For a corporate organisation a partnership with a charity is expected to bring about many benefits, the main one being more favourable coverage. Looking at some of our own clients this is definitely the case, with charitable partnerships having a very significant impact, and really boosting strongly favourable coverage, and therefore, reputation. Job done!

But what is in it for the charities themselves? Apart from the huge financial rewards of course…. According to nfpSynergy 61% percent of charities they asked said that raising income is the main reason for corporate partnerships.  In the same nfpSynergy survey, 55% said that they use these partnerships to raise their profile. Here on the Govt/Nfp team we have many charity clients who are lucky enough to have a corporate partner, some even have quite a few. After a bit of good old ‘data interrogation’ it seems that these charities benefit just as much as the ‘corporates’ in terms of positive media coverage. But why I hear you ask?

For many smaller charities it can get them high-profile pieces in national publications, which they may never reach on their own. These partnerships can also be a great medium to communicate the key aims and messages of the charity, and be endorsed by a big name. Message delivery is often boosted by stronger spokesperson presence, with representatives from both the charity and its partner widely quoted in coverage. PR-led partnership events provide a great opportunity for a partner to explain their choice of charity, another useful means of driving favourability and message delivery. News of a partnership launch can generate attention-grabbing headlines that mention both company and charity.   

So how do you measure this impact? Metrica was lucky enough to evaluate coverage generated by Tesco’s Charity of the Year Partnership with the British Red Cross, which raised £4,428,000 over 2007, the largest amount generated through a corporate partnership in just one year. An examination of volume and tone of event coverage, rates of message delivery, spokesperson presence, prominence and impact revealed a well directed media campaign. Tracking spikes of coverage over time against hits to the partnership website further demonstrated public engagement with a campaign that reached a good proportion of the UK adult population.   

But choose your partner carefully! The charity's reputation may risk being tarnished by association with particular corporate organisations. A charity promoting labour rights would easily be compromised by a relationship with a company whose manufacturing ethics were subject to investigation. Anti-sweatshop activists criticized the Product Red’s links with Gap, despite Product Red's assurance that its products are not manufactured in sweatshops.   

So the moral of the story is gaining a corporate partner can be a fantastic opportunity for a charity, just make sure it’s the right one!