A sustainable, active impact driven organisation and an open, inclusive company – these seem to be the keys to good practice, but in reality it is more complex than that. The cooperation between Decathlon and the Igazgyöngy Foundation is a good example of cooperation between sectors.
The gym bags on sale in the sports store are made in a social enterprise that aims to eradicate extreme poverty and generational poverty. “This gym bag was made in the Szuno social enterprise, which creates jobs for disadvantaged people in a small village,” reads the message on the pocket of the gym bag. Marianna Gulyás of Decathlon said at the Focus on Impact roundtable that they consider social responsibility important and that it is also reflected in practice. The company supports this kind of activity by its employees, which is perhaps why everyone felt it was important to involve the impact driven organisation this way.
Dorottya Marosváry, Head of Communications at the Igazgyöngy Foundation, said that in 2010, a multifaceted inclusion programme was set up in Told, which includes community development and social entrepreneurship – this is called Szuno, which means dream in Romanian.
The realisation of a dream is also confirmed by a longed-for collaboration, which started with a visit to Told, where Szuno operates. Within a short time, it became clear that the cooperation between the store and the organisation would go deeper than just organising a sports day. It was enough to “dream and do” a good cause, which was accepted by the management of the sports store, and Szuno was able to meet the expectations placed on it.
And for Szuno, the cooperation has brought not only stability but also development opportunities. “We had to evolve a lot during the project, but that’s how it is – we can think about new projects and developments with new staff, because there is a stability that this process has given us,” said Dorottya. The presentation of the Decathlon and Igazgyöngy collaboration can be an inspiration for other businesses and organisations.
