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.