Has your nonprofit unlocked the power of corporate partners?

It’s no secret that many nonprofits work with corporations and utilize that investment to further the mission. Whether you are leading a tiny grassroots organization serving a single community or a behemoth operating on a global stage, corporate support can be so impactful. But as you may already know, cultivating these relationships into long-term partnerships and advocates of our philanthropic missions can be difficult.

Finding the right corporate partners to help accelerate your nonprofit's mission and work comes down to fit for both sides, and frankly, taking on all sponsors and dollars is not necessarily the way to grow your organization’s operation. It’s important to never sacrifice your organization’s core values and culture for the sake of corporate investment. Nonprofits need to investigate, vet and determine a culture fit for each corporate donor before agreeing to accept their support.

At my organization, the Arbor Day Foundation, we have seen the transformational impact that can be unlocked when taking a diligent approach to corporate partnership opportunities and the impact those resources can have on our mission. In the last few years we have grown significantly, in part because we’ve aligned our efforts with corporate partners that connect deeply with our mission to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. While not all of our growth was from corporate collaborators alone, it certainly was a driver of our increase in scale.

Here are a few approaches we’ve learned along the way that may help other nonprofit leaders as you consider bringing on companies for support.

  • Approach corporate givers as partners.
  • Align goals and motivations.
  • Communicate about communications.

Read the full article about nonprofit and corporate partnerships by Dan Lambe at Forbes.