Key Research Findings—Next Level Partnerships|Part 2

By: Mollye Rhea

For Momentum is pleased to continue to bring you highlights from our recently released 2022 report, Next Level Partnerships: A Corporate Perspective, the result of polling corporate partnerships professionals from 65 companies. In Part 1, we focused on what corporations are looking for from nonprofit partners. Here, we’ll take a close look at how corporations make partnership decisions and select partners.

 

Key Learning 1: There are many decision-makers involved in approving partnerships and activities

Question: How involved are the following functions or departments in your company when it comes to approvals, planning and/or execution or partnerships with nonprofit organizations?

• Senior leadership, marketing/communications, and PR are the top three departments involved in approvals, planning and execution of almost all partnerships with nonprofits.
• Over 50% of respondents report eight or more departments, as well as outside agencies, are involved in partnership activities.
• While 95% of companies report that senior leadership is involved in partnership decisions, note that the majority are only moderately involved.

What this means for cause partnership planning:

• Nonprofits should consider broadening sales pitches to a variety of roles at a target corporation and tailoring the messaging to each role’s goals and pain points. Learn as much as possible about a company’s decision-making process and involve key cross-team stakeholders in information gathering and meet and greets.
• It can be challenging for companies to get different departments on board with a cause partnership. Corporate cause professionals should seek to involve key team members from the start to reduce internal bumps in the road.
• Compared to our 2018 data, we see an increase in the number of companies that are choosing new partners multiple times per year instead of annually or every few years.

 

Key Learning 2: The majority of companies choose a new nonprofit partner based on the opportunity, not a particular planning timeline.

  Question: How often does your company typically choose a new nonprofit partner(s)?

• The majority of companies choose a new nonprofit partner based on the opportunity, not a particular planning timeline.
• Most companies are making these decisions frequently, multiple times a year.
• Compared to our 2018 data, we see an increase in the number of companies that are choosing new partners multiple times per year instead of annually or every few years.

What this means for cause partnership planning:

• Since partnership decision making is so fluid, nonprofits always have opportunities to make new connections. Reach out to corporations with creative ideas regularly throughout the year.
• The demands that consumers and employees put on corporations are also ever-changing and require companies to be adaptable and agile. Corporations can activate new and enhanced nonprofit partnerships to align with their consumers’ and employees’ interests and expectations.

Key Learning 3: The majority of companies (68%) research and seek out candidates for nonprofit partnership while 55% vet the nonprofits who contact them.

Question: How do you initially connect with nonprofits to discuss partnerships?

• When looking to discuss partnership opportunities, companies use a mix of avenues to make those connections.
• The majority of companies (68%) research and seek out nonprofit partner candidates.
• Over half of companies (55%) vet the nonprofits who contact them.

What this means for cause partnership planning:

• Corporations are increasingly turning to third parties to help them build cause roadmaps, recruit partners, and manage their programs. Feel free to contact us to explore what connecting with a third party could do for you.
• Corporations expect nonprofits to reach out to them. Nonprofits that make a good case for how their mission aligns with the corporate brand, engages employees and meets community needs will stand out.

Where do you think your efforts stack up in today’s environment for corporate partnership decision making and nonprofit selection? Let’s connect and brainstorm ways to optimize.