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5 highlights from International Fundraising Congress 2023

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October 16, 2025

Written by Georgina Oxlade, Associate Director of Operations, Remarkable Partnerships.

International Fundraising Congress (IFC) 2023 was inspirational. The theme for 2023 was Unite. We truly felt this theme throughout the conference – from the topics covered to the opportunity to network.

Remarkable Partnerships had the pleasure of delivering two workshops during the conference, as well as attending sessions delivered by others. So we are sharing our five highlights from IFC 2023.

Momentum = mass x velocity

Erica Chenoweth, Academic Dean at Harvard Kennedy School gave a fascinating keynote speech. They and their team have been researching the factors which enable movements or campaigns to succeed.

The findings had one penny drop moment for us. Erica described how we can use an insight from physics to help us deliver successful campaigns. Physics tells us that momentum = mass x velocity. Their research shows that the success of social movements increases as they gain momentum. Momentum in this instance is created through participation (mass) combined with the number of events (velocity).

So, if you want to build momentum for your campaign, consider how mass x velocity can help you achieve your goals.

ESG is huge

We attended a thought-provoking workshop on ESG (environmental, social, governance).

Companies are increasingly recognising that their impact needs to be measured in ways beyond their bottom line. Although ESG can be seen as tool to measure sustainability, we also see that it is an ethos that can companies follow, so they are more successful because they make a positive impact.

Our most important take away is that ESG is a HUGE opportunity for charities to speak to corporate prospects and partners about how their partnership can help the company deliver their ESG goals.

This is the dawn of a new era - ESG is HUGE – and it is shaping the future of business.

We all need a lift

What the conference really highlights is that by getting together in person really does energise fundraisers. Being together means we can bounce ideas off of each other, learn from others, and build valuable connections.

The session delivered by Kristian A Aloma and Madeline Duran revealed that 50% of fundraisers leave their jobs after 2 years. Their evidence showed that the main reason for leaving a job is often the conflict between why we join the charity sector, (to do meaningful work), and the reality, that it is exhausting.

Times are tough, and sometimes the role of a fundraiser is lonely and exhausting. Building connections with your peers is essential to enable you to realise that what you are doing is incredible. It lifts you up.

Shared purpose is the key

We delivered a workshop on ‘Partner with purpose’. During our session we shared that in tough times business leaders increase their focus on their core business priorities. This is an opportunity for charities.

In these challenging times, companies are still interested in opportunities, but they must deliver commercial benefits for the company. So we recommend you pitch them opportunities. A powerful pitch should include the big reason WHY you and that company should partner – we call this ‘Shared purpose’.

Participants in our workshops discovered their unique shared purpose with a corporate partner or prospect.

If you would like to discover how shared purpose can help you win new partnerships, or grow existing ones, then please get in touch by sending me an email at georgina@remarkablepartnerships.com

Uniting makes bigger possible

This year’s theme of unite was more meaningful than ever before. In a world filled with challenges such as the climate crisis, war and unstable economic conditions, uniting is vital for progress.

Speakers throughout the conference showed us that when people come together, we can achieve something greater.

The groundbreaking speeches by young climate activists Nyombi Morris, Topaz Zega, and Phoebe Hanson left us feeling positive for the future, despite the challenges the world faces. They showed us that small actions can create real change. Unity truly does make bigger possible.

Conclusion

Our highlights cannot do justice to our experience of IFC. We learned so much, and our cups are truly topped up with inspiration and enthusiasm to do what we do.

If you enjoyed this blog you might be interested in attending one of our upcoming training courses where we share our most valuable insight and tools. Use this link to see our choice of training courses over the next 12 months: https://www.remarkablepartnerships.com/training

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1. Your Relationship: People Buy From People

The first key is trust and rapport. People buy from people they know, like and trust, which is why relationship-building is such an important part of corporate partnerships.

The strongest partnerships are rarely built in a single meeting. They are built over time through conversations, consistency and genuine interest in the other person.

Sometimes the simplest moments have the biggest impact.

Taking a few minutes to ask about someone’s weekend, holiday plans or family life helps people feel comfortable and valued. It also helps you learn more about your prospect as a person, not just as a company representative.

Remembering those details matters, questions like: “How was your holiday to Greece?” or “How’s your child settling into school?” show genuine care and help build trust over time.

Authenticity is everything. People quickly sense when relationship-building is forced or transactional and the best partnerships are built on genuine human connection.

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**2. Emotional Engagement: Make Them Feel Something**

The second key is empathy and passion about the need. People make decisions emotionally before they justify them logically. If you want a company to truly engage with your charity, they need to feel connected to the cause.

‍That’s why storytelling is so powerful.

Sharing a real story about someone your charity has supported creates emotional connection in a way statistics and presentations rarely can. Videos, service visits and first-hand experiences can be equally impactful.

When people emotionally connect with your mission, the conversation changes. It moves from: “This sounds interesting…” to: “We need to help.”

Emotion creates urgency, deepens commitment, and it often unlocks far greater value in partnerships.

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3. The Business Case: Solve Their Problem

The third key is commercial value, clearly showing what the company will gain from partnering with you.

The reality is that even if a prospect loves your cause and enjoys working with you, they still need to justify the partnership internally. Decision-makers need to see how the partnership supports their business goals, priorities or challenges.

That’s why understanding your prospect’s needs is so important. Every company is trying to achieve something. They may want to:

Increase brand awareness
Improve employee engagement
Build customer loyalty
Generate PR opportunities
Reach new audiences

Your role is to understand what matters most to them and position your partnership as part of the solution. The best way to uncover this is by asking great questions:

“What are your biggest priorities this year?”
“What challenges is your team currently facing?”
“What would success look like for you?”

The more clearly you understand their objectives, the stronger your partnership proposition becomes. That’s what great partnerships do, they create mutual value.

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Unlocking The Door

One of the simplest ways to understand how close you are to securing a new partnership is to score your prospect out of 10 across all three areas:

Relationship
Emotional engagement
Commercial value

For example:

Relationship = 9/10
Emotional engagement = 8/10
Commercial value = 2/10

Even though two areas are strong, the partnership is still unlikely to unlock because one key is missing, and this is where many partnership opportunities stall.

Scoring prospects helps you quickly identify what needs more attention:

Do you need to build more trust?
Create stronger emotional connections?
Strengthen the commercial case?

The goal is to get all three keys as close to 10 as possible. When all three keys turn together, that’s when remarkable partnerships happen.

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If you’d like to learn more about unlocking higher-value partnerships, contact Jonathan: jonathan@remarkablepartnerships.com

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What unlocks truly high-value corporate partnerships? It’s not just a great pitch. Discover the 3 essential keys every fundraiser needs to build stronger relationships, create emotional connection, and demonstrate real commercial value that companies can’t ignore.

Learn More

The Four Ways Charities Create Value For Businesses

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Charities help companies achieve the following goals:

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Employee Engagement and Retention

Corporate partnerships provide employees with opportunities to support causes that matter, strengthening morale and workplace culture.

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Competitive Differentiation

Working with charities helps businesses stand out and demonstrate purpose in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

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Sales Opportunities

Purpose-driven partnerships can strengthen customer relationships and attract new customers.

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Brand Trust and Credibility

Authentic partnerships help companies build stronger, more trusted brands.

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Right now, all four of these areas are top priorities for companies.

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Why Understanding Partnership Value Matters

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When charities understand how to measure and communicate their partnership value, something powerful happens.

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They gain the confidence to pitch bigger opportunities, create stronger proposals and negotiate partnerships based on the real value rather than guesswork.

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This shift allows charities to move beyond undervalued collaborations and instead build high-impact corporate partnerships that benefit both sides.

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Learn How To Calculate Your Partnership Value

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To help charities develop this confidence, Remarkable Partnerships have created a new service: Unlock Corporate Partnerships Value Workshop.

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This practical session is designed to help charities understand the value they can offer companies and apply a simple framework to calculate it.

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During the workshop, you will learn:

About the four types of partnership value.
Explore why understanding value helps secure higher-value corporate partnerships.
See examples from successful corporate charity partnerships.
Work through an interactive exercise calculating the value of a current partner or prospect.

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The session lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes and provides a practical method charities can continue using when developing future partnerships.

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If you’d like to learn more about the workshop, contact: jonathan@remarkablepartnerships.com

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Many charities undervalue their corporate partnerships, limiting both impact and opportunity. This article explores why, the real value charities bring to businesses, and how understanding it can unlock stronger partnerships, with a workshop for those looking to take it further.