NSBA CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT POLICY

PREAMBLE

NSBA associates itself with the growing corporate awareness of the need to invest/contribute to sustainable social development. The association aims at allocating an annual budget which is dedicated to CSI activities.

Corporate social investment is therefore an integral part of NSBA’s commitment to sustainable development and a primary terrain for branding and enhancing the association’s reputation as a responsible corporate association and valued partner amongst Nordic communities where it operates.

To give effect to this intent, NSBA commits itself to invest in development and empowerment projects that embrace the diversity of South Africa, and strives to become a serious player in the field of community upliftment in the fields of education and poverty alleviation.

VISION

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To be an active, socially responsible organisations involved in the reduction of poverty and social problems, through the development and upliftment of identified communities in the field of education

MISSION STATEMENT

To alongside the Nordic companies in South Africa, actively contribute to the upliftment of historically disadvantaged communities and by playing an active part in effective social investment programmes in the identified focus areas (education, etc.) and fostering skills for potential internship programmes.

VALUES

The following values inform our endeavors:
  • Transparency
  • Integrity and honesty
  • Respect for the communities we serve

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

To achieve this goal, our policy and programmes are aimed at:
  • Focusing on initiatives which enjoy broad-based stakeholders’ support while avoiding handout tendencies which prove unsustainable;
  • Ensuring that communities and other beneficiaries of the programmes are actively consulted in the process of project selection, implementation and evaluation;
  • Quantifying the costs and benefits of the programmes selected and evaluating them in terms of their ability to contribute to capacity building, improving the quality of life and ensuring sustainable development;
  • Defining the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders and projects/programme beneficiaries, with specific emphasis on financial controls and corporate governance compliance;
  • Integrating initiatives with CSI initiatives of member companies in a cost-effective and efficient manner;
  • Building community awareness and recognition of the role played by NSBA in developing their communities through appropriate and transparent outreach initiatives
  • Contributing to the socio-economic upliftment of primarily historically disadvantaged communities
  • Building open, honest and constructive relationships between the association and its host-communities.

KEY PRIORITY AREAS

  • Education, capacity building and skills development for targeted communities
  • Income generation and job-creation programmes/projects, with the primary focus on youth, women and people with disabilities;
  • Priority areas will be reviewed periodically to ensure that they are relevant to community need

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The principles guiding NSBA’s CSI initiatives should be:
  • Focused on coherent relationships between our member companies and beneficiaries
  • Promoting an equitable balance between NSBA’s interests and development imperatives;
  • Visionary and broad with solid and well-planned funding programmes and agreed entry and exit points;
  • Encouraging partnerships with reputable institutions capable of generating mutually beneficial profile and capacity building outcomes;
  • Aligned with national imperatives and government’s socio-economic framework;
  • Reflect values inherent in NSBA and encourage employee participation that builds unity and capacity in beneficiary communities;
  • Subject to periodic audit and evaluation review by the Trust/NSBA Board
  • Compliance with corporate governance principles and guidelines of the King Report.

FUNDING GUIDELINE

The funding guidelines regarding NSBA’s CSI commitment should be:
  • That funded Projects must have an intended developmental approach;
  • To build capacity in communities and should eradicate dependency;
  • Projects should take an affirmative approach bias, with women, the disabled, youth and the socially destitute prioritized;
  • Individuals may not be funded. Funding must benefit a wider community or groups with common objectives and purpose;
  • Deliverables and conditions of significant funding must be agreed with the beneficiaries
  • Direct periodic contacts must be maintained with the project beneficiaries and the projects to assess their development impact;
  • The process of allocating funds and grants must be open and transparent (presentations at the NSBA Board meetings is recommended)
  • Partnerships with other businesses, government and communities must be encouraged, while promoting NSBA’s identity for its interventions;
  • Funding agreements must outline expectations and deliverables on both sides (NSBA will enter into a formal agreement – standard forms to be developed)
  • Project implementation and adherence to stated objectives must be constantly monitored and evaluated (annual audit of projects will be conducted).

PROJECT PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

Applications for funding will be initially screened at Board meetings to ensure that they fall within the specific focus areas. Submitted applications must be acknowledged within 10 working days of receipt and a decision taken within 3 months of acknowledgement. Information should include:
  • Project name
  • Project background and executive summary
  • Project overall goals
  • Strategic fit into NSBA’s CSI key focus areas
  • Stakeholders involved and extent of participation
  • Beneficiaries
  • Key Performance Indicators
  • Describe how the intervention will affect the ultimate desired output and also measure the results against the progress envisaged
  • Sustainability
  • Indicate how the project will sustain itself beyond NSBA’s intervention
  • Impact of NSBA intervention
  • Describe the multiplier effects through jobs to be created, skills to be developed, local resources utilization etc
  • Time frame
  • How long is the project going to last from inception to implementation
  • Detailed costing
  • Evaluation
  • Financial statement “Report back” – with same form of feed-back/evaluation
  • Recommendation
This should be endorsed by NSBA. Other information to be outlined include

CRITERIA FOR NSBA’s FUNDING OF PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS

  • Projects must have the potential to be sustainable;
  • Projects/programmes must be driven by local, national and societal needs and strategies
  • Projects should build goodwill and unity amongst affected stakeholders;
  • Must increase or maintain NSBA brand identity;
  • Should profile NSBA as a caring corporate citizen;
  • Must foster local and /or international partnerships;
  • Must add to the acknowledgement that a successful South Africa provides a home for a successful NSBA;
  • Must have broad impact from grassroots to higher echelons of society
  • Should strengthen society in the long term.
  • GRANTOR OBLIGATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • TIME FRAMES RELATING TO RECEIVING AND EVALUATING
  • PROGRAMMES
  • MONITOR AND EVALUATION
  • INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
  • COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

SMME DEVELOPMENT

Small and medium-size enterprises (SME’s) play a pivotal role in stimulating growth and development in economies globally. SME’s provide a platform for job-creation and Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa’s emerging economy.
  • NSBA supports the development and growth of SME’s across the spectrum and in all sectors. Input and output supply projects will inevitably be prioritized;
  • NSBA shallwork with its member companies ito preferential procurement programmes/internship programmes to ensure mutually beneficial business partnerships. Facilitation of workshops, training and development seminars provide information and practical advice on starting small businesses, preparing business plans, accelerating access to finance and enabling participation in the mainstream economy. NSBA perceives itself as part of catalyst stakeholders in empowering SME’s to reach higher levels of development.

OTHER JOB-CREATION INITIATIVES

Focusing on those most disadvantaged by unemployment, namely women and the youth, NSBA will support programmes that provide:
  • Direct job-related training under accredited programmes;
  • Bridging initiatives that prepare people better for the world of work
  • Specific job-creation programmes in the public and private sector.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

The NSBA CSI allocation is a vehicle for the funding of the association’s education and training programmes. Initiatives in the fields of science, commerce, mathematics, engineering and technology get preference as they enhance skills development to major sectors in which NSBA member companies operate.

Since the CSI Policy and Framework was introduced by NSBA, our Association has supported the following organisations:

The duration of the engagement normally runs over three (3) years.