Our Capitals
Our relationship capital: Engagement with stakeholders to build meaningful relationships
Our Capitals
Our relationship capital: Engagement with stakeholders to build meaningful relationships
‘Serving with Heart’ is more than a theme. It is how we engage, connect and build trust with those who make our mission possible. It ensures that every stakeholder feels valued, heard and connected to the mission of saving lives.
At SANBS, every relationship is a vital part of our mission, whether with donors, employees, patients, healthcare partners or the communities we serve. Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership is a dedicated pillar of our 2030 Strategy, emphasising the role of meaningful relationships in achieving long-term impact.
The progress made in 2025 has laid a strong foundation for strengthening our stakeholder ecosystem, one built on trust, accountability and a shared commitment to saving lives.
Our stakeholder engagement practices go beyond compliance. They reflect a deliberate commitment to empathy, inclusion and shared value. As we transition from a product-focused approach to one that is customer-centric, building trust and responsiveness in our relationships remains central to SANBS’ organisational transformation.
Engagement, management and reporting continue to prioritise high-power, high-interest stakeholders, as defined in the updated SANBS Stakeholder Grid. Enhancements have ensured that engagement activities align directly with SANBS’ strategic pillars and key organisational risks. This data-informed approach enables purposeful interactions, effective risk mitigation and continuous improvement based on stakeholder feedback.
Each stakeholder group is explicitly linked to relevant strategic objectives or improvement initiatives, creating a clear path for focused engagement in the year ahead. Engagement is monitored through a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status that combines engagement outcomes with relationship health indicators.
This approach supports accountability, performance tracking and targeted relationship strengthening. To reinforce this, a ‘Serving with Heart’ leadership workshop was held to revisit and revise the SANBS Stakeholder Grid. The session used Mendelow’s Power-Interest Matrix and followed a structured, consultative process.
Stakeholders were reassessed, discussed and repositioned based on their power and interest in relation to SANBS. New stakeholders were identified and ownership for reporting on engagement was clarified. This process reaffirmed the need for an annual review of the stakeholder grid to ensure ongoing relevance and alignment.
As an outcome of the workshop, a new format for reporting engagement outcomes to the GSE was proposed. A streamlined one-page report per stakeholder-linked discipline will provide feedback on engagement outcomes, highlight links to strategic pillars and address associated risks. This format is designed to improve clarity, strengthen accountability and ensure responsiveness.
Stakeholder Power-Interest Grid 2025/2026
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Power / Influence of Stakeholders
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High Power, Low Interest [Meet their needs, keep satisfied]
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High Power, High Interest [Key player, engage closely]
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|---|---|---|
Low Power, Low Interest [Least important, minimal effort]
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Low Power, High Interest [Show consideration, keep informed]
|
The information that follows describes our frequency of engagement with our stakeholders, their needs, interests and expectations, risks and how we respond to these.
We also provide an indication of the status of improvement initiatives identified to strengthen our relationships with our stakeholders.