I can’t be the only one hooked on MAFS (or trashy towers as it’s known in our house!) judging by their viewer numbers. Wow! There are many examples in this season about the dating paradox. The harder you chase someone, the less interested they seem (poor Jamie). The world is full of paradoxes at the moment. I’m not going to dig into world politics, but we know which one I’m talking about, right? (Fingers crossed there aren’t huge knock on affects to our economy.) There’s also the remote work paradox, with companies wanting employees back in the office, whilst studies show that hybrid or remote work often leads to higher productivity.
Similarly, there are the paradoxes in partnerships. Here’s the top 5 that are probably holding you back from success and preventing your organisation from having transformational partnerships.
1. They aren’t fundraising, but most organisations start partnerships because they need funding
Of course, partnerships generate valuable income for organisations, but that income looks different from other revenue streams. This means from the very start of the program, the focus on fundraising revenue is misplaced. Treating partnerships like fundraising causes all sorts of problems: thinking you need to sell your programs, treating corporates like donors and pitching them with your needs and funding gaps. Partnerships are about alignment and solving social problems that matter to a corporate. If you’re only asking for financial support, you’re missing the full value of partnerships. What leadership should consider, is how corporates can contribute to your cause and help you achieve your mission. You’ll be much more successful if you do.
2. The value of partnerships is long-term, but organisations want immediate results
This is why so many partnership managers leave their organisation. There are unrealistic expectations. Partnership managers are encouraged to get out there and bring the money in immediately. This means they haven’t done the foundations needed for successful partnerships. They don’t know what they need from a partner (other than money), they don’t know what they have to offer to a partner other than their logo and social posts. It’s essential to know exactly what you have to offer, and because of your offer, who might be interested in it. Without this you’re playing a numbers game with partnerships and with a weak value proposition. The organisations that have worked out their value proposition will beat you every time because they understand their hook. It means prospects will say yes to meetings, because they understand the value you offer to that corporate. You can then convert those meetings into opportunities because you present as a business solution and not just a fundraising ask.
It takes 12 to 18 months for partnerships to materialise, yet too often, we see organisations spend that time hoping for results rather than setting up a clear strategy. Then, when things don’t progress as expected, they either seek help from us or hire a new partnership manager, assuming fresh talent will fix the issue. The reality? Without a strong foundation, the cycle repeats. The smarter approach is to get your value proposition clear from day one, so you don’t waste time—or worse, set someone up to fail. Please focus on your value proposition, not your fundraising ask. Which also leads to the next paradox.
3. To succeed in partnerships, you need to position yourself as the one helping a business, not being helped
Most partnership managers sit in a fundraising team. You will see the funding register, hear about fundraising campaigns, have pressure applied from program managers so they can continue or scale their programs. It’s easy for you to fall into the trap of thinking your primary job is also to fill these funding gaps. Of course, part of your role helps with this, but you need to wear two hats. You will be way more successful in meetings if you forget about your funding needs and focus on solving business problems. This is a significant shift. It means it’s not about you and it’s about them. If you solve a business issue, you’re likely to get a quicker answer on a partnership and it’ll be more valuable (core business budget and not CSR). Get good at understanding what a business needs and not what funding your organisation needs.
4. Partnerships are for everyone but aren’t one size fits all
Every non-profit we have ever worked with has different needs and a different offering. At Stellar we think we have quite a unique partnership model that encompasses all of the activities that occur in a partnership. However, how that model is implemented is different for each organisation. This depends on your cause, your objectives, your immediate and long-term needs. For example, if your long-term strategy is to build brand awareness, you focus on marketing-driven partnerships. If it’s policy change, you’ll look at advocacy-led partnerships. If you’re looking at doubling your fundraising, you need to think through what b2c activities your partners can deliver, whilst you’re building your b2b program. Dolly’s Dream did an award-winning job of this with their EssenceMediaCom partnership.
5. It’s one person’s job description, but it requires the whole organisation
Partnerships are a whole organisation business, not just one person with the title of partnership manager. In a typical partnership program, the following roles are involved: database manager, marketing & comms, program managers, social media manager, research & advocacy manager, HR manager, customer service, CEO & leadership team, and this is just on the non-profit side. Whilst running our Start to Stellar program with clients, one of the things we first tackle is the change management required to be successful at partnerships. The organisation needs to understand what it takes to find, win and grow partnerships. The roles and responsibilities lie in many different departments. The more siloed your organisation, the harder it is for a partnership manager to be successful. It requires them to spend half their time in internal meetings and not enough time engaging partners. The best partnership programs have a culture and internal systems that support a partnership manager.
If you’re screaming this loudly and your organisation still isn’t getting it, you have a few choices:
- Find another organisation that understands the power of partnerships and will support you to be successful (yes, I know this will suck because you love your organisation)
- Ask us to meet with your leaders and help them understand the difference
- Forward this to your leadership team asking them to consider these paradoxes
All these options will enable you, in your role, to be more successful. We see far too many good people struggle along in their organisations. It’s time for you to step up and be the change agent in your organisation so you can start making a huge difference. Don’t let your organisation flounder with an outdated partnership model; the reality of partnerships has changed and you need to adapt.