Longer-term approach for strong corporate partnerships
Melanie May | 30 December 2015 | News
Charities need to take a longer-term approach to corporate partnerships to reap the best rewards rather than focusing on short-term financial value, according to a report by Forster Communications.
Forster’s 2015 Business to Society Research consulted 28 charities with annual incomes ranging from £1m to over £200m and shows that while funds from corporates are vital, too much emphasis is put on the bottom line, rather than on finding ways to unlock deeper and sustained social change through aligned purpose, products and staff engagement.
70% of those surveyed said the first aspect of a partnership they look at is the money on offer, while over 90% of charities would accept a partnership if it was purely a donation with no additional depth of relationship.
However, charities are also selective about who they partner with, with every charity saying that they consider the brand values of a partner and over two thirds stating that they had rejected a partnership due to fears of negative brand association. 82% would turn down a potential partner if it had an association with an issue the charity campaigns against, while 71% would not partner with a brand that the public did not trust,
A failure by corporates to place enough emphasis on their charity partnerships also causes issues, according to the charities surveyed. 78% identified a lack of genuine buy-in from partners’ senior teams as a limiting factor in the success of their corporate relationships, with almost half (48%) saying corporates need to do more to motivate their staff to get behind the partnership and 85% seeking greater integration with their partners.
Top 5 influencers in choosing a corporate partner:
- How much money they can raise (70%)
- Strong reach/resonance with target audience (59%)
- Genuine understanding of issues and objectives (52%)
- Long term commitment (52%)
- Whether they are responsible business driven by values (33%)
The research also shows how charity partnerships could be improved, with 84% saying that working in a more integrated way both within the charity and with the corporate partner would help. 62% felt that more effective communication of the partnership both internally and externally was key, followed by having a clear strategy for delivery (54%), and ensuring appropriate capacity to deliver (46%).
George Ames, head of the Forster’s Activation practice said:
“Charities are currently caught between an urgent need to fundraise to support existing services and the desire to build longer term, solution-orientated partnerships for change. While the potential for corporate-charity collaboration is clear, the reality is often frustrating with the majority of relationships still based on passive giving from business to charity. It requires new thinking and the ability to try and test over the long term, but the long term potential of uniting the different insights, knowledge and resources around a common cause is very exciting.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.