How can your nonprofit partner with for-profit companies to increase its impact?

Partnerships with corporates have grown into highly specialised collaborations now. Rather than doing activities tracking at output level, organisations prioritise outcome level work and Indicators- this engaging with a higher level of philanthropy. If an organisation wants to track impact, their partnerships and funding priorities must prioritise and reflect specialised impact parameters that need to be tracked at their highest levels

Look for for-profit entities aligned with your nonprofit's mission and values. Consider businesses in related industries, local corporations, or those with a demonstrated commitment to social responsibility. Networking events, industry conferences, and online platforms can help you identify and connect with potential partners.

Paying a for profit company, a small amount of money to provide a direct program service that actually costs your non- profit more to do it’s self, is a great way to leverage your impact for less money. Technology self- help platforms are a great solution to this, especially start ups. For example my former legal aid non- profit paid only $50 a case to a technology start up to let our low income clients use their small claims online platform for free. They collated all the info, prepared the forms and filed them in court. This saved our org lots of money to focus on the cases where a lawyer is required. For legal info tech solutions just make sure a licensed attorney is involved in the tech for risk management reasons.

The partnership model depends on your goals. Consider options like strategic alliances, cause marketing, or joint ventures. Evaluate which model aligns best with both your nonprofit's mission and the for-profit partner's objectives for a successful and impactful collaboration.

It's in the middle, but I'd lead with this step. Have a written partnership agreement to start from that encapsulates desired shared outcomes, responsibilities, and timeframes.

Initiate discussions with your for-profit partner to define roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Clearly outline terms, including contributions, timeframes, and potential outcomes. Collaborate on a written agreement or memorandum of understanding to formalize the partnership and ensure alignment between both organizations. Legal consultation may be beneficial during this process.

Regularly assess the partnership's progress against predefined goals and key performance indicators. Celebrate milestones and successes together, reinforcing the positive impact of your collaboration. Open communication channels for feedback and adjustments, ensuring continuous improvement and sustained mutual benefit.

Le modèle socio-économique des entreprises de l'économie sociale et solidaire en France repose sur 3 piliers dont les partenariats sont une part importate du trident aux côtés des richesses humaines et des ressources financières. De ce fait même, il est incontournable de faire des partenriats un levier de réussite des projets associatifs car la réussite de ce modèle nécessite d'aligner impérativement ces 3 piliers avec les valeurs, le plan stratégique, avec le pilotage financier. C'est ce qui permet de faire des partenariats des outils gagnant/gagnant au service du projet, des bénéficiaires, de la communauté dans les territoires et des partenaires aux-mêmes.