Business in the Community's Rosie Oglesby explains how the UPS International Disaster Relief Award can encourage more companies to contribute to humanitarian efforts.
The 2016 UPS International Disaster Relief Award, supported by DFID, is currently open for entries. The award, ran by Business in the Community, recognises businesses that in different ways help communities prepare for, respond to or recover from disasters. While only companies are eligible to enter the award, it can also be a great opportunity for their humanitarian partners.
Encouraging corporate supporters to enter the award is a way to highlight the fantastic work you are doing together. The awards are judged by a panel of CEOs of international companies, together with a representative from DFID, and are announced at the annual Responsible Business Gala Dinner, which is attended by hundreds of business leaders. NGOs have often been invited to present at judging panels alongside their corporate partners, and films showcasing the international projects of the finalists have been some of the highlights of the Gala Dinner events.
Getting these stories out into the public domain through the award also helps to build awareness of the positive role that business can play, encouraging more companies to think about how they can contribute to humanitarian efforts. For your NGO, these examples of cutting edge corporate-humanitarian partnerships, can show that you are an innovative organisation at the forefront of ground-breaking collaborations. As well as more traditional partnerships focussing on immediate disaster response, this year we are particularly keen to profile some of the less commonly talked about aspects of business engagement, such as disaster resilience and risk reduction, conflict and complex emergencies, and partnerships around innovation and new product development.
We look forward to hearing about your fantastic corporate partnerships through this year’s award entries. The closing date for entries is 12 February 2016. For more information on how to enter please see the BITC website, or contact me at rosie.oglesby@bitc.org.uk