters to become more frequent and extreme in the coming years. Corporations now supply around 40% of philanthropic funding for disaster response due to their financial resources and global footprint. Looking ahead, the greatest opportunity for progress lies in closer public-private collaboration. While most companies partner with NGOs, working strategically with government across all phases of disaster management is crucial yet uncommon currently.

Timestamp of our discussions:

1:28 - Role of the private sector and corporate philanthropy in global disaster response 3:08 - What determines whether a company's social impact program respond to disasters or not? 5:39 - Preparing responses and activities for year-round disasters 7:03 - What about preparedness or reconstruction as disaster responses 9:08 - Greatest opportunities for innovation in corporate disaster philanthropy 10:56 - Opportunities are there for public-private sector collaboration? 12:52 - Improving CSR strategic planning and decision making for natural disasters 14:36 - How important are employees in corporate disaster response efforts? 17:14 - What about man-made disasters, such as armed conflict and war? Connect with Andrew Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjjones1985/

Learn more about The Conference Board: Conference-board.org

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