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| Photo: Hetemeel.com |
Faced with a case of writer’s block as I tried to compose my first blog post for the Minnesota Council on Foundations, I decided to turn to my ally in times like these – Google – and I typed in “corporate and nonprofit partnerships.”
Google shot back 1.9 million results! A quick perusal of those at the top of the list revealed some authors’ feelings that corporate-nonprofit partnerships are inherently flawed, because of the disconnect between a company’s business objectives and a nonprofit’s mission. Others believe that the opportunities posed by marrying a company’s resources (cash, expertise, products, facilities) and a nonprofit’s ability to access and address community needs can lead to unlimited positive outcomes.
In the past, it seemed that if partnerships were formed, these were usually instigated by the nonprofit. It was the nonprofit that fueled the passion and mission of the partnership, while the company provided the financial foundation. Has this changed?
Even though she wrote it in the 1990s, Donna L. Cummings’ essay “Building Relationships with Grantseekers” sounds a still-relevant rallying cry to businesses:
In this era of mergers and acquisitions, downsizing and restructuring, and cost reduction and cost effectiveness, relationships (that is, partnerships) have emerged as an important strategy for delivering services and effecting positive change. … Fully engaging in problem solving, shaping solutions, and developing and implementing strategic plans is becoming a requirement for participation in the life of communities today. … Strong partnerships must be forged to tackle the complex issues our society faces, and corporations must be fully participant members in these partnerships.
(Cummings’ essay appears in The Corporate Contributions Handbook: Devoting Private Means to Public Needs, edited by James P. Shannon and published by the Council on Foundations.)
They didn’t appear in my Google search, but I know there have to be numerous examples in Minnesota of companies and nonprofits building effective partnerships that enhance both mission and business goals. I’d like to hear about these programs, projects, partnerships.
The spring issue of the MCF’s Giving Forum newsletter will focus on corporate philanthropy. Look for some of these partnerships to be highlighted.
- Chris Noonan, MCF Communications Associate
Chris,
I find the topic of the inherently flawed relationship between the corporate world and the nonprofit world very interesting. Possibly so because I wrote my Pol. Sci. master thesis on Product (Red) which in it self is a marriage between the two.
For those who don’t know what Product (Red) is, it’s an aid organization that defines itself as a business strategy. Product (Red)’s goal is to create a sustainable flow of capital from the private sector to the Global Fund to aid women and children suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa. They approach this by managing a branding mechanism that gives out a license to use the brand name RED to companies. In return, the company signs up to donate a percentage of the profits for Product (Red) items to the Global Fund.
Some of the companies that are collaborating with Product (Red) by giving up a percentage of their profits are;
Dell
Apple
Converse
Starbucks Coffee
Gap
This is obviously not an example of a Minnesota based partnership but it is a terrific example of collaboration between the corporate world and the nonprofit world where the outcome is a working philanthropic mission.