Mar
26
NGOs don’t always realize the value they bring to the table when it comes to seeking corporate partnerships. So, the first rule of thumb, to quote an ancient maxim, is to “know thyself.”
NGOs have a built-in stakeholder group that is, more often than not, a completely new audience for a corporation. Today more than ever, the audience—the consumer, the listener—is at the center of everything. Particularly, what NGOs have going for them is that their audiences truly believe in them…they support what they’re doing and what they’re saying, from both a “head” and “heart” space. The root of that support is due in part to how NGOs communicate. They speak a very human language and have a ready supply of incredible stories to tell because they’re living them every day.
This is an important point to realize because corporations spend a lot of time and effort trying to “humanize” the way they speak to their audiences so that their audiences can better relate to them (some do this better than others). Corporations are also always looking for a compelling story to tell—one that reflects, or in some cases invents, a point of view for them. And it’s combining points one and two that are at the heart of how many corporations structure their attempts to connect to new audiences, particularly audiences that aren’t always a natural fit for them.
Now, enter the NGO with their wealth of stories (stories about the work they’re doing out in the field, behind the scenes, and in the most challenging conditions, that you couldn’t make up even if you wanted to), their passionate supporters and their approachable, at times humble, way of communicating and suddenly there’s a lot of value to be had.
But, don’t get too complacent, NGOs, because if you’ve ever worked on the corporate side of things you know how strapped for time many executives are. Between innumerable meetings about meetings and the sheer volume of workload, it’s rare that a corporate executive is able to find the time to sit and truly think through new partnership scenarios or new strategies for outreach. For this, I reference a great quote from the former CEO of Western Union, Christina Gold:
Classified: NGO Seeking Corporate (Life) Partner
I had the good fortune of participating in this year’s Social Media Week on a panel entitled: “NGOs, Causes and the Original Interest Graphs”. I think it went pretty well, and there were some great tweets about many of the thoughts shared during the panel. Of course, panels are never long enough (thank God) to fully articulate one’s thoughts, so I put myself to the task of articulating some more ideas here about what a non-profit needs to know about seeking a corporate partnership…
NGOs don’t always realize the value they bring to the table when it comes to seeking corporate partnerships. So, the first rule of thumb, to quote an ancient maxim, is to “know thyself.”
NGOs have a built-in stakeholder group that is, more often than not, a completely new audience for a corporation. Today more than ever, the audience—the consumer, the listener—is at the center of everything. Particularly, what NGOs have going for them is that their audiences truly believe in them…they support what they’re doing and what they’re saying, from both a “head” and “heart” space. The root of that support is due in part to how NGOs communicate. They speak a very human language and have a ready supply of incredible stories to tell because they’re living them every day.
This is an important point to realize because corporations spend a lot of time and effort trying to “humanize” the way they speak to their audiences so that their audiences can better relate to them (some do this better than others). Corporations are also always looking for a compelling story to tell—one that reflects, or in some cases invents, a point of view for them. And it’s combining points one and two that are at the heart of how many corporations structure their attempts to connect to new audiences, particularly audiences that aren’t always a natural fit for them.
Now, enter the NGO with their wealth of stories (stories about the work they’re doing out in the field, behind the scenes, and in the most challenging conditions, that you couldn’t make up even if you wanted to), their passionate supporters and their approachable, at times humble, way of communicating and suddenly there’s a lot of value to be had.
But, don’t get too complacent, NGOs, because if you’ve ever worked on the corporate side of things you know how strapped for time many executives are. Between innumerable meetings about meetings and the sheer volume of workload, it’s rare that a corporate executive is able to find the time to sit and truly think through new partnership scenarios or new strategies for outreach. For this, I reference a great quote from the former CEO of Western Union, Christina Gold:
“Those NGOs that clearly have done their homework in advance enable us to have a much more productive conversation. As a business person, I appreciate it when potential partners respect our time by coming prepared with ideas that clearly resonate with who we are and what we value as a company and a corporate citizen.” http://philanthropy.com/article/…
That is to say, do your homework before you get that seat at the table. Find a partner to approach whose beliefs intersect with your NGO’s. Think about what’s meaningful to your audience, think about what’s meaningful to their audience (research their messaging, any existing communications or CR platforms), and then find the overlap—i.e. what’s important to both of your audiences. I guarantee that there’s an intersection if you look close enough and it’s exactly there, at the intersection, that a strong partnership will take root.
