Last week’s Corporate Partnerships Everywhere conference was an incredible injection of inspiration and advice from expert speakers. From strategy to innovation, there was no shortage of valuable takeaways. Here are six game-changing insights that stood out for us.

Building corporate partnerships is like making wine
Matt Turner from Creative Pod said that building corporate partnerships is like making wine. Just like running your own vineyard, you won’t get a great return in the first two years, but after that it will deliver you incredible value every year. This means you need the right people in your charity who understand the business community and are passionate about building long-term relationships.

Find creative solutions
Filipe Gaspar from the LEGO Group and Amandeep Hoonjan from Institute of Imagination spoke about how their organisations have partnered together over the last eight years. One of the key ingredients that makes their partnership so strong is they work together to find solutions. Challenges are inevitable in every relationship, so what matters is the attitude you bring to overcome them. When you come together with positivity and creativity then you can find a way to overcome even the greatest hurdles.

Consistency is key
Joe Waters from Selfish Giving shared a powerful session about creating engaging, effective newsletter content using the 60/40 rule. 60% of content should provide value for the reader, and 40% should be dedicated to promoting your cause. Once you get the content right, you need to be consistent. Regularly sending your corporate newsletter is the key to building lasting relationships with prospects and partners, ultimately driving greater support for your charity.

Collective energy 

Javed Thomas from The Collaboratory said a corporate movement is when a collective of companies support one cause, because a systematic change needs to happen. By joining together, multiple companies can work towards solving a problem – like mental health, black lives matter or a more equal City of London. It is this collective energy, focused on one issue, that makes change possible. 

Fundraising is sales

Deri Llewellyn-Davies, author of Strategy on a Page, explained that fundraising is very similar to sales, but many fundraisers lack formal sales training. Without a strong sales mindset, charities may struggle to manage their prospect pipeline, and conver prospects into partners. To succeed, charities should embed a structured, sales-driven culture at every level to effectively manage and grow their fundraising.

Emotional engagement is key

Andy King of Fireside Fundraising said that when reaching out to a busy prospect, start with empathy. Remember, no response doesn’t always mean disinterest, it’s often just the result of their busy day. By understanding this, you can stay motivated and persistent. To truly stand out, find unique ways to articulate the emotion of your cause as soon as you can. Emotions drive action faster than logic, so focus on creating a genuine connection with your prospects through your stories. 

Conclusion

As fundraisers it is essential that we find ways to top up our enthusiasm and re-energise ourselves. A great way to do this is to attend conferences, listen to podcasts and read blogs and books.

If you want build bigger and better corporate partnerships connect with us on LinkedIn: Remarkable Partnerships, Jonathan Andrews, Georgina Oxlade and Peter Chiswick

Find out more about our corporate partnerships accelerator Remarkable10