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5 recommendations to build a high performing team

We know that charities are finding recruitment and retention of corporate fundraisers tough in the current market. There is hope. Charities who are investing in their people now are seeing the results. If you would like to build a high performing team who are engaged and motivated, find out how by following our recommendations: 

1.Create an internal partnerships culture  

A partnership culture needs to be created beyond the corporate team. You need marketing, services, senior management, and trustees all to support partnerships. You are all there for the same reason, to solve your charity’s mission. So if you work well together you will you achieve your mission faster, which is motivating for everyone. We recommend you have regular meetings with colleagues to understand their priorities and agree ways of working together. Don’t forget to create moments to share the current trends corporate in partnerships by using case studies. This will help spark new ideas for your charity.  

2. Celebrate the little wins  

In fundraising we often delay the celebration until a new partner is confirmed, or the money is in the bank. But it is much more motivating to celebrate the little wins along the way too. How about creating moments to celebrate meetings being secured, or more participants taking part in an event, or new senior contacts being made within your partnerships. Remarkable Partnerships do this too. We have a team WhatsApp group to celebrate all the good things that happen in our week.  

3. Focus on value, not cash 

Big financial targets sometimes feel daunting, so they can demotivate fundraisers. So it’s important to record non-financial value too. When you have receive free support from a company, or a product is gifted to you, this should be recorded and reported alongside the income you receive. We recommend you include value targets in your team goals, not just an income target. 

4. Active listening 

Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person says, but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them. If you are want communicate effectively with your team and colleagues, then you need to actively listen. Finding our more about your colleagues’ needs builds trust, understanding and loyalty. We recommend you practice active listening techniques in your interactions with colleagues and notice the positive effect it has on your relationships. 

5. Training and development  

When your corporate fundraising team gets busy, training and development often falls down the list of priorities. However, it is essential that you and your team prioritise learning so you can increase your motivation and effectiveness. We recommend you create a personal development plan for each member of your tea. Find out what skills they want to improve a build the plan together. Ensure that regular training is scheduled for individuals and as a whole team. Learning together will unite the team and increase everyone’s skills and confidence.  

We hope you found this blog useful. We would love to hear your feedback and any other recommendations on how to build a high-performing team. Please email team@remarkablepartnerships.com 

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Latest News
5
min read
The 3 Keys To Unlocking Higher-Value Partnerships

Imagine your prospect is a door with three locks, to unlock a truly high-value partnership, you need all three keys:

  • Your relationship
  • Emotional engagement
  • The business case

Miss one, and the door stays firmly shut.

Too often, charities focus only on pitching sponsorship packages or partnership benefits, but the strongest and most valuable corporate partnerships are built when all three elements work together.

Here’s how to unlock them.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Latest News
5
min read
Unlock Corporate Partnership Value

One of the biggest challenges charities face when working with companies is undervaluing themselves.

When charities underestimate the value they bring to businesses, partnerships are often priced too low. The results are low-value partnerships that fail to deliver meaningful impact for the charity or the company.

In reality, both sides are missing out on enormous potential.

So why does this happen?

Many charities simply struggle to recognise and measure the true commercial value they offer businesses. Even when they know they bring value to the table, they often don’t know how to calculate it or communicate it confidently. 

But the reality is that charities can deliver game-changing value for companies in several key areas.

The Four Ways Charities Create Value For Businesses

Charities help companies achieve the following goals:

Employee Engagement and Retention

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

Competitive Differentiation

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

Sales Opportunities

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

Brand Trust and Credibility

Authentic partnerships help companies build stronger, more trusted brands.

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

Why Understanding Partnership Value Matters

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

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

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

Learn How To Calculate Your Partnership Value

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

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

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. 

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

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

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.

Stay Informed. Stay Remarkable.