Journal of Communication ISSN 0021-9916 ORIGINAL ARTICLE The Symbiotic Sustainability Model: Conceptualizing NGO–Corporate Alliance Communication Michelle Shumate 1 & Amy O’Connor 2 1 Department of Communication, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820-5711, USA 2 Department of Communication, North Dakota State University, 321H Minard Hall, Fargo, ND 58105, USA We introduce the Symbiotic Sustainability Model (SSM) as a macrolevel explanation of non- governmental organization (NGO) – corporate alliances. The SSM presents NGO – corporate alliances as distinct interorganizational communication relationships, symbolized to stake- holders to influence the mobilization of capital. We contend that alliance partners communicatively co-construct the alliance with stakeholders in order to mobilize eco- nomic, social, cultural, and political capital. By focusing on the communication of alliances’ existence and character, new propositions emerge concerning the role of communication, capital mobilization resulting from NGO–corporate alliances, NGOs and corporations’ choice(s) of alliance partner(s), the number of partners with whom organizations are likely to communicate, and potential risks and rewards. The model is illustrated using the Rainforest Alliance and Chiquita Better Banana program as an abbreviated case study. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2010.01498.x Although the exact number is not known, anecdotal evidence suggests that the num- ber of multinational corporations and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) 1 establishing relationships has increased in the last 15 years (Austin, 2000; Bendell, 2000; Elkington, 1998). These cross-sector alliances represent the collabo- ration of two types of organizations with different levels of public trust on issues of the environment, human rights, and health (Wootliff & Deri, 2001). NGOs have greater public trust than governments, the media, or corporations on these issues. In contrast, corporations have less public trust on various social and cultural issues than governments or NGOs. The increase in NGO – corporate alliances has emerged as the corporation has become the dominant social institution (Deetz, 1992) and NGOs are increasingly called upon to provide a ‘‘social safety net’’ (Andreasen, 1996, p. 48). Further, advances in communication technology have placed many multinational The authors are equal contributors to this article. Corresponding author: Michelle Shumate; e-mail: shumate@illinois.edu Journal of Communication 60 (2010) 577–609  2010 International Communication Association 577