Businesses regularly give back to communities and individuals through charities. However, many of these profit-to-nonprofit relationships don’t last long. Over time, they break down for a variety of reasons, from a lack of communication to a misalignment of priorities.
Businesses can make a big difference by giving back to both individuals and communities.
Molly MacDonald is the founder of Pink Fund, a breast cancer nonprofit that helps cover living expenses for people managing a tight budget while in active treatment. The organization has a solid track record of collaborative success. MacDonald recently shared some thoughts and insights on how her charity has successfully forged professional, organizational relationships over time.
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Align value with needs
It is important for companies to understand the value of partnering with nonprofits and the manifestations that value can take. Companies know that by giving back they are trying to achieve two things: being good members of the community by improving the lives of those less fortunate and improving the profile of their own brand.
Of course, this can be done by donating generic lump sums to name brand nonprofits. But MacDonald suggests companies should look for ways to tailor their own offerings to the needs of specific charities. “Companies may be able to reach those who need the specific services or support the charitable offerings through their marketing. For example, our partnership with Snap-on Tools takes us to the drag races, where people who need our help get to know us there through the brand race car, announcements and interviews with the driver, Cruz Pedregon and CEO of Pink Fund.”
MacDonald adds that these partnerships can be a win/win proposition. However, for that to happen, organizations need to design them well, with clarity and accountability.
Set clear expectations
It’s also important to think about what you want from a non-profit partnership as a brand. It’s just as important for nonprofits to evaluate what a potential company would want from a partnership.
“Some want nothing,” explains MacDonald, “Others want social posts, blogs, branding and activation opportunities to showcase their product. It’s important to identify what the business partners want and make sure you can deliver before agreeing with some form of collaboration.”
The founder of Pink Fund adds that this goes beyond the beginning of any relationship: “We are always looking for ways to strengthen collaboration and mention and thank our partners on our social platforms, as well as activations around events. “
When both companies and nonprofits enter into any partnership with clear expectations — even if those expectations are that you don’t want anything — it paves the way for a long-lasting relationship that satisfies both parties. businesskinda.com contributor Patrick Hull reiterates the importance of setting expectations in business. The serial entrepreneur explains that “people, including business partners, cannot read my mind. I believe that business partners should consistently share their expectations with each other.” The same goes for non-profit organizations as well.
Going to employees for input
Charity should not take place exclusively at the C-suite level. It is also important to look further down the org chart.
You can always support an organization, such as helping a breast cancer charity by donating for research. But one of the best ways to build a meaningful partnership between nonprofits and for-profit brands is to go to your employees.
“Corporate match programs are great,” explains MacDonald, “They honor the philanthropic spirit of the employees and double the donation. We have some great breast cancer-centered partnerships, but employees can contribute to a breast cancer charity of their choice, but the for-profit makes a larger matching donation.
Alignment with the mission
While expectations and identifying value-added partnerships are important, MacDonald identifies one item as the most important to prioritize when building partnerships between businesses and nonprofits. “Do they like the mission? Does it fit their business model?”
As an example, MacDonald points to Pink Fund’s 12-year partnership with Ford Motor Company through their breast cancer awareness initiative, Warriors in Pink. Ford recognized that transportation is a major barrier to adherence. Thanks to the partnership, donations from Ford will be used exclusively to provide transportation assistance by making car payments to patients’ creditors.
A new collaboration for Pink Fund in 2022 was a box office roundup conducted by Fleet Farm’s 48 stores in five states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “The collaboration in October far exceeded our expectations as Fleet Farm made significant investments in training their cashiers and marketing and advertising for Pink Fund. They helped spread the word of our program to people in the countryside who may not have known us before. When a company shares a mission, they have the opportunity to educate and inform the public about possible resources. They become our marketer at no cost to us.”
Mission-level buy-in is a key driver of healthy and long-lasting partnerships between businesses and nonprofits. Whether it’s aligning mission statements, setting expectations, or identifying the best way a company can support a nonprofit’s goals, there are multiple ways to ensure a partnership can go a long way . Most importantly, leaders on both sides recognize the need to invest in these upfront efforts in the first place.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.