I’m reading a biography of the English king Henry V who scored a huge victory over his French opponents at Agincourt. Henry has been a hero for centuries after his small band, ‘we few, we happy few’ vanquished a much larger and better equipped force. It wasn’t luck that carried the day; it was his ability to understand and play to his strengths. In this case, it was working with the geography and deploying his strongest asset- the English archers. The longbowmen used their famous skills to wreak destruction among the French knights and claim a famous victory.
In partnerships, you’re not going to battle but it can be an uphill struggle when you compete for corporate attention. Smaller organisations can feel a bit like the English at Agincourt- wishing they had more people and resources. But there are smaller charities that seem to bat above the weight whilst larger ones languish in mediocrity. What’s the secret?
They play to their strengths. That means developing a deep understanding of your assets and how to use them.
When we ask charities for a catalogue of their assets they typically give us a list of partnership tiers with various combinations of logo, social media and PR. They are making assumptions about what a corporate wants and not demonstrating what makes the organisation special, unique or worthy of a partnership. It’s like King Henry telling all of his men to charge the French lines at once and see what happens. You need to pick out your strengths and use them to advantage. Quick tip- your main strength is rarely your logo.
Your tribe
What’s the point of offering a corporate 2 social media posts and a shout out on your website if you haven’t told them who they’re talking to? Do your homework and develop a deep understanding of your audiences, across all forms of communication. Who are your most loyal followers, donors, or supporters? What are their demographics (age, gender, location, income, behaviours)? How engaged are they during the year? Do you have a niche audience that could be valuable or hard to reach for a corporate?
One Girl was a small charity with only 4 staff when they won their first corporate partnership with Carman’s. they had done deep research into their audience and could describe it in detail, including ages, income and the brands they typically buy. Their young, engaged and affluent following was the perfect fit for Carman’s who were looking for younger consumers for their premium products.
Understanding your tribe will unlock a deeper understanding of where your strengths lie and which corporate might be interested in them.
Your expertise and programs
Corporates are not as interested in your programs as the expertise that sits behind them and the impact they could achieve. Creating a prospectus of programs to fund is fine for philanthropy but not great for corporates. What expertise sits behind those programs and how can they benefit a commercial entity? Children’s Ground works with First Nations children and families to create generational change. Their particular strength is their deep and trusted relationships with First Nations communities. It enabled them to win a major partnership with the Goodman Foundation, worth almost $10mln over 5 years. For the Foundation it matched perfectly their aspirations for investment in indigenous programs that built meaningful relationships with the communities.
Your locations
Where do you operate? Are you local or national, metro or regional? Centralised or grassroots? Do you mirror the locations in which a corporate works or would like to grow into? Rescue Helicopters NSW work mostly in the Hunter New England region, home to some of Australia’s biggest mining and extractive companies. They have developed deep relationships with the corporate in their local area because the businesses have a genuine interest in giving back to the communities where they operate. You don’t have to be a big national organisation like a World Vision; you can play to your strengths within your local communities.
Your people and profile
You may not have a celebrity ambassador, although offering a unique experience with Chris Hemsworth certainly didn’t hurt Australian Childhood Foundation. You probably have a range of experts that add credibility to your organisation. Beyond Blue had the former prime minister Julia Gillard as chair and they deployed her strategically with their very best partnerships. Others had deep subject matter experts like Professor Patrick McGorry, a leading figure in mental health. The Alannah & Madeline Foundation have the support of their founder, Walter Mikac, who speaks with authority on issues relating to children and violence. What matters is how you demonstrate the depth of your talent and the kind of profile that will be attractive to the right corporate. Your people help to build your profile, get noticed in media and TV and be a key part of your value proposition to corporates.
To play to your strengths you need to know your assets in detail. Without that you’re simply throwing random ‘benefits’ to a mass corporate audience and hoping some of them will stick. If you haven’t bothered to describe and understand your assets, you’re making it harder for a corporate to decide whether you’re the right partner. Henry V understood his strengths and weaknesses and deployed them to the best advantage. He vanquished a much bigger opponent as a result. Once more unto the breach, dear friends- but this time go with your best assets.