Corporate Responses to Humanitarian Disasters: The Mutual Benefits of Private-Humanitarian Cooperation

Many companies are looking beyond cash and in-kind donations in support of relief efforts to longer-term disaster response partnerships with humanitarian organizations. When these alliances are successful, they rely on the core competencies of both sectors to provide better relief. Closer collaboration may also help improve disaster preparedness and even contribute to disaster mitigation. But companies need to embark on their missions carefully, defining scope, terms, conditions, and exit strategies beforehand. They need to make the business case to their own organizations, measure the in-house impact of their aid, and identify and transfer best practices learned while lending assistance.