Getting started on your corporate partnership journey can seem daunting. It is important to step back and evaluate your goals, approach and realistic timelines so your entire team are on the same page. Here are 6 tips to kickstart your corporate partnership:

1. Be clear on your corporate partnership goal

If you are planning on building corporate partnerships for your charity, the first question to ask is “Why – what is your main goal for the partnership?”

The goal of a true partnership should be to help your charity achieve its purpose or mission. A corporate charity partnership should be mutually beneficial, based on a shared purpose, that could bring about real change and impact. The aim should not be about raising money. When you make your shared purpose your overarching goal, then the additional funding will follow.

2. Have a targeted and focused approach 

It’s important to choose business partners who are the right fit for your organisation. Corporates often look to choose charity partners who can help them achieve their strategic goals. As well as identifying a shared purpose, consider which brands might be interested in the audiences you serve.  Consider which corporates have challenges that you could help solve, such as strengthening their reputation, or engaging with their workforce. You should compile a targeted list of corporate partnerships (around 10 per fundraiser) to give you a good idea of where you should be focusing your attention. This will ensure that you can create a partnership that’s true to your cause and will stand the test of time. 

3. Secure a face-to-face meeting

If you want to build corporate partnerships, then it is essential that you meet with your prospects face-to-face, or online. Securing meetings is one of the most important steps, but also one of the most difficult. Find out if your trustees, colleagues, or friends and family have a warm contact in the company, as this will make it much easier to secure a meeting. If you don’t have a contact, then find the name of the person you want to meet and email them directly. Keep your email short and create interest by stating your shared purpose. 

4. Establish an equal relationship

Establishing an equal relationship on both sides is crucial when forming charity corporate partnerships. There is often a risk of imbalance, as the charity may feel like the company has the upper hand if they are providing funding, or expertise. 

Successful partnerships will recognise the different strengths that each party can bring to the table and how you can best compliment each other. By identifying how you will build a meaningful relationship from the outset, you’ll avoid any tension further down the line and both sides will reap the benefits. 

5. Be clear and realistic with each other

Be clear and realistic with each other about what you can and cannot commit to from the beginning, as this will help reduce the chances of an awkward conversation and any strain on your charity’s resources. Ensure you have regular communication to facilitate openness, so make sure you set up regular meetings to reinforce your alliance. 

It is also vital to make it as easy as possible for them to work with you. This involves reaching out to them with a project in mind to start with and being clear about what they’re going to get out of it – whether it’s brand awareness, goodwill, or staff satisfaction. You can also provide ideas of how to raise money and supply helpful resources to promote what activity they’re doing in partnership with you. 

6. Be willing to listen and adapt

It’s important to understand the partner that you’re working with. Your team can get together to brainstorm and come up with events that you think will work, but if you’re not willing to adapt the idea to the people that you’re partnering with, you’re creating a huge block. Of course, you will have ideas of what you want to do, but must accept their input, as they know their audience best. Don’t forget to listen openly to your partners. 

Corporate partnerships are a great way of securing regular giving, but take care to provide regular updates of how the partnership is impacting your beneficiaries and helping you further your mission. The magic truly happens when a charity and corporate partnership go beyond a transactional donor recipient relationship to boost each other’s popularity and brand awareness.

Interested in learning more?

If you’re interested in finding out how we can help you to build successful corporate partnerships for your charity, then register for our Masterclass here. If you have any further questions, please get in touch with our Head of Partnerships Advisory Practice, Denise Cranston.

When commencing the planning process for a strategic corporate partnership, it is crucial to create a partnership culture within your organisation. Including other team members in the process will help work towards your partnership vision, empower new ideas and encourage shared resources. Furthermore, placing the right people in your partnerships team will create a broader reach, ultimately attracting more donors and funding to your cause.

1. Create an internal partnerships culture 

When recruiting and building your internal partnerships team, remember that those with a shared vision will work best together. Therefore, it’s vital that you connect your colleagues to the end product of what you are aiming to achieve — make sure they see your vision. Commonalities bring teams together, so try to find those who are passionate about what you are proposing.

Ensure you delegate roles and responsibilities to each team member, so they understand their input. This presents an opportunity to play to people’s strengths. For example, if an individual has marketing experience, you could provide the opportunity to create a cause-related marketing plan. Delegating individual tasks will create a feeling of ownership, which will maintain enthusiasm and determination. Ensure you provide clear expectations when delegating and introducing new tasks.

2. Allocate brainstorming time

Set up regular meetings with your partnerships team to understand their priorities and agree ways of working together. Provide opportunities for their input, as this will help spark new ideas. People find passion in what they create, so ensure you create a space that allows creativity to flow between all individuals.

It is good practice to receive input from colleagues before making decisions, as part of a habitual process in the workplace. When problems arise, avoid enforcing a plan for your team. Instead, ask for their potential solutions to ensure they remain a crucial part of the process. By empowering your team members, it instils their confidence to think critically and make their own decisions.

3. Invest in your team

Investing in your team means investing in your mission. The mission follows the team; if the team is working well, then the mission will be fulfilled. Help connect your team with the overall mission and what their work will achieve. Just as you will want to frame the impact to donors about what their funding and support will achieve, making the connection for the partnerships team will help them stay motivated throughout the process. They are the ones making this possible.

4. Provide support and encouragement

Employees appreciate support, encouragement, explanation and guidance. Therefore, it is important to continually provide guidance at each step of your partnership process. Strive to understand each individual’s strengths and weaknesses on your team. Foster their failures and celebrate their successes — in a team, they are everyone’s failures and successes. Take the time to truly get to know your team, get a sense of what they enjoy, what they’re good at and what motivates them.

Furthermore, it is important to encourage each member of your team to set tangible goals with timelines. There is a significant difference between “do outreach” and “reach out to 15 people this week to ask them to support the initiative”. By creating concrete action items, team members will be accountable for their contributions. A great way to set goals is to make sure they are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

5. Evaluate

Constructive criticism can be a positive learning opportunity for any high performing team. Evaluation provides an opportunity to identify where we can improve and reflect on what we are doing well. Providing feedback in an empathetic manner that considers employees’ needs is extremely important.

Furthermore, evaluation is a balancing act. Try to set high expectations that stretch people outside of their comfort zone, but not so high that they are discouraged and defeated.

Conclusion

Hopefully by following these 5 suggestions, your organisation will be on the way to creating a high performing partnerships team. It is important to recognise that everyone has different capabilities, attitudes, and personal goals. Therefore, expectations should be set on an individual basis. Remember that collaboration and shared visions are necessary, so remember to highlight your organisation’s vision, facilitate team bonding opportunities and ask for feedback on how to improve the team.

Contact Us

If your organisation is considering a strategic partnership, contact Denise Cranston, Head of Partnerships Advisory Practice, 2into3. More information here.