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Developing Corporate Partnerships

Tips for CIVs on How to Build Mutually Beneficial Relationships

by Brad K. Mazon

In the world of institutional advancement and development, the key word to remember is “partnerships.” The time and energy it takes to develop meaningful partnerships that bear financial fruit may seem overwhelming. It does take time to develop meaningful relationships with corporations (and foundations for that matter) that have an affinity for your organization’s mission. What is crucial to remember is that you are always dealing with an individual from the corporation, and not with the corporate entity itself. It is the personal connection with the corporate representative that will make the difference. With this is mind, you go about building a respectful and professional relationship with an individual over time. Your goal is to help your corporate contacts feel good about your mission, the project you are presenting, and how their donation will be used effectively.

Know Where the Dollars Come From

When dealing with corporations, it is helpful to know if your contact represents the marketing department or the corporate contributions committee. Generally, the corporate contributions committee makes donations to charitable causes. The donation may be of a more charitable nature, often made on the basis of the company’s desire to align its giving with your organization’s mission in order to be a better corporate citizen. Strategic alliances like this often enhance programming, and can serve as stepping stones to larger program donations down the road. Impact for the corporate donor is key here, as is the guarantee that your organization will achieve what it represented with those corporate dollars.

When corporate dollars are pulled from marketing budgets, the donation becomes an extension of the company’s marketing strategy. Visibility and return on marketing dollars for the corporation - as in the case of a high-profile gala - are of paramount importance with these types of donations. If the corporation does not see a solid return on its investment – not necessarily in terms of increased clients, but more in terms of perception of success – then they may be less inclined to support your organization in the future. It is all about building on your successes, showcasing them, creating momentum, and packaging your event or program in a way that enhances your image, and ultimately that of your corporate donor’s.

Flexible Benefits

It is important to know that regardless of what source the funds ultimately come from, you must be able to offer sponsorship benefits that resonate with the sponsor. Your organization should develop a listing of targeted benefits that mean something to a sponsor. Your relationship with your corporate representative will facilitate this dialogue. While you should not allow a corporation to take control of the sponsorship benefits they will receive, it is reasonable to be open to a sponsor’s suggestions. For example, you may suggest that their logo be hyperlinked on your website, though it may be that your corporate partner would prefer a page in your annual report. Be open and flexible to these types of suggestions. Standardized benefits combined with flexibility can make for a strong and sustainable long term partnership.

Opening Doors with Board Help

Perhaps most critical is how you cultivate corporate partners. It is undeniable that the role of your board is of utmost importance. It is the board’s job to help sustain the organization’s financial viability over the long-term (though they sometimes forget this!), and not just by purchasing a table ticket to a gala. You must work with board members to cultivate donors, and to open doors for you to meet with potential sponsors. You must have access to the board in order to sensitize them to all of your organization’s fundable projects. They simply may not know about all that is going on in your organization, and so they are perhaps ill-equipped to make the types of connections that you need from external partners. Educate them, then hold them accountable. Once they know what they are “selling,” they can be more conscientious stewards for your organization. If the key stakeholders are clueless about what the organization is doing, then you can bet that they will be unable to tell your organizational story to outsiders. Get them excited, and they will help open doors for you. Educate, facilitate, and follow-up!

Leveraging Your Partnerships

Finally, leverage your existing relationships into something more. Once a sponsor has made a donation, be sure to thank them, and convey to them how their support helped turned your objectives into a reality. Do this via a phone call or hand written note. This type of stewardship pays dividends over the long term. Also, be sure to lock in their support for the next year. While they may not know what their contribution budget may be for the coming year, making the ask sooner rather than later can, at a minimum, lock you in to their sponsorship docket for the coming year. The hope is that you will have already had this dialogue with your corporate contact. That way, there are no surprises or unmet expectations on your part. The key is to develop a comfortable relationship with your corporate partner so that your organization’s mission, and the company’s corporate citizenry role, can be enhanced. Reaping mutually beneficial dividends for both parties is what it is all about. ?

Brad K. Mazon served as executive director of the Buffalo Niagara Council for International Visitors and World Affairs Council for seven years and as chair of the 2002 NCIV National Meeting. Mr. Mazon also served on the NCIV Board of Directors as board secretary, and has served in various fundraising capacities for NCIV. Formerly, Mr. Mazon was owner of a Washington, D.C.-based commercial and residential cleaning firm. Most recently, Mr. Mazon served as a development officer in Corporate and Foundation Relations at Buffalo State College. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education Administration at the University at Buffalo where he is completing his dissertation on the undergraduate experience of campus internationalization in a U.S. and Dutch higher education context.

Click here to see a list of NCIV's corporate partners!

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