How To Plan Corporate Partnerships Your Nonprofit Can Sustain

Before approaching a corporate sponsor, decide what your nonprofit can realistically deliver. A partnership needs activities your team can manage, evidence of community benefit and reasons for the company to remain involved.

Start by matching the opportunity to your capacity. Employee participation might involve mentoring, collecting supplies or assembling kits at the company’s office. Choose a format that supports your work without overwhelming staff.

Next, explain why the company is a suitable partner. Connections to its employees, customers or local communities can help establish a credible relationship. Be specific about how supporting your mission also serves the company’s objectives.

Agree on what success will look like. Report more than dollars raised or people reached: show what the support helped accomplish. Smaller nonprofits can combine a focused set of results with an individual story that illustrates the difference.

Plan for continued engagement from the beginning. Deliver promised updates, share progress and revisit activities as the relationship develops. A successful first campaign creates an opportunity to discuss what comes next.

Corporate partnership planning should connect three decisions: what your organization needs, what the company values and what both sides can sustain over time.

Source: Candid