2. The definition of
corporate
responsibility has
broadened and
become decoupled
from philanthropy…
Leo Martin, Director GoodCorporation
3. Building long-term success
Preferences Match
Corporate Charity
Corporate objectives Funding
Brand-building Gifts in kind
Advisors/Network Secondees
Staff involvement Strategic advice
Campaigning Communication channels
Gifts of product or resource Brand-building
Communication channels Campaigning
Funding Corporate objectives
4. How Companies will Commit
Interest Engagement Commitment
Project visits
Project visits Advice
Advice High value donations
High value donations
Networking
Networking Donation of
Donation of Recommendations
Recommendations
Conferences product
product
Conferences
Word of mouth Donation of time
Donation of time
Word of mouth
Mailing Low value
Low value
Mailing
donations
donations
8. Gala dinners
• Less interest in attending – keep low
visibility
• Table prices are down
• Less sponsorship of such events
9. Sponsorship
• Little free money for sponsorship
• Business benefits pushed harder than ever
• Marketing budgets under pressure
• Child helplines offer clear brand benefits
10. Grants
• Corporate trusts/charity
committees have percentage of
profits
– Percentage falling
– Profits falling
• Small regular gifts to
niche charities relatively
safe
11. Cause-related Marketing
• Still deals to be had – but much
more bottom line driven
• TV-driven CRMs most popular
• Not many financial deals to be had!
12. Employee fundraising
• Holding up well – even growing
• COTY’s carry on with greater emphasis on
employee fundraising
• Challenge events receiving more match
fundin
• Team-building events
13. Gifts in kind
• Growing – especially staff out-placement
and volunteering
• Fitting out projects (equipment and
decorating)
• Beware Dear Johns
• Beware dead stuff
• More demand for
co-branding/recognition
14. Campaigning
• Growing interest where strategic
brand positioning interests
coincide
• Willingness to use commercial
communications channels
15. What companies say…
• Inundated with requests
• Spoilt for choice
• CSR aligned to corporate strategy
• CSR must keep
stakeholders happy
• CSR must bring
about change
16. Most important factors in decision to sponsor
Marketing
– Brand fit
– Fit in Overall Marketing Mix
– Marketing impact
– Audience Reach
– Media exposure
Corporate Social Responsibility
– Fit in Corporate Responsibility Framework
– Business need
Social Outcomes
– Specific Objectives
– Community Outreach
17. The Perfect Partner for a Sponsor
Knowledgeable – done their research
Professional
Listening to business needs
Innovative
Value for money
Clear what they stand for
Flexible about meeting halfway
Open-minded and helpful
Enthusiastic
Responsive
Easy to get on with
Someone who recognises win-win situations
18. What companies want from us…
Help deliver corporate objectives
Infrastructure in place
– Dedicated account manager/team
– Model contracts
– Information packs
– Fundraising materials
– Co-branding agreements
Local projects or clear projects that will benefit
Excellent reporting on progress
19. What charities do corporates like?
• Well known and understood
• Readily recognised brand
• Motivating for their stakeholders –
especially staff
• Good spread of projects across the UK or
internationally
• People (children/cancer) or environment
focused
• Good track record of corporate partnerships
20. What companies don’t like
• Amateurishness
• Over-promise, under-deliver
• Slow in response
• Narrow offering of ways to engage
• Lack of flexibility
• Consortiums
• Can’t or won’t acknowledge the work the
company is doing
21. Best practice
• Research companies carefully
• Screen ethically up-front and decide on
appropriate levels of engagement
• Nurture over time
• Focus on partnership: mutual strategic
benefits
• Bespoke packages addressing common areas
of interest and benefit
• Offer range of options for engagement
• Financial and non-financial benefits
22. Know what you can offer
Clear ex ante ethical policy and engagement
strategy
Thresholds for engagement
– Product endorsement
– Licensing
– Roles and responsibilities
23. Ethical policies
• Often a bureaucratic way of saying “no”
• Often no more than a listing of sectors “we
feel uncomfortable with”
• Often reflects the biases of the most vocal
• Inflexible and restrictive
24.
25. Why don’t we talk about the
ethics of refusing a donation?
Rather than the ethics of accepting a
donation
26.
27. A beneficiary-focused ethical policy
Four questions:
– What impact would refusing a
donation have on the charity’s
ability to deliver to beneficiaries?
– What would our beneficiaries say?
– Have we asked them?
– Would they accept a poorer service
on ethical grounds?
30. What to do?
• Nurture who you’ve got
• Think about strategic co-achievement
• Non-financials – especially volunteering
• Think strategic alliance or don’t think at all!
• Be proactive and selective – research and approach
• Think long-term
• Be ever more professional and flexible
• Focus on those areas showing strength – especially
employee fundraising
