Partnering for a Cause

May 23, 2006

By Abny Santicola, editor, FS Advisor

Cause marketing is a win-win relationship built on the premise that there are key things that nonprofit organizations can offer to corporations and vice versa.

Kissimmee, Fla.-based Give Kids the World has long relied on corporate partnerships to support its work fulfilling the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Previewing her session from the Cause Marketing Forum June 12-14 in New York City, GKTW President Pamela Landwirth talks about those successful partnerships.

According to Landwirth, corporations can support nonprofits in numerous ways, including:

1. Cash donations.

2. In-kind gifts.

3. Workplace giving.

4. Grants.

5. Networking opportunities.

6. Volunteers from the workplace.

7. Mission awareness.

Networking with corporate partners, Landwirth says, has been key for GKTW in terms of helping to secure long-term relationships with corporations. For example, Holiday Inn, one of the organization's first cash partners, introduced GKTW to Procter & Gamble and the Perkins restaurant chain. All three have been long-term supporters.

GKTW calls corporate partners at the various levels of giving "corporate heroes" and compiles a matrix that lists which of the seven methods of support a corporation can provide so that it can maximize the relationship.

But the focus can't all be on what the corporation can do for the nonprofit. For their part, Landwirth says, organizations can offer corporations:

1. A compelling mission to be affiliated with.

2. Reach. For GKTW, it's a plus that the organization has international reach, helping families from 54 countries; but at the same time it can show that it gets support from the local community.

3. Demographics. The right partnership will allow a company to reach the people it needs to reach. As an organization, be clear about who you attract and be prepared to show the company how those people relate to its product or service.