Purpose and Partnership 2026 : What Makes Collaboration Work

Senior charity and business leaders gathered last Wednesday at the offices of Arthur Cox Dublin, brought together by Charities Institute Ireland, OKC, and Business in the Community Ireland to explore a key question at the core of impactful social initiatives: what truly enables effective partnerships between charities and businesses?

Guided by Sonya Lennon, designer, social entrepreneur, business leader and founder of WorkEqual, CEOs and senior leaders from across both sectors heard engaging conversations focused on the realities of collaboration - the conditions that allow partnerships to thrive, the points where they can falter, and the leadership choices required to build relationships that are values‑led, effective, and sustainable.

Making the Business Case for Social Impact

The morning opened with a case study discussion on the business case for social impact, chaired by Sonya Lennon. Drawing on the partnership between FoodCloud and AIB, the session explored how aligned purpose, clarity of intent, and mutual respect can translate values into action. Barry Field, Corporate Affairs Director at AIB, and Aoibheann O’Brien, Co‑Founder and Director of Development and Innovation at FoodCloud both reflected on how strong partnerships are built deliberately over time

A recurring insight was that social impact cannot sit on the margins of an organisation. When partnership is treated as strategic rather than transactional, it becomes a driver of both impact and long‑term value.

From Personal Loss to Corporate Partnership

Oonagh O’Donovan, Director of Strategy and Operations at OKC, moderated a powerful conversation, examining how deeply human experience can shape partnership in practice and traced the evolution of the partnership between the Dillon Quirke Foundation and Abbott.

Dan Quirke, Founder of the Dillon Quirke Foundation, alongside Sara Bourke O’Gorman, Internal Communications Lead at Abbott Clonmel, and Kate Peters, Sustainability and Citizenship Manager at Abbott, reflected candidly on how trust was built, how roles and expectations evolved, and how a core values alignment enabled the partnership to grow beyond initial momentum.

Leadership Insight: Trust, Governance and the Triple Lock

Áine Myler, CEO of Charities Institute Ireland, reflected on the importance of trust, governance, and the Triple Lock underpinning strong partnerships.

She asserted that governance serves not as a limitation to collaboration, but as an essential basis for fostering integrity, accountability, and sustained trust, especially as partnerships become more complex or encounter challenges.

Honest Reflections on What Makes It Work

The central panel discussion, “What Makes It Work: Honest Reflections on Great Partnerships,” brought together leaders from across the charity and corporate sectors to explore what truly underpins successful collaboration.

Contributors included Sarah McCague, Partner in Pensions and Charity Law at Arthur Cox; Emily Glen, Fundraising Manager at Women's Aid; Eamon Sharkey, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Dublin Simon Community; and David Lane, Managing Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group Ireland.

Drawing on their experience, panelists shared practical insights from recent years — highlighting the importance of clarity of purpose, meaningful measurement, and honest communication. They spoke candidly about the realities of building new partnerships, as well as recognising when an existing relationship may need to evolve or, in some cases, come to an end.

A clear theme emerged: the strongest partnerships are rooted in shared purpose and genuine values alignment. They are characterised by mutual accountability, clearly defined expectations, and the confidence to have open conversations when challenges arise.

The Role of Business in Building Inclusive Societies

The morning concluded with reflections from Linda O’Sullivan, Head of Social Inclusion at Business in the Community Ireland, who spoke about the role of business in building fairer, more inclusive societies.

Her contribution reinforced the idea that partnership is not just about organisational benefit, but about the wider system and the responsibility that comes with influence, scale, and leadership.

We sincerely thank Arthur Cox, Sonya Lennon, and our event partners Business in the Community and OKC for creating an outstanding demonstration of how charity and business can work together. When values and purpose unite, they make a real difference in society.

A recording of the session will be made available to all Cii members in due course, ensuring that insights from the morning can be shared more widely across the sector.

You can view the event photos by clicking here.