Over the last few years, more and more companies have started using a new expression: “Social Licence to Operate” (SLO). If you work in an NGO, you may think: “Great, another corporate buzzword.”
And you wouldn’t be wrong.
Used badly, SLO can look like a smart way to convince communities to accept projects they did not really choose.
At VOLIES, we believe something else is possible: SLO + community engagement can actually become a tool for NGOs, to protect people, shape what happens on their territory, and raise better funding.
SLO gathers mutual interest between companies and NGO but from different languages and cultures
In simple terms, SLO is the answering space to the following question :
Do people living around a project feel it is acceptable and fair enough to let it happen?
It’s not a certificate.
It’s about trust, dialogue and long-term relationships.
And both, companies & non-profits, mean it with different words :
On the one hand, companies usually look at SLO from their own side:
“How do we reduce the risk of conflict and increase the sentiment of shared benefits ad future ?”
On the other hand, non profits find through SLO a direct invitation to connect on their broad purpose: How can communities and NGOs use this idea to make sure projects respect people and the territory?
SLO is a place where industries are planning with people, not for them.
NGOs are very close to their local communities, but they don’t decide where a wind farm, a factory or a new road will be built.
Seen from the NGO side, SLO can be:
- a language to talk about impacton a whole territory, not only on one project;
- a way to ask for discussions earlier, before everything is decided;
- a support to go beyond isolated or purely militant action, and push for real planning with the people who live there.
Instead of only reacting to projects, NGOs can use SLO to say : “If you want a social licence here, we need to talk about water, land, jobs, and who benefits — together.”
SLO is a momentum where multilateral engagement is preferred than unilateral consultation
Most NGOs know this situation very well:
- You are invited to a public meeting. You talk, they listen, nothing really changes.
- You receive a public subsidy, but it depends on politics and short-term promises.
- You are asked to participatein a process where the big decisions are already on the table.
With an honest SLO approach, NGOs can ask for more:
- a seat at the tablewhen impacts and benefits are defined;
- long-term dialogue spaces, not just one-off consultations;
- a clear role in monitoring what happens on the ground.
It doesn’t fix all power imbalances.
But it opens the door to real partnerships instead of symbolic invitations.
SLO is a tool of participative finance for social and environmental impact
For NGOs, SLO is definitely a fundraising option.
Companies with big land or local impact – energy, infrastructure, industry, etc. – know that without community support, their projects are at risk.
That means NGOs can:
- identifywhich companies really need a strong social licence;
- approach them with concrete proposalsthat help both the community and their SLO: local development projects, education and employability, environmental and social programmes co-designed with residents;
- negotiate multi-year partnerships, not just one-off donations.
You are not “asking for a cheque”.
You are bringing something essential: local trust, knowledge and impact.
SLO is a strategic opportunity for public - private growth with local benefits.
VOLIES stands exactly between these worlds:
- We speak the language of companies (SLO, ESG, risk, strategy).
- We understand the reality of NGOs and local organisations on the ground.
- We help build corporate volunteering and community programmes that make sense for both.
For NGOs, this means:
- getting support to turn your projects into strategic offersfor companies with local impact;
- using SLO not as a buzzword, but as a lever to protect people, strengthen your territory and secure funding.
For us, SLO is not about making communities like everything.
It is about making their voice impossible to ignore – and building partnerships that truly change local realities.
This is how we do it, this is why we did it.
