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4 inspiring examples of growing partnerships

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October 16, 2025

‘Plan, Deliver and Grow’, it sounds like the title to a good book, but in fact it isn’t. These are the fundamental building blocks which enable you to grow the value from your current partners.

This blog will not only focus you on how to grow your current partnerships, it will also fill you with inspiration from four examples of partnerships that started smaller and now are the high profile (and high impact) partnerships that we all know and love.

The first step is identify your shared purpose. This is the inspirational statement that defines why you are in partnership, and will anchor your partnership even during difficult times. Then, during the partnership ensure you are showing your partner the impact they are making together. Also develop senior level relationships, and ensure you build multiple relationships in the company, so you're not over dependent on one or two important people who could leave.

Once you are delivering an excellent partnership experience, the most important thing to do once is pitch new opportunities. Don’t save all of your exciting ideas for new business prospects! Keep engaging your partners with new growth opportunities. A really useful model for growing partnerships is called "Add a pillar" and it is used by Save the Children. It showed the different a company can partner with a charity. So the idea is you keep adding pillars to your partnership to make it stronger and more impactful.

Some of the most successful corporate-charity partnerships started small and grew over time. We hope these examples give you the inspiration and insight to look at your partnerships portfolio in a different light and take action today to identify and pitch growth opportunities, so together you can deliver more impact in a sustainable way.

1 – Macmillan and M&S

Macmillan were looking for a headline partner for the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. M&S had been involved for some time, but the partnership was only in M&S cafés and didn’t really live up to the ‘World’s Biggest’ billing.

Macmillan decided to take a proposal to M&S to move the partnership into the Food Hall and expand into cause-related marketing promotions on relevant food products. It was a bold move, and they knew that not only would they have to come up with a compelling proposal, but they would have to be tough negotiators because they would be dealing with people who negotiated deals for a living!

The Macmillan team prepared ahead of time, ensuring they were agreed on what was important for the charity, and what was simply a ‘nice to have’. They also agreed at what point they would walk away – and they were prepared to do that. They worked as a team to negotiate with the team from M&S. It was quite stressful at times, but being prepared really helped. They managed to agree a deal that meant the partnership grew hugely over the next three years, to one that now raises millions each year.

2 – Innocent and Age UK

In 2005 Age UK had a partnership with Innocent. It involved little woolly hats being placed on Innocent smoothies that were then sold in Eat and Waitrose stores.

It is a very special cause-related marketing promotion. The hats are knitted by older people in local Age Concerns and the funds raised go straight back to those centres.

However, in the partnership raised £20,000, which was quite a modest return for considerable effort. Age UK believed there was significant potential to grow the partnership.

So they investigated the possibility of knitting more hats by involving more local centres. They estimated they could increase the scale five-fold in two years.

So in 2006 Age UK went to Innocent with an ambitious proposal to substantially grow the partnership. It involved a significant step-up in sales, marketing and project management.

Innocent were very excited by the proposal and shared their ambition for growth. So they took the promotion to Sainsbury’s who were pleased to put it in store.

The growth in success over the next two years was phenomenal. The number of hats grew from 80,000 in 2005 to 400,000 in 2007 and the contribution to Age UK grew from £20,000 to £200,000. Also the partnership won the Business in the Community Award for Cause Related Marketing in 2007.

The partnership between Age UK and Innocent continues today and has now raised over £2 million to keep older people warm in winter.

3 – Millennium Consulting and Raising Futures

The founder of Millennium Consulting, Phil Keates, was born in Kenya. Having seen the work of Raising Futures Kenya first hand, he decided to support the charity through his business. In the first few years, the relationship was purely philanthropic – the company donated each year because it was a nice thing to do.

When the Raising Futures Kenya team evaluated the relationship more seriously in 2019, they identified the shared purpose between the two organisations. Millennium Consulting provide financial software for companies. Raising Futures Kenya provide vocational training for Kenyan youth. Though what they do is very different, why they do it is identical – they both give people what they need to grow.

This was exactly what Millennium Consulting needed to commit to a more strategic partnership. Two years later, they have committed to supporting Raising Futures through mentoring of their in-country teams, client engagement through an annual golf day and they regularly make introductions to other like-minded businesses.

4 – WWF & Sodexo

WWF have worked with Sodexo globally since 2010 to address some of the key environmental issues linked to their business including carbon reduction, responsible sourcing, food waste and sustainable eating.

Fixing the food system is a core part of WWF’s strategy to stop the destruction of nature and to help it recover. It’s so important that we reconsider all the foods that we eat in order to reduce our carbon footprint. And that is exactly why WWF has teamed up with Sodexo helping them embed sustainable diets into their business models and encourage their chefs to more plant-based foods.

In 2018 the partnership was across the UK, France and the U.S. At that time the challenge with the partnership was there were great initiatives happening in each country, but how could they be connected to make a big holistic impact on the planet that would really drive change but also be best in class that could push the rest of the sector to get on board.

Then something happened. There was a change in leadership at Sodexo. A new person stepped into a global sustainability role. This was a game-changer for WWF, because this new person had a different perspective and really saw the value in what WWF were proposing based on the work in the UK.

The WWF team realised this was an opportunity to grow the partnership so used examples from other companies to inspire Sodexo. They also engaged colleagues beyond their immediate contacts in the company.

So the scope of the partnership started to change it became broader and they renewed in 2020 for three more years of partnering in 2020 really focusing on promising sustainable eating and reducing carbon emissions.

The key insight from this case study is:

The change in leadership was an opportunity
They built relationships based on trust
They engaged people at a senior level in Sodex
They recognised that changing the scope of the partnership would involve some frustrations on both sides, but got through that because they did it together.

In summary

We recommend you not only deliver a brilliant partnership experience, but you build in opportunities to grow throughout your partnership. If you want to discover more about exceptional account management and how to grow your partnerships, please join us on our Partnership Growth Crash Course on 23^rd, 25^th and 30^th November. Find out more here: https://www.remarkablepartnerships.com/event/partnership-growth-crash-course/

If there’s anything we can help with, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to get in touch by emailing us at team@remarkablepartnerships.com

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How Healthy is Your Pipeline?

When doctors and nurses need to understand how healthy a patient is, they start by checking the vital signs: blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate. These simple checks can quickly tell them whether everything is working as it should or whether something needs attention.

So, when we meet with charities, we often want to follow a similar process with their corporate partnerships. One of the questions we always ask is: how healthy is your pipeline?

The answer is often incredibly revealing, because your pipeline isn't simply a list of companies you'd like to work with; it's one of the clearest indicators of the health and future potential of your corporate partnerships programme.

So, if you were giving your pipeline a health check today, what would you find?

The three vital signs of a healthy pipeline

We believe three key factors matter: quality, momentum, and ownership.

1. Quality: Are the right prospects in your pipeline?

A big pipeline isn't necessarily a healthy pipeline. You could have 100 companies listed, but if most have little connection to your cause, limited potential, or no realistic route to engagement, what value does that number really give you?

A healthy pipeline includes quality prospects: companies with high-value potential that fit your organisation and its purpose, so you need to be selective.

Ask yourself: Are these genuinely the companies we should be investing our time and energy in?

Sometimes, improving the health of your pipeline isn't about adding more prospects; it's about being brave enough to remove the wrong ones.

2. Momentum: Are your prospects moving?

A healthy pipeline should never be static. Your prospects should be consistently moving through the different stages of your pipeline, from identified to engaged, nurtured and, ultimately, converted.

Of course, that doesn't mean every prospect will move at the same speed. Building high-value corporate partnerships takes time, but it should still build momentum. If a company has been sitting in the same stage for six months, ask why.

What's stopping it from moving forward?
What conversation needs to happen?
Who else could you involve?
What's the next action?
And if there isn't a realistic next action, should that prospect still be taking up space in your pipeline?

Successful corporate partnerships teams don't just track activity; they actively look for ways to create momentum.

3. Ownership: Who is responsible for your pipeline?

Your pipeline shouldn't live forgotten in a spreadsheet that gets opened once a month; it needs ownership.

The most successful corporate partnerships teams we’ve worked with regularly review their pipelines together, with senior management engaged in the process too.

Personally, we think 9am on a Monday is a great time to do it. Start the week by looking at where your opportunities are, what's changed, what's stuck and where the team needs support. This isn't about reporting for reporting's sake; it’s about collectively asking: What can we do this week to move things forward?

Senior management can be particularly valuable here. They may have relationships that can unlock a conversation, experience that helps overcome a challenge or influence that can bring the right people around the table. Your pipeline shouldn't belong to one person. Creating remarkable partnerships should be a team effort.

Ask better questions about your pipeline

A good pipeline meeting shouldn't simply involve reading through a list of companies and giving an update on each one. It should create action.

Instead, ask questions that challenge your thinking:

Which prospect is stuck, and what could we do to move them to the next stage?
Do we have too many prospects in our pipeline?
Do we have too few?
Are they the right prospects?
How could we get better and more efficient at moving companies from engaged to converted?
What's our communications plan for keeping prospects engaged and moving forward?

The purpose isn't simply to know what's in your pipeline; it's to make your pipeline work harder.

Pace matters too

Another characteristic we see in highly successful corporate partnerships teams is pace. Your team needs to be dynamic, agile, and able to seize opportunities.

When somebody offers a warm introduction, they act on it. When a prospect shows interest, they build on that momentum. When something isn't working, they adapt instead of sticking with the same approach. That doesn't mean rushing relationships. Strong corporate partnerships are built on trust, and trust takes time.

But there's a big difference between being patient and being passive; healthy teams keep moving.

As we move into the 4th quarter, do a health check on your pipeline.

Do we have quality prospects?
Are they moving?
Does our pipeline have genuine ownership?

And be honest with your answers. If one of those vital signs isn't looking quite right, don't ignore it; work out what needs to change.

Keep your pipeline healthy, and you'll create the conditions to build remarkable partnerships

One of the questions we always ask is: how healthy is your pipeline?

Learn More

What if the big win takes 18 months?

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High-value corporate partnerships take time to build. It could take anywhere from 6 to 18 months from identifying the right company to signing a partnership worth £250,000. If signing that agreement is the only moment you allow yourself to celebrate, you're going to spend a long time feeling as though you haven't succeeded. That's a long time to wait to feel like you're making progress. Instead, think about everything that needs to happen before the agreement is signed:

A warm introduction - that’s a win.
They responded and agreed to a meeting - that’s a win.
You had a brilliant first conversation and discovered their priorities and challenges - another win.
They agreed to a second meeting and wanted to involve more senior people - win.
You identified an opportunity where your charity could help them solve a genuine business challenge - win.
They told you they were interested - win.
You developed the proposal - win.
They gave you positive feedback - win.
They told you they wanted to partner - win.
You sent the draft partnership agreement - win.

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Every one of these moments matters, and every step in the journey is a little win.

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Progress is powerful

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Research by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer revealed that the biggest driver of motivation isn’t praise, money or recognition; it is making progress in meaningful work. Sharing and celebrating little wins reinforces your progress, because you write it down or say it out loud and your colleagues respond with encouragement.

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Celebrating little wins isn’t lowering your standards or pretending everything is going brilliantly; it’s sharing and recognising progress. High-value corporate partnerships aren’t built overnight. They are the result of hundreds of little wins that most people overlook.

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So, why don’t we shout about them?

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Sometimes, celebrating a little win can feel uncomfortable. We find ourselves questioning:

Is it really big enough to share?
Will people think I'm showing off?
What if the partnership doesn't happen?

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We can be so worried about appearing big-headed that we keep our progress to ourselves, but celebrating progress isn't boasting, and it isn't pretending that you've achieved something you haven't. It's simply recognising that something positive has happened and that you're one step closer to where you want to be.

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In fact, sometimes celebrating a win should attract attention.

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If somebody in your team has spent months developing a relationship and finally secures a meeting with a decision-maker, why wouldn't you celebrate that?
If a corporate prospect tells you that your proposition has completely changed the way they think about working with your charity, that's worth sharing.

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Communities should celebrate progress. Teams should encourage one another. Leaders should recognise the work happening long before the final result arrives.

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When we share those moments, something else happens: other people get behind us, and little wins create collective momentum.

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Big wins are built from little ones

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When we see an incredible corporate partnership announced, we see the result, but we don't see the introduction that happened 18 months earlier:

The first coffee.
The unanswered email.
The follow-up.
The conversation that uncovered a shared challenge.

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Those are the building blocks. So don't wait for the partnership agreement to be signed before you recognise how far you've come.

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Write the little wins down, and share them in your team meetings. Put them in your internal updates and tell your colleagues when something has moved forward. Celebrate other people's progress as enthusiastically as you'd want them to celebrate yours, because remarkable partnerships aren't built overnight. They're built through conversations, relationships, persistence, learning and hundreds of moments of progress that are very easy to overlook.

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Celebrate your little wins. They're the building blocks of remarkable partnerships.

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Behind every strategic corporate partnership are dozens, sometimes hundreds, of little wins that made it possible and yet we don't celebrate those nearly enough. The question is, why?