10 questions to improve your next charity partnership

Seeking a new partnership? With thousands of deserving causes it can be easy to hit ‘go’ without due consideration. By asking the right questions, you can build deeper, more impactful relationships and increase shared value, writes Sarah Sheasby .

1.????? What can we provide in the way of skills, money, knowledge, relationships and opportunities?

The best partnerships are often based on building a great brief, drawing from stakeholder conversations. Look internally first at what your business cares about and what it can reasonably contribute. What are your organisation’s natural strengths – IT, Construction, Education, Healthcare, Retail, other? What influential networks do you have? And what time can you spare? This research will help you open a rich dialogue with your prospective partners, thinking beyond fundraising. ?

2.????? What is the common thread between our organisations and our strategic aims?

Your initial research should also identify the kind of alignment you want between your stakeholder groups, values and organisational goals. For example, a business with a growing demographic of older clients may look to support sympathetic age-related causes. An industry disproportionately affected by mental health issues might identify a mental heath charity. And if you work with young people, or serve a highly family-orientated demographic, you might look to partner with an associated youth charity.

3.????? Do our geographical locations map?

If you have offices across the UK, it makes sense to support a charity with national reach. Consider your main office hubs and whether the charity in question has a regional presence there. From a practical viewpoint, this could impact the ability of your employees to attend fundraisers. Future-proof your partnership by taking account of growth aspirations, too.

If your operations are limited to a particular region or community, why not support a smaller charity on your doorstep? They will often receive less funding and be overlooked versus larger nationals. But with deep community roots, these are the charities most likely to be responding to social issues that affect your customers and staff.

4.????? What expertise does this charity have that could improve our proposition for customers?

Hopefully you’ve already identified alignment with your stakeholders. So, now’s the time to dig deeper. If it’s a charity for older people, what training do they offer that could be extended to your employees to better serve older customers? You might draw on the relationship to consider improving access to services or support for isolated customers. You could look at Dementia Friends training for staff, or befriending services to increase connection and independence.

If it’s a young person’s charity, could this help improve your understanding of your customer demographic? Perhaps you could signpost issues of particular importance to younger people alongside the lines of support. ?

5.????? What expertise does this charity have that could improve our proposition for employees?

Similarly, consider the needs of your staff. Depending on your chosen partner, you might open a whole array of support, from mental health and counselling, to more accessible workspaces or a greater understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Consider too, the benefits of relevant team-building activities or time in green spaces. It is well documented that employee volunteering can bring new-found purpose to an organisation, boosting engagement, wellbeing and retention rates. The key is to build meaningful partnerships that last the distance and where involvement is genuinely encouraged for all.

6.????? Could we use this partnership to help bring skills and talent into the industry?

The UK has a widespread skills shortage, more prominent in some industries than others. All organisations can benefit by looking at how they can ‘cast the net wider’ to attract a greater diversity of people. Diverse perspectives help you to better understand and serve a diverse customer base and workforce.

Some of the larger charities offering employment routes include Maximus (formerly Remploy), Forces Recruitment Solutions, Crisis, Porchlight, Scope and a whole host of others. Many smaller charitable organisations may be interested in what you can offer in the way of work experience, jobs and apprenticeships, too.

7.????? Is there scope to collaborate on a product or service for our shared communities?

This is such a broad question that it may be helpful to look at some examples of where organisations have done this well:

• Santander UK’s partnership with Alzheimer’s Society sought to create collaborative social change, improving banking services for people affected by dementia.
• LUSH released a limited edition, orangutan-shaped soap, called ‘when they’re gone, they’re gone. All proceeds supported the purchase and rewilding of 890 acres of land for the Sumatran Orangutan Society.
• M&S has raised ￡13m for Breast Cancer Now through a long-standing relationship. Through sales of post-surgery lingerie and swimwear, they support customers who’ve gone through a mastectomy.

The most impactful partnerships draw on core business operations and activities, as this brief list demonstrates. Most last longer than a year or two.?

8.????? Is the dynamic right?

The fit can be perfect on paper, but feel less than ideal in person. Do you have a formal culture where polished presentations are ‘the norm’, or prefer a collaborative, informal chat for sharing ideas? Will you expect a certain number of interactions and a particular level of service, or will your organisation take a more fluid approach? You’ll be meeting with your partners a fair bit, so it pays to check the dynamic is good from the start.

9.????? How will we measure the impact of our collaboration?

Capturing your shared activity – funds raised, training sessions delivered, volunteering hours donated – is fine. However, at SVB we suggest looking more deeply at the change you’ve effected through your partnership. This is where true value is generated. Ask questions such as:

• How have people’s lives, happiness, health or confidence improved because of our partnership?
• Has our partnership influenced engagement, loyalty, attraction or retention of talent, and if so, how?
• What new jobs, skills or experiences have people gained, and what are the social benefits of this?
• What new networks and relationships do we have now, and how are these strengthening our respective organisations?

Discuss with your partners what metrics will be meaningful, how you will capture this activity and how often.

10. What rhythm of activity will work best for involving and engaging our people?

Finally, consider your first 1-2 years. What will this look like in practice? How many fundraisers will your people participate in and when will these take place? Plan in time for strategic discussions and development work to maximise your partnership. Consider events and holidays of seasonal or cultural significance.

Your Communications and Marketing team ought to be fully engaged from the start of partnership discussions to help connect the message and cause with your various audiences. In addition to your staff and customers, they should consider the relevance to your suppliers, investors and people of influence.

A final tip…

Remember that for charities especially, time is money. Be fair in terms of the resource and engagement you expect from them, particularly in the early stages of selecting a partner. And avoid asking them to jump through unnecessary hoops.?The emphasis is on shared value.

Social Value Business exists to help you understand, grow and measure your social value. For expertise on developing charitable partnerships, drop us a line: [email protected]