Exploring Partnerships from the Perspective of HSO Beneficiaries: The Case of Corporate Volunteering

ABSTRACT

Despite numerous studies of cross-sector collaboration, little is known about the perceptions and involvement of beneficiaries in partnerships between HSOs and companies. This explorative, qualitative study addresses this gap by offering insight into the beneficiaries’ perspectives with regard to a specific form of collaboration: corporate volunteering. Key findings suggest that beneficiaries’ perceptions are influenced by involvement in the development of the projects, the perceived quality of interaction, and the sustainability. We conclude that beneficiaries are welcoming the change in their daily routines, while acknowledging the lack of reciprocity. We argue that corporate volunteering does not necessarily produce a win-win situation.

KEYWORDS:

• Beneficiary
• collaboration
• corporate volunteering
• cross-sector partnerships
• human service organizations
• nonprofit organizations
• participation

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our gratitude to MSc Karin Freiermuth for her excellent contributions as a research partner, to Dr. Robin Samuel for his valuable feedback on early drafts of this paper, to a number of anonymous reviewers, and to the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI for partially funding the data collection.

Notes

¹ Collaboration and partnership are used interchangeably throughout this article.

² In the interest of clarity, we use the term “beneficiaries” to refer to residents living on the premises of the HSO, as well as to beneficiaries who are not permanent residents.