In this blog post, we focus on the sustainability strategies of social organisations and non-profit institutions. We want to show, how sustainability becomes part of the strategic orientation, how to set up a sustainability strategy in social institutions and what special features need to be considered in social sector organisations.
Preliminary remark: We are aware that social organisations and non-profit institutions can be very different. The difference between schools, retirement homes, mobile care, counselling services for young people or addiction prevention is enormous. Therefore, some aspects will sometimes be more, sometimes less accurate for a specific organisation. Rather, this article will provide an applicable guideline and show the generic process of how sustainability is strategically approached in social organisations and non-profit institutions.
Content in the blog article Sustainability strategy in social organisations
- Definition of sustainability and sustainability strategy in social institutions
- Typical examples of sustainability in social institutions
- Considering the special features of the social sector in the sustainability strategy
- Step by step towards a sustainability strategy in social organisations
- Tips for successful implementation
- Our conclusion and further articles
Clarification of terms: sustainability and sustainability strategy
By way of introduction, we would like to outline our basic understanding: When we talk about a sustainability strategy, we mean an approach that is as holistic as possible. A harmonised combination of goals, mission statement, processes, key figures, measures and projects to develop the most sustainable operations possible.
Sustainability does not just cover environmental issues or even just the climate aspect. Rather, it is orientated towards three dimensions: Ecology, social and economic aspects or the type of business management.
Typical sustainability issues in social organisations
To get a better understanding of the topic, let's start with a few examples of typical sustainability issues in social organisations:
Environmentally orientated and ecological topics in social institutions
- Heating and power supply: Energy consumption for owned or utilised buildings
- Environmentally friendly mobility of employees and visitors/clients
- Nutrition and care of the staff and facility users / patients
- Conservation of resources: Waste separation, , repair, upcycling
- Land utilisatione.g. using roofs for solar panels, greening walls for biodiversity, planting areas, unsealing squares and driveways, etc.
- Climate impact adaptatione.g. cooling effect of trees in summer (keyword: microclimate), protection of vulnerable people through shade and rest areas, safety measures against storms. This is where ecological and social issues clearly overlap, as adapting to climate impacts also has an effect on people's health and safety.
Societal and social issues in social institutions
Social facilities focus on different levels. On the one hand, the employees, on the other hand, the visitors to the facility or the people being cared for and, furthermore, people in the upstream and downstream stages of providing the service. (Comparison: In a private company, this would be synonymous with value creation or the value chain).
Typical topics here are:
- Working conditions on site, work-life balance, new work approaches
- Recruitment and trainingTraining, further training of permanent staff
- Health managementPrevention and help for mental and physical stress
- Fairness and equal opportunities, Diversity, inclusion, accessibility, gender equality
- Content of the pedagogical work or in childcare. Aspects of education for sustainable development (ESD)
- Responsible procurement, Purchasing and subsequent utilisation
Economic efficiency and type of management (governance) in social organisations
- Service and product development, long-term focus on sustainability
- Exchange with users, relatives, parents/children (so-called stakeholder dialogues)
- FinancingSecuring sources of income, sponsoring or donation management
- Transparencyreporting, internal and external communication
- Co-determination of employees and users of the organisation, establishing and living democratic and participatory structures
- Regional economy, the social organisation as a social and economic player and part of economic cycles
- Digital responsibilityData protection, use and handling of media
Special features of social institutions
Before we focus on the strategic orientation, we would first like to work out what distinguishes social institutions and non-profit organisations. There are numerous special features compared to traditional, private-sector companies such as retailers, manufacturing SMEs or large IT companies. These special features should be taken into account when developing a strategy. What's more, many things can be built upon.
Work ethic, mission statement and self-image
Social institutions are often characterised by a strong work ethic, an ethically shaped mission statement of the sponsor or a deeply rooted self-image, which is fed by the object of the foundation, religious understanding or a humanistic world view.
The events and values derived from this lead to many topics that are incorporated into strategic sustainability. For example, principles such as the "integrity of creation" or the "dignity of man" have a strong normative character. Specific social and ecological demands and issues are derived from this.
Working for and with people
People are at the centre of our work. This means that employees often take on the highest level of responsibility in supervising, supporting, caring for or looking after people.
On the one hand, this means that employees and their performance become the focus of social sustainability. Employees are the most important resource for the success of the social organisation. On the other hand, it should be borne in mind that all sustainability issues must always be considered in connection with work for and with people.
Requirements for work, restriction of freedom of action
In particular, social organisations are subject to strict guidelines from the funding body or legal framework conditions. This leaves less room for manoeuvre than in private-sector companies or, for example, stipulates more strictly than in companies what funds can be used for. It is therefore important to consider changes to the set requirements and framework conditions. This is done, for example, by representing interests in politics or lobbying the funding organisation in order to bring about changes to more sustainable framework conditions.
Diverse range of tasks
Institutions and organisations often have several locations. There may be a wide variety of facilities and building uses on site, rented offices for counselling, mobile services, outdoor areas and gardens, their own residential buildings or rented flats and much more. A diverse range of tasks can often be found under the various roofs. All of this leads to a high degree of complexity. The sometimes fundamentally different starting points must be brought together in a standardised strategy and a common understanding of sustainability - a particular challenge.
Motives for sustainability in the social sector - focusing on people and self-image
Special features also emerge when one asks about the motives for strategic sustainability among the members of the organisation. When these are analysed, the "classics" that are also typically mentioned in the private sector emerge. These include
- Future-orientation, the challenge of our generation
- Image gain
- Attractive offer for customers and users
- Standing out from the competition in the social economy
- Inspiring through social innovation
- Efficiency gains, cost savings
- Sustainability as part of an appealing, modern employer
- Anticipating laws
- Preparation for sustainability reporting obligations
In social organisations and non-profit institutions, the focus is often on other motives. The analysis shows that the drive for sustainable action is often fuelled by the following additional reasons:
- Being a role model for people and society
- Sustainability as an expression of self-image, e.g. from their mission statement, the humanistic view of man ("human dignity") or a religious motif ("preservation of creation")
- Employees and junior staff who are highly sensitive to issues such as social participation, a fair balance between interests and global justice
Several steps towards a sustainability strategy in social institutions
For a sustainable approach, it is important to consider all relevant processes and areas of the social organisation and to harmonise the requirements of the various dimensions (environmental, social, management and economic aspects).
In order to place sustainability at the centre of strategic development as a social institution, the following questions are intended to provide orientation for the step-by-step orientation, objectives and measures to be derived. This lays the most important building blocks for a sustainability strategy in social organisations:
Intention and motives from the self-image
- Why do we want to become more sustainable?
- How is sustainability derived from our mission statement or mandate? To what extent is sustainability already part of our self-image?
- How do we see our responsibility? What do we want to take responsibility for and what not?
Environment, actual and operational analysis
- What is already happening in comparable organisations in the social sector? What developments or social innovations are there?
- What are others already doing better, who can we learn from?
- What are we already doing for sustainability in the areas of social responsibility, ecology, economic activity and management?
- What do our stakeholders, such as users, clients, employees, donors, social organisations, etc., expect?
- What regulations, laws, requirements, reporting obligations, etc. are we facing?
Materiality analysis (identify and evaluate topics)
- Which sustainability topics are particularly relevant for us and our stakeholders?
- Where can we make the biggest difference, where can we have a big impact?
- How do we want to be perceived internally and externally within the organisation? What effect do we want to have on employees, clients or people receiving support or training?
Sustainability strategy with topics and targets
- How do the identified sustainability topics fit into our development and existing strategy?
- What conflicts of interest need to be considered? How do we bring together the various dimensions of sustainability?
- Which topics and goals do we want to set and tackle first?
Measures and suitable projects
- What measures can we use to achieve the targets for the sustainability topics?
- What could a pilot project in our social centre look like? What can be an illustrative example with a motivating effect?
- What guidelines, networks and best practices exist from social associations, interest groups or other non-profit organisations? What could serve as inspiration?
Structures and stabilisation
- Who should be responsible for implementation, monitoring and further development? How will social organisations, funders and legislators be involved?
- What processes, responsibilities and people do we need to continuously pursue our goals and measures?
- How will we make resources available, how will we create time, budget and personnel expertise for the topic?
Communication
- What is the link to the self-image or leitmotif of the social organisation?
- How can I communicate the goals and successes achieved in a good, understandable and honest way?
- Which stories, frameworks (e.g. the SDGs), known seals/certifications for non-profit organisations do we use?
- Do we have advocates who support our social organisation with communication? Who are potential sustainability ambassadors?
- How can I authentically involve the medial recipients in our journey and also in our difficulties?
Conclusion
The step-by-step guide shown here for a strategic focus on sustainability is idealised and can of course be modified. Likewise, depending on the organisation and stage of development, some steps can be skipped or need to be worked through in more detail. This must be decided on a case-by-case basis.
We have already published other helpful articles on sustainability strategies in companies, and the approach is generally transferable to social and welfare-orientated organisations. We have the right overview article for you here linked.
It pays to take a serious look at sustainability! Integration into core processes brings numerous advantages. Costs can be reduced in the long term and the organisation becomes more resilient to crises. Social organisations can offer a better range of services for their visitors or clients by adopting a sustainable approach. A good fit between actions and the standards derived from the organisation's self-image will ensure motivation and attractiveness.
It is a long road and requires a lot of attention, time and commitment. With this blog post, we wanted to provide orientation and make people aware of the special features with which community-orientated or social institutions are embarking on their journey. If you are aware of these particularities, you can consider the resulting difficulties from the outset or build your sustainability strategy specifically on the resulting strengths.
Related articles
- Collection for a social organisation: Guidelines, support and examples for sustainability in schools, daycare centres and care settings
- Collection for sustainability in art and a sustainable cultural sector: Guidelines, aids and practical tips for sustainability
- Collection for sustainability in sport and sustainable club sport: Tips, guidelines, positive examples and much more about sustainability
- In comparison: Establishing a sustainability strategy in companies
- Helpful tips and typical stumbling blocks: How to successfully implement sustainability
- Taking employees with you? Here are 15 inspiring approaches for employees
- external: More about ESD (Education for Sustainable Development)
- external: More on the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
Image sources: Own representation or www.pexels.com/ by I. Samkov, Kindel Media, A. Piacquadio
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