# Getting the most from a corporate partnership – 5 charity views

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/09/22/getting-the-most-from-a-corporate-partnership-5-charity-views/
- Published: 2021-09-22T10:35:06+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**What makes a corporate partnership a success? We asked five charities for their
views.**

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2021/09/JDRF_Static_Cycle-165-1024x683.
jpg)

Fundraising for JDRF with a static cycle challenge

#### JDRF

Allan Sutherland, [JDRF](https://jdrf.org.uk/) Head of Corporate and Trust Partnerships:

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> “My tip for corporate fundraisers right now is to be patient. At the moment new
> business is fragile and often hard to find. Covid has obviously reduced the number
> and scale of opportunities available. So corporates will need to understand the
> benefits to them in brand value, awareness and/or sales income that a charity 
> partnership can offer.
>  
> “Corporate supporters may also need to test whether a charity can deliver the 
> goals it is looking to achieve from a partnership. This all takes time, effort,
> patience and the ability to listen and understand how you can work for mutual 
> benefit. Investment for corporate fundraising in time, staff, resources can take
> a year or more to bear fruit. So at the risk of repeating myself, my advice is
> to be patient.”

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2021/09/Image-1-Front-Cover-1024x683.jpg)

Tesco Health Charity Partnership Appeal, which is supporting BHF, Cancer Research
UK and Diabetes UK. Image: Andrew Parsons / i-Images

#### British Heart Foundation

Paul Davies, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the [British Heart Foundation](https://www.bhf.org.uk/):

> “Corporate partnerships play a significant role in helping the British Heart Foundation
> achieve better outcomes for people affected by heart and circulatory diseases,
> and we need to make sure we are optimising the relationship to support both parties’
> objectives. Below are four must dos to ensure charities get the most out of relationships
> with a corporate partner:
>  
> “1. Co-create the proposal/campaign and make sure it is simple to understand, 
> and easy for the organisation’s customers, colleagues, and communities to get 
> involved.
>  
> 2. Build flexibility into the partnership; if the last 20 months are anything 
> to go by, working through challenges and pivoting plans can help the partnership
> flourish – you don’t need to do everything all at once.
>  
> 3. Build stakeholder engagement at all levels; both charities and corporates see
> their relationships integral to their overall strategy, which will require a significant
> level of trust and engagement amongst senior stakeholders.
>  
> 4. Release the ‘risk shackles’… Working together through potential risk and ambiguity
> can often deliver the step-change needed to deliver transformation.”

---

![two young women from the Sparkle Foundation outside a red brick building](https://
wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2021/08/Sparkle-Press-Release-1024x683.jpeg)

Sarah Brook, Founder and CEO of Sparkle, with its in-country director, Mwayi Mpinganjira

#### The Sparkle Foundation

Sarah Brook, CEO, [The Sparkle Foundation](https://sparklemalawi.org/):

> “Most charities see corporates as an opportunity for fundraising, however at Sparkle,
> we see corporates first as a chance for pro bono support, followed by resources
> and then finally followed by fundraising.
>  
> “Working with the right partner is fundamental to ensuring a mutually beneficial
> relationship. If a corporate is only getting involved to donate and doesn’t understand
> the why, what and the how, after one year they will often move on to another charity.
>  
> “At Sparkle we want to create lasting corporate partnerships that benefit the 
> whole team and enable the corporate to grow with us. To do this, a lot of research
> must be done beforehand to make sure you are working with a corporate that aligns
> with your vision and values as a charity. We have created a corporate partnership
> programme that is mutually beneficial for both parties, increasing staff engagement
> and satisfaction with us working directly with HR, and across all areas of their
> operations to ensure everyone has the opportunity in some way to make a difference.
>  
> “We identified all our overheads, then went to different corporates for these 
> items and created a package which ticked their box as a CSR initiative and ticked
> ours as a reduction in admin costs. This way 100% of our money is able to go to
> the cause in Malawi.
>  
> “As an example, all our legal support is done pro bono by Clifford Chance, some
> of our social media and marketing by PHD, and our HR support by Cornelius. We 
> approach corporates who are already doing the area of work we need support with
> and offer them an alternative to money for their work – a social return on their
> investment, and the opportunity to change lives. We report back to them on the
> money we have saved through their pro bono support, what it’s been used for instead,
> and the difference it can make.”

---

![Hand-washing. Photo: WaterAid](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2021/06/WaterAid_-
Kwizera-Emmanuel-1024x683.jpg)

HEINEKEN Africa Foundation renewed its partnership with WaterAid this year, after
bringing clean water and good hygiene to 30 million people across Nigeria, South
Africa, Rwanda, and Mozambique. Image: WaterAid/ Kwizera Emmanuel

#### WaterAid

Celeste Mottahedin-Fardo, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager at [WaterAid](https://www.wateraid.org/uk/):

> “Getting to know your corporate partner is the cornerstone of developing fruitful
> partnerships. It is critical to take the time to fully understand your partner’s
> objectives and how the organisation works before collaborating on plans that are
> mutually beneficial. For instance, is increasing their sales or engaging their
> customer base a key objective that your charity could support?
>  
> “Create an engagement and stewardship strategy for your partner and take the time
> to get to know colleagues across the company, mapping out key stakeholders, including
> senior leaders, to ensure you are embedding your charity fully within the organisation.
> A core element of this plan should be storytelling and sharing examples of the
> impact of your work, which can be incredibly effective in engaging your partner
> with your cause.
>  
> “Come to each new partnership with ambition and no preconceptions. Although fundraising
> is often important, think creatively about how your charity can support your partner’s
> objectives and what mutual value you can both bring. Beyond fundraising, would
> they be interested in engaging in advocacy work, skills sharing or in-kind giving?
>  
> “Share case studies and tangible examples of ambitious corporate partnerships,
> harnessing both the financial and non-financial value of the relationship. This
> will not only demonstrate your expertise working with other partners but also 
> stimulate ideas and inspire new companies to embark on this journey with you.
>  
> “The most successful partnerships are those that are developed over time, with
> clear aims and objectives between partners who are embedded in each other’s strategies.
> These do not happen overnight, but with the right communication, collaboration
> and engagement, corporate-charity partnerships can create huge benefit for each
> partner for the long-term.”

---

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2021/09/Screen-Shot-2021-09-22-at-10.01.10.
png)

M&S campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

#### Breast Cancer Now

Joanna Moore, Corporate Partnerships Manager & Rachel Mederson, Head of Account 
Management at [Breast Cancer Now](https://breastcancernow.org/):

> “A key focus for Breast Cancer Now is to raise awareness of our brand to help 
> with our fundraising, our policy work, and in highlighting the support we provide
> to people living with breast cancer. We see our corporate partners as playing 
> a huge role in this by helping to raise our profile, increase our reach and champion
> our message.
>  
> “One example is the Asda Tickled Pink partnership, which has raised more than 
> £71m and is celebrating its 25^(th) anniversary this year. The partnership began
> following a campaign by colleagues to support the breast cancer cause. It continues
> to be successful by evolving with the times and recognising its potential in awareness
> raising, as well as fundraising. Together, we have a mutual objective to champion
> regular boob checking and fundraising for life-changing support and world-class
> research. With relationships at all levels of the organisation, and open lines
> of communication, Breast Cancer Now’s account management team work closely with
> our key contacts at Asda and partner charity, Coppafeel!, to identify new, fresh
> and exciting initiatives, bringing the cause to life for customers and colleagues
> alike.
>  
> “Three of our top tips:
>  
> **Make the most of their channels:** Speak with your partners to understand their
> audiences, reach and channels, and work together to identify how to use a variety
> of channels in the most impactful way to add further value to your partnership.
> For example, breast check guidance is featured across Asda stores all-year round,
> across the George bra range, as well as on till receipts and pharmacy bags. We
> are also fortunate to benefit from large-scale marketing investment into our partnership.
> During breast cancer awareness month, we feature in in-store marketing, and external
> marketing, like radio, press and social media. This has meant we’ve been able 
> to reach a wider audience and achieve our joint aim of reminding people to regularly
> check their breasts. This is possible because we created a partnership brand relevant
> to the customer experience and the brand’s tone of voice.
>  
> **Deliver more together: **M&S is the UK market leader in lingerie, and an expert
> in bra technologies and innovation. They also have a Bra Fit service, delivered
> in-store and online, providing people with 1-2-1 support in finding the perfect
> bra. By combining M&S’s expertise in developing bras and their network of stores
> and online presence, with our knowledge of the needs of people affected by breast
> cancer, we have worked together to create a range of post-surgery bras and post-
> surgery bra products that support women affected by breast cancer. The partnership
> has raised over £3.7m over the last 6 years, and helps us to deliver on our strategy
> to ensure women with breast cancer are supported to live well, and helps M&S continue
> to provide inclusive products for all their customers.
>  
> **Combine your credibility:** Understanding the needs of your beneficiaries, and
> working with partners who are experts in that field, is a great way to help ensure
> your message is really powerful. For example, we know that despite the fact a 
> large number of women experience sexual difficulties as a result of treatment,
> many are not made aware of this possible impact and are not offered the support
> needed to help them cope with this. By working with Ann Summers, a well-respected
> and relevant brand, which is passionate about female empowerment, we are able 
> to combine our credibility to raise significant awareness of an issue we both 
> care about, in a focused and impactful way.”