Abstract

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identify critical society challenges in areas of poverty, gender and income equality, health, and well-being. Consensus exists among scholars and practitioners on the need for cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) for achieving the SDGs. However, we have yet to identify the means of fostering collaboration to yield optimal social impact while also generating measurable results and financial returns. We lack actionable strategic frameworks for explaining how CSPs should be implemented. This multiple case study examined five socially oriented business-nonprofit partnerships and addressed how collaboration strategies can increase social impact of CSPs. The findings revealed important insights for theory and practice including the role of a theory of change (ToC) as the primary backdrop to all other elements of the partnership, as well as the influence of leadership, trust, and culture on a CSP’s execution, sustainability over time, and social impact. This study contributes a framework for CSP Implementation Strategy, explicating how entities in a CSP can best collaborate, as well as key ingredients for marketing and messaging to optimize impact over time.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Sustainable development; Nonprofit organizations; Corporations; Public-private sector cooperation

Date of Award

2024

School Affiliation

Graziadio Business School

Department/Program

Business

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Christina Gibson

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