Cooperate to Operate: bringing together youth organizations and SMEs through corporate social responsibility Erasmus Project

Project Title

Cooperate to Operate: bringing together youth organizations and SMEs through corporate social responsibility

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

CoOp project aimed to enhance the collaboration between Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and youth organizations, thus to promote and encourage private investment in youth development, and education. The main objective of the project was to support youth workers, thus youth organizations, to diversify their funding sources and attract investments from the business sector, by professionalizing them in the field of CSR / fundraising from SMEs.

The specific objectives of the project were:
-Develop reliable knowledge on the SMEs’ and youth organizations’ collaboration, and on how much business investment can be attracted for youth development, and education.
-Develop innovative and attractive funding models and tools on CSR and fundraising, which can be used both by youth organizations and SMEs.
-Identify and promote best practices and success stories on the SMEs’ and youth organizations’ partnerships, intended to start an European trend for such partnerships.
-Propose valuable public policies for boosting the partnerships between SMEs and youth organizations, intended to start an European trend for such collaborations.

The project aimed to respond to the pressing need of European NGOs for diversifying the funding sources, and attracting more investments from the business sector, in order to obtain financial sustainability. The project addressed the causes of this need, as identified by the partner organizations: the lack of research-based knowledge on SMEs’ specific motivations for CSR activities, and SMEs’ real capacity for giving; lack of innovative tools for raising funds from the business sector, and the tools to guide SMEs in the CSR field; the lack of the right tools to screen youth workers for assigning fundraising responsibilities, and to train them for taking on these responsibilities; the lack of public policies that could boost the SMEs’ involvement in CSR activities.

The main target group in the CoOp project were the youth workers. We reached 173 youth workers, and addressed all their needs described above, through innovative products, such as ready tools for fundraising activities, comprehensive research on SMEs’ involvement in youth field, training for youth workers on CSR and fundraising, policy briefs for boosting SMEs’ and NGOs’ collaboration, best practices guide, and video success stories.

51 SMEs were reached by the project’s activities, and outcomes, as the key approach in all the resources created was the focus on the collaboration between youth organizations and SMEs. Thus, all the outputs were developed having in mind that these should serve both sectors, boosting the alliances between them.

The CoOp project contributed to bring valuable results for partner organizations, youth workers, SMEs and other relevant stakeholders from the youth field.

First, CoOp helped partner organizations, and youth workers to professionalize their fundraising activities, diversify funding sources, and ensure financial sustainability. SMEs benefited from valuable information about youth organizations, spotting concrete opportunities for CSR activities, and gaining an international perspective on their sector in regards to CSR activities, and on business investment in youth.

Second, CoOp provided both to youth organizations and SMEs innovative and attractive funding models and tools on CSR and fundraising. The partner organizations have started to use these tools to professionalize their organizations, their fundraising teams, diversify funds, ensure financial sustainability, and to start providing consultancy to SMEs on CSR.

Third, CoOp promoted best practices and success stories on the SMEs’ and youth organizations’ partnerships, motivating both youth organizations, and SMEs to get involved in common CSR activities, while receiving an international perspective, and the right recipes for success.

Finally, CoOp proposed valuable public policies for boosting the partnerships between SMEs and youth organizations, intended to start an European trend for such collaborations.These were the first policy initiatives on CSR for SMEs in the field of youth, in the partner countries.

In conclusion, the project has contributed to financial resources for youth field and also developed professional organizations, which are now open to synergies with business sector. The project supported youth workers to improve their professional competences and increase their sense of initiative and entrepreneurship. The project reinforced the interaction between practice, research and policy in the field of youth and CSR; and created closer links between the youth field and the business community.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 165907,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

NORSENSUS MEDIAFORUM & Country: NO

Project Partners

• National Youth Federation Limited
• ASSET TECHNOLOGY EPE
• FUNDATIA DANIS PENTRU DEZVOLTARE MANAGERIALA
• Fundacja Samodzielni Robinsonowie