Raising the bar for public-private partnership in 2024 and beyond
Originally published in Candid
By: Karen Baker
We live in times when social and environmental issues are priorities for nonprofit organizations and the public and private sectors. Corporate partnerships could help nonprofits realize greater social impact, yet according to Nonprofits Source 2023 statistics, “80% of nonprofits said they have difficulty building strong corporate partnerships and workplace giving strategies with limited staff and resources.” So, how can we improve corporate-nonprofit partnerships to drive change?
A successful partnership between corporations and nonprofits should involve more than minimal sponsorship. Too often, corporate partners sign up to give advice and approve content but never put up the dollars to campaign successfully for the change they claim to be seeking. Expecting a nonprofit to front the marketing and communications costs at the level and reach needed to make a real impact is unrealistic.
Joint issue promotion partners are where nonprofits and corporations team up to address a social issue through marketing and promotions—also known as co-marketing. Effective marketing solutions and tactics, such as joint issue promotions, can enable a nonprofit to reach its core audience and attract new corporate partners. In addition, corporate partners’ internal marketing must engage in the initiative and campaign to amplify the issue.
Here are a few considerations for nonprofits looking to improve corporate partnerships and marketing collaborations to drive social good, impact, and revenue in 2024.
Suitability
It is critical that the purpose of the partnership, the problem to be addressed, the desired outcome, and the process to achieve it are clearly defined and that all partners are fully aligned on each component. “Focusing on suitability ensures that the time, energy, and resources invested in developing and scaling partnerships are well matched with the strengths of this form of collaboration and where the partners’ interests are aligned.” (McKinsey Sustainability Report 2023)
Social listening for change
As we live in an “attention economy,” engaging your members and stakeholders on social media can help drive better performative data. AI tools can provide real-time data on how your campaign is being received among the communities served and the public and, in turn, deliver measurable results as well as offer vital data to potential funders. At Boathouse, we look at this AI research as an opportunity to define, transform, and leverage your social impact narrative better. Through ethical data, you can address shifts in the social media sphere sooner rather than later, which will help drive your mission. Ultimately, your organization’s social listening and monitoring can propel a powerful movement for social change.
Leverage and transform
Typically, there is no monetary exchange between the corporation and the nonprofit in joint issue promotions; this should change. Corporations should shift this by funding nonprofits that partner with socially responsible and advocacy-based businesses, alongside a joint issue promotion and co-marketing. The benefit is that it garners media attention, reduces the nonprofit’s marketing costs, and increases both partners’ recognition within the issue area. These partnerships can contain more than one corporate partner, as the key is to use marketing to drive solutions and profit toward the organization’s defined mission.
A current social impact initiative that exemplifies this best practice is REI Outside in 5. REI partnered with Friends of Anacostia Park, providing financial support and executing paid advertising (traditional and digital), a public relations campaign, and a website campaign. The mission is to address the lack of recreational access for this historic African American community in Washington, D.C., combined with philanthropic engagement and addressing a policy change.
Media collaboration for amplification
LinkedIn Ad Grants and Google for Nonprofits offer nonprofits co-design marketing opportunities that can amplify the social issue narrative, engage new members and followers, and attract more donors. Leveraging opportunities with such large platforms can lead to an active and engaged online presence. Nonprofits should also seek corporate partners that are about the change they want to see and feel, that is, have thought leaders who serve as active and responsive voices in the market and community. And you should ensure that the corporate partner has a “parallel brand voice,” a voice that speaks to their audience as you do to yours.
We all know that cash rules, but nonprofits need socially responsible companies committed to creating impact to stay with the issues by not focusing on trends. Similarly to Target’s $100 million investment through 2025 to “partner and support students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), expand our funding of Black-led nonprofits, or sponsor programs that elevate Black stories and voices,” nonprofits and corporations must leverage their synergy. Corporate partners with clear, impactful, sustainable goals should be reachable and able to listen to the problems of nonprofits, large and small, that are doing the work. Nonprofits can and should demand higher corporate standards in their partnerships for social good.
Karen Baker is president of Boathouse Group Inc. DC office, a marketing and communications agency, where she leads the social impact practice.
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