How to establish a corporate partnership

You’ve probably heard of high-profile corporate-charity partnerships, like Sainbury’s and Comic Relief and Gillette and Movember.

 

There are lots of benefits to working with companies, like these charities have done. It can help you to raise vital funds, recruit new volunteers, secure expertise that you don’t have in your charity, and raise awareness of your cause.

 

Research from business consultancy C&E Advisory showed that four out of five companies were expecting to increase the amount of resources they put into charity partnerships. And with around 5.5 million companies in the UK, it’s worth exploring.

 

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising says you need to do a lot of preparation and work to get a corporate partnership up and running. “Putting the right things in place at the set-up of the relationship will ensure a smooth partnership that will bring benefits for your charity and a successful outcome for a corporate partner.”

 

Here are the steps to take to get a partnership off the ground.

 

 

Put a policy in place

 

It’s important to have a policy that sets out how you will work with the corporate sector. Be clear at what point those responsible for decision making should decide whether or not a partnership should go ahead.

 

 

Research potential companies

 

Think about which companies you know and any connections you have across your charity. For example, do any of your volunteers, staff, or trustees have links to relevant companies? You should also think about which companies you would like to work with and put together a list to approach.

 

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising recommends that you carry out research and due diligence and ask questions, such as: “Is the company financially sound?” and “What is the public’s perception of the company and its brand?”

 

Also, be clear on why you want to partner with a company. You should think about your charity’s goal and how a corporate partner could help you to achieve this.

 

 

Make sure you share the same values

 

When developing corporate partnerships, it’s important to approach businesses that have the same values as your charity. This will help the company to identify with your mission and vision and help you to explain the purpose of the partnership to your staff and supporters.

 

Goodbox says before you approach businesses or consider a proposal from a company, you should develop a criteria for your ideal corporate partner. “This will help you to find a business that aligns with your charity, resonates with your donors and makes sense from an investment perspective.”

 

 

Explain what you can do for businesses

 

Charity corporate partnerships bring benefits to both sides. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) says you will have a greater chance of securing a corporate partnership by explaining what you can do for the company.

 

A partnership needs to be mutually beneficial. CAF says: “Some companies make donations because they feel that is what a good company does. Many more will be interested to explore how donations can, in part, help them to improve their reputation, brand image and values among their staff and customers.

 

“Companies could well be interested in finding partnerships that can offer opportunities for volunteering, skill sharing, and other forms of support.”

 

The SOFII Foundations says identify areas of work that companies will find interesting. Then when you approach a potential partner, you need to present it in an “inspiring”, “attractive” and “relevant” way. 

 

 

Put together a communications plan

 

Write a communications plan which sets out how you will introduce and talk about the partnership internally, within both organisations, and externally. Agree key messages, including the aims of the partnership and what you’re aiming to achieve together.

 

 

Build relationships

 

It’s important to manage your relationships with corporates. Make sure you thank them and share positive stories that show the impact their support has had on your work. You should also consider inviting them to events and to see your work in action.

 

Goodbox recommends setting up a project team with leaders and decision-makers from the company and your charity, to make sure ideas are implemented and the partnership continues to evolve.

 

 

Provide volunteering opportunities

 

A report from think tank and consultancy NPC about building impactful corporate-charity partnerships says that volunteering allows staff at both the corporate and the charity to get involved with the partnership. To get this right, NPC says charities need to identify and provide volunteering opportunities that are rewarding and use people’s skills – but are also useful for the charity.

 

 

Measure impact

 

Once the corporate-charity partnership is in place, you should look at how the work is making a difference.

 

NPC says as well as measuring the impact the work is having on the charity’s beneficiaries, it’s important to understand the value of the partnership to the corporate. For example, looking at whether their staff members are feeling more satisfied about the work they’re doing since the partnership started.

 

By measuring the impact of the partnership on the corporate, this could help a charity to attract new corporate partners.