People pape rchain: How to successfully align charity partnerships

Successfully align charity partnerships

Committing to a charity partnership is great, but making sure it’s the right partnership is imperative. Duncan Parker, managing director of Ethical Goods offers five tips to ensure you get it right

A challenge for any business today, across all sectors of the economy, is how to define itself in a competitive marketplace. Other than price and quality, what can it do to differentiate itself from its competitors? Cause-related marketing campaigns are an ideal solution; working in partnership with a charity can be mutually beneficial by raising funds for a specific cause while still achieving the business’ marketing objectives. Businesses are looking for richer, mutually beneficial relationships to help deliver the company’s own CSR objectives.

From such a partnership businesses can experience added value, increased profits and an improved reputation as a socially responsible company. The right choice of charity partner is essential in implementing a successful partnership. It is crucial that a business creates an association with an appropriate cause in order to create the right impact and avoid any negative connections. 

Successful partnerships stem from a number of key factors:

1. Aligning of values

Finding a charity whose work and values are reflected in the company’s mission is an important first step. Finding one that complements its vision and its customers’ values will maximise the rewards for the business and the charity. The most powerful programmes are ‘leader-led’. People want to see value-based leadership from companies with a long-term commitment to addressing societal issues.

The link between the two must be easy to see, otherwise it may be viewed with scepticism. It is not a bad thing to turn down a partnership if a link doesn’t make sense as reputations could get damaged and a good cause might be perceived negatively. For example, RBS announced that it would not be sponsoring Climate Week 2012 following accusations from campaigners of ‘corporate greenwashing’ and hypocrisy due to RBS’ involvement in financing high carbon and polluting industries.

2. Building of relationships

As with any business relationship, the more the parties know about each other the better they work together. Relationships between corporations and charities are becoming more sophisticated. For example, the NSPCC has appointed a panel of law firms. Identify a trusted adviser, be it lawyers, accountants or bankers and ensure the advisers get to know your organisation and what you do so that they are well placed to assist when needed.

3. Transparency

It is critical to adopt a mind-set of genuine partnership and collaboration. This means not treating charities like suppliers, but like equal partners and being transparent about corporate goals. Most importantly, it means finding an issue of common concern that collaborative activities can be based on.

4. Creativity

It is important to keep partnerships with charities fresh and creative, making sure there is multiple engagement at various levels as it is important to bring the cause to life regularly.

For example, getting staff to engage with the charitable activities they are supporting could be as simple as a visit to a local centre where the charity operates or as elaborate as a competition to take a small staff team to work as part of an overseas charities team for a week. Some corporates have invested in simple computer games themed around the focus of its charitable work, and have included elements of the competition to get various departments or employees competing with each other in a fun but productive way. Finally, ensuring there are regular updates from the charity to its staff and customers can help drive momentum and increase support as people see the tangible difference their efforts are making to the lives of others.

5. Engagement and retention  

Rallying behind a cause sets a business apart and also inspires its staff. It gives a greater purpose to the work staff do for the company, builds team morale and can help increase the length of service. This innovative model has created a new culture of philanthropy that sits within the commercial objectives of a company, also inspiring suppliers, buyers and service providers down their supply chain.

An example of a successful partnership is one forged between AquAid, a company that supplies water coolers to office environments, and Pump Aid, a charity that supplies water to African communities.

AquAid donates the money for Pump Aid to install a large water pump in rural communities in Africa every time a business or school takes four mains fed water coolers. To date AquAid has donated almost £3 million to Pump Aid, resulting in more than 1.5 million children being supplied with clean water, as well as increasing its sales by 400 per cent in a four year period.  Such a case study proves when the right business and charity work together, people will listen and respond.

Regardless of your product or service, the creative journey and process towards a successful cause-related marketing partnership is made easier if it starts with a strong brand identity and corporate understanding of this identity and a vested (and even personal) interest by stakeholders in making a difference through profitable innovation. From these foundations the discovery of the right partner for your business will not only be enlightening, but potentially profitable too.

Related content

Access full article

Propolis logo white

B2B strategies. B2B skills.
B2B growth.

Propolis helps B2B marketers confidently build the right strategies and skills to drive growth and prove their impact.