A Look at Corporate and Non-Profit Partnerships

June 15, 2010

This blog post from the Public Affairs Council brought to mind a situation The Results Company was in several years ago. We created an advertising campaign for a North Carolina non-profit that helps individuals manage their health care needs. The non-profit was really making a difference. The deal was shot down by the corporate lawyers who were concerned that since it was paid for by a contribution from a pharmaceutical company, that it would appear to be a payoff of sorts. As a result, the campaign never happened and who lost – the people needing better health care. All because of fear of what people “might” think.

The public perception that corporations are getting some kind of payoff by teaming up with a non-profit is not accurate. Everyone wants our world to be a better place, even people who run corporations. Not only does it make the people working for the corporation feel good, it makes good business sense from a Public Relations perspective. The public also needs to give the people working for the non-profit more credit for their integrity. They care about their goals for their organization and would not put it at risk by accepting money with strings attached.

The blog post from Public Affairs offers some good advice for partnerships:

•Both parties should be clear on what they hope to achieve through the success of the project, and discuss in advance where potential issues or disagreements may arise.

•To maintain independence, it should be understood that a direct partnership will not limit either organization’s policy stance on issues outside the specific agreement.

•Funding responsibilities must be clear and transparent to ensure accountability between partners.

•Project outcomes should be measured (and therefore measurable) as well as communicated.

•Have a mutually agreed upon communications plan specific to the project for proactive and reactive media relations, including a crisis plan as appropriate.

You can download the entire Public Affairs Tip Sheet on Partnerships here.