Reasons to Collaborate with a Nonprofit to Boost Your Company’s Market Reach
The concept of collaborating with a nonprofit organization in your community may appear challenging at first, particularly for smaller businesses. However, the marketing benefits for your company, along with the growth potential for the nonprofit organization, far outweigh the efforts required in developing a marketing strategy.
What Is Partnership Marketing?
To commence, let us first delve into the concept of partnership marketing. Partnership marketing entails the collaboration of two organizations to develop a mutually advantageous marketing campaign or strategy. This collaboration can take the form of a one-time event, a campaign, or a long-term partnership aimed at raising awareness for a cause.
In this blog article, we explore the benefits of partnering, specifically with a nonprofit organization, for both your company’s marketing strategy and the nonprofit you choose to collaborate with.
A Concise Overview of Partnership Marketing
How has partnership marketing evolved to its current state? Let’s briefly explore the history of partnerships. Collaborations that yield mutual benefits have been prevalent since ancient times. When two parties unite their resources and skills to achieve a common goal, the outcomes surpass what they could accomplish individually.
The advent of the internet in the 1990s and the emergence of social media in the early 2000s revolutionized how businesses engage with consumers and distribute goods and services. This access to information and direct communication transformed the marketing landscape. According to the CIPD, this era gave rise to the modern concept of partnerships. They explain that business partnering ideally involves defining and aligning people’s function capabilities to fulfill the organization’s objectives.
Benefits of Partnering with a Nonprofit Organization
Expanding your audience and fostering customer loyalty.
Partnering with a nonprofit can significantly expand your audience at a minimal cost. In the field of marketing, it is crucial to precisely identify your target audience and craft tailored messages for them. Developing content specifically designed for your audience fosters brand loyalty and ensures their continued engagement with your business. The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, compared to the much lower likelihood of 5-20% when targeting new clients.
Collaborating with a nonprofit organization not only broadens your reach to include their dedicated audience but also reinforces the trust in your existing relationship with your current audience and customers. Demonstrating your company’s commitment to social causes amplifies your brand identity and cultivates strong customer relationships. Your audience and customers need to perceive your company as one that actively supports meaningful initiatives rather than remaining silent.
Strengthens Your Brand Identity
Collaborating with a nonprofit can significantly enhance the credibility of your brand. Branding serves as the foundation for all marketing and public relations efforts. If your target audience is uncertain about your brand, the likelihood of them supporting it diminishes considerably. In today’s highly competitive landscape, consumers have the luxury of choosing products and brands based on their overall perception.
As per Hubspot, “A product is never just a product, right? Companies that establish robust brands understand that their brand needs to be omnipresent. They recognize that their brand extends far beyond the mere label.” Hubspot further states, “Branding can be the decisive factor for consumers when making a purchase decision. A global Nielsen survey revealed that nearly 60% of shoppers actively choose to buy from brands they are familiar with, and 21% made a purchase because they liked the brand.”
Merely having an exceptional product or service is no longer sufficient. Consumers are inundated with countless choices within each category, prompting them to select brands they are passionate about and that align with their values. By partnering with a nonprofit organization in your community, you demonstrate to your audience that your brand represents more than just the products or services you offer. Supporting a cause that holds significance to you will fortify and establish your brand.
Efficiently expand your team’s capacity while optimizing costs.
When you engage in a collaborative effort with another business, you not only expand your team but also tap into a wealth of additional brainpower. This strategic alliance brings about various advantages, including the pooling of resources and expertise, resulting in a synergistic effect on marketing and business ventures. By combining creative campaign ideas and leveraging the strengths of both teams, the chances of achieving successful outcomes are significantly heightened. Additionally, without such a partnership, the pursuit of these endeavors would likely incur much higher costs and potentially limit the scope of possibilities.
Establishes enduring and constructive marketing partnerships.
Relationships play a crucial role in marketing. Developing strong connections with clients, customers, and organizations fosters trust and respect, and positions you as an industry leader. Networking is a straightforward concept: people prefer working with individuals they genuinely like. When partnering with a nonprofit, it is important to prioritize cultivating positive, enduring relationships with the nonprofit’s team. Furthermore, seize the opportunity to establish positive, long-term connections with the members of the nonprofit organization’s community.
Fundraising for a Nonprofit Organization
When entering into a partnership with a nonprofit, it is common to engage in fundraising activities to support their cause through the sale of products or services. It is important to select a nonprofit that aligns with your company’s values and goals. Collaborating in this way not only benefits your organization for the reasons mentioned earlier but also helps raise awareness for the nonprofit. Partnership marketing is a mutually beneficial endeavor that requires dedication and support from both parties, resulting in rewards for both organizations.
How To Find The Right Nonprofit Partner

Selecting the appropriate nonprofit organization is of utmost importance when collaborating on a campaign. A successful partnership marketing campaign relies heavily on finding the right partner from the nonprofit sector. But how does one identify the ideal partner? Here are several key factors to consider during the search for a nonprofit organization to collaborate with.
Aligned Values
For a successful partnership with a nonprofit organization, it is crucial to have shared values. As previously mentioned, consumers choose to support brands that align with their values. If you collaborate with a nonprofit organization that holds different values, it can create confusion among your audience and potentially result in losing supporters.
Choosing a Relevant Cause for Your Company
The nonprofit organization you decide to collaborate with should align with your company’s values, or your audience may perceive it as insincere. It is important to avoid situations where your cause does not align with your partner’s organization, as illustrated below.
Mutually Benefits
For a partnership to be deemed successful, both your business and the nonprofit organization must derive mutual benefits from the collaboration. This means that both parties should see tangible advantages that contribute to their respective goals and objectives. By establishing a symbiotic relationship, where each entity gains value and support, the partnership can thrive and have a lasting impact.
An Example Of A Partnership That Works
Let us examine a successful corporate and nonprofit partnership that has been established in the past.
Lush, a renowned company specializing in bath, body, skin, and hair care, is dedicated to creating fresh, ethically sourced, cruelty-free, vegetarian, handmade, low-waste, and effective products. In 2007, Lush introduced their “Charity Pots” initiative, wherein the purchase of a “Charity Pot” (a body lotion) would contribute 100% of the price, excluding taxes, towards supporting various small grassroots organizations partnered with Lush. Since its inception in 2007, Lush has donated over $50 million to more than 2,800 small grassroots projects and organizations in eight countries. Explore some of their partnered organizations through this link. Alongside the charity pots, Lush also launches ethical campaigns to advocate for causes that hold significance to them.
The success of Lush’s partnership with grassroots organizations is remarkable. These partnerships align perfectly with Lush’s identity as a brand that goes beyond body care. This is evident in their mission statement and demonstrated through their sustainable practices, ethical packaging, responsible sourcing, and more. By utilizing their platform to raise funds and awareness for various causes, Lush not only fulfills their commitment to social responsibility but also creates a powerful marketing platform for themselves. Customers are more inclined to support Lush, knowing that their purchases directly contribute to causes they deeply care about.
Conversely, an unsuccessful partnership example is KFC’s attempt to collaborate with a breast cancer awareness group by pledging to donate 50 cents per bucket of fried chicken to Susan G. Komen For the Cure. While KFC may have had good intentions behind this campaign, it was not a suitable match as the missions of the two organizations did not align. Considering that KFC’s food is generally associated with being high in fat, which can potentially increase the risk of certain types of cancer, the idea of selling such food to support cancer awareness appeared forced and lacked thoughtful consideration.
Key Points to Consider in Your Partnership
Now that you have gained insights into partnership marketing and its historical context, let’s explore how collaborating with a nonprofit organization can enhance your marketing efforts. Additionally, I will provide you with some campaign examples. Here are a few key tips to consider when embarking on your partnership journey:
Authenticity Matters: Maintaining authenticity is crucial when promoting your organization. Consumers can easily detect insincerity, which can undermine the success of your campaign. In the case of the unsuccessful KFC campaign, the partnership lacked genuineness. Ensure that you align with an organization that shares your business values and goals.
Leverage the Partnership: Partnering with a nonprofit organization offers a valuable opportunity to leverage resources and expertise. Maximize the benefits of this collaboration throughout your campaign by exchanging ideas, working synergistically, and mutually learning from one another.