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Business and the NGO Reliable Future Working together  

for a Reliable Future                              

    

Ulvi Akhundli, ISAR-Azerbaijan 

 

Local NGOs need both good ideas and a professional approach in order to receive support for their projects.   

 

During its two year's of existence, the local NGO Reliable Future has carried out many projects with financial support 

and cooperation from the business community in Azerbaijan.  The NGO received support from six companies for the 

recent New Year's  Party it held for children, including Regus, Oriflame, Ericsson, Baker & McKenzie, ITOCHU Oil, 

and the ISR group of companies.   

 

“We thought of organizing a New Year's Show for children last fall,” says Munir Mamedov, PR manager for Reliable 

Future.  “We  wanted to bring our work to many children and organize a holiday event they would not be able to 

forget.  In order to carry out this large action, we needed to seek financial support from businesses here in 

Azerbaijan.  We began by carrying out a lot of preparatory work, calling potential partners and sending out letters.  

We then identified a small circle of businesses that were interested in our idea.  At that point, the ball was in our 

court.  We carefully prepared a proposal, showing in detail what our  exact expenses would be.  We also prepared 

other documents, to help us present our organization professionally.  These include recommendation letters, 

publications about previous projects, and many other materials.  I am sure that all of the above-mentioned 

documents, as well as our idea of holding the New Year's party itself, played a deciding role.  And I am confident that 

our success was a result of all of these factors.  Of course, company representatives also had a natural wish to do 

good, and to help these children: we showed up at the right time, just before the holiday season with the right idea, 

and this made our job much easier.” 

 

And what do the companies who took part in this action think of it?  To find out, we spoke to Nargiz Nasrullaeyeva, 

manager of the Regus Company.  “The fact that Reliable Future had a strong history of carrying out successful 

projects played a big role in our decision to support their proposal.  Our final approval of the proposal was based on 

three key points: the good reputation of the organization and personal recommendations; the fact that it was the 

period just before the New Year; and our desire to help children, the most vulnerable sector of our society.  Our 

company, like many others, pays great attention to trying to solve problems in the society in which it works.  It is 

important that the name of our company become known amongst the population, a population which includes our 

clients, among others, as a company which tries to do good and which is socially responsible.  We are sure that 

each organization, which has good management and a good reputation, whose activity has received support from 

other companies, [international] NGOs, and the public, is capable of building mutually beneficial relationships with 

the business sector, as an equal partner.” 

 

By all accounts, the New Year's Party organized by Reliable Future was a huge success.  Over 600 children from 

orphanages and institutions for the disabled took part in the festive, fun, and unforgettable party, joined by Santa 

Claus, the Snow Queen Snegurochka, presents, and other surprises.     

 

The New Year's Party was also a success in another way: cooperation between NGOs and companies in organizing 

smaller projects or one-day events represents a way for the two sectors to learn more about one another, to start to 

build trust and partnership and build a healthy society together. 

 

Contact information for Reliable Future: 

  Baku, 117, Nizami st. 

  Tel:  932142 

  E-mail:  { HYPERLINK "mailto:[e-mail]" }