1. Leveraging Corporate Partnerships
to Provide Revenue and Member Value for Association Foundations
Bruce Rosenthal
Strategic Advisor, Consultant, and Educator – Bruce Rosenthal Associates, LLC
May 15, 2019
Copyright 2019 Bruce Rosenthal Associates, LLC

2. Who I Am?
Experience helping associations increase revenue and member value with corporate partnership programs.
Long-time association executive
Advisor/consultant
Educator/trainer
Convener, Partnership Professionals Network

3. What We’re Talking About Today
Beyond the logo!
Trends
Achieving alignment – internally and externally
4 key components
Next steps
Q&A / discussion
Thanks to our Corporate Partners

4. Current Trends
Kate to present this slide.

5. Most Associations Face Three Challenges
Need for revenue – especially discretionary revenue
Need for enhanced member services – to ensure recruitment and retention
Demands from corporate partners – ROI and thought leadership
The best solution is an improved Corporate Partnership Program that increases revenue and member value.

6. The Great Big ROI Disconnect Associations are Selling
Companies
are Buying
Most
Associations are Selling
Behavior/
Engagement
Attitude
Awareness
Visibility

7. It’s a New Day in Corporate Fundraising
Article in the Harvard Business Review “What the Best Nonprofits Know About Strategy,” by Kevin Barenblat, Harvard Business Review, August 9, 2018
“The most successful nonprofits think about fundraising like sales: They’re as thoughtful about the benefits to the funder as about those to the beneficiaries they serve, often creating mission-aligned products or experiences tailored to a specific type of funder.”

8. Three Important Rules Rule #1 Rule #2 Rule #3
Association’s mission comes first
Rule #2
Needs of members are a close second
Rule #3
Don’t forget Rule #1 and Rule #2

9. Achieving Alignment

10. It’s all about Business Decisions
Associations are making business decisions
Association foundations are making business decisions
Members are making business decisions
Corporate partners are making business decisions

11. The Objective is ROI It’s not philanthropy.
There’s plenty of competition for your association’s/ foundation’s corporate program.
Companies have choices.

12. Make Your Foundation a Value-Add
Five ways = T.E.A.M.S
Think tank
Expertise
Audience
Member demographics
Status

13. Foundation vs. Association?
Don’t compete with each other
Don’t confuse corporate partners
Identify unique foundation benefits

14. Package Benefits as ROI Solutions
Key areas of interest to corporate partners:
Business development
Brand differentiation
Thought leadership

15. Finding the win-win-win-win
What members need
plus
what each company can offer
equals
the win-win-win-win.

16. Four Components of a Strong Corporate Partnership Program

17. Components of a Strong Program
Four ways = C.A.B.S
Culture change
Allocation of resources
Business plan
Strategy

18. Culture Change Collaboration; values; inspiration Roles for CEO/ED
Roles for board
Roles for staff
Celebrate success

19. Allocation of Resources
Staff – dedicated
Staff – other
Expense budget

20. Business Plan
Tactics
Methods
Road map
Measurement

21. Strategy
Objectives
Leadership
SWOT
Goals

22. Next Steps

23. To Create a Corporate Partner Program
Assess your program
Be entrepreneurial
Incremental change
Scale based on your organization’s capacity
Foundation “vs” association
Have a plan – 4 components
Proceed until apprehended

24. Contact Information
Bruce Rosenthal Principal, Bruce Rosenthal Associates, LLC
Networking and education
Idea Exchanges and Workshops
Meeting announcements and notes

25. Conversation? Questions?