More corporate partnerships

Building a successful partnership with a business can be a game-changer for your charity. Done well, these partnerships open doors to new resources, skills and opportunities that can amplify your impact and help you reach more people who need your support.

Collaboration between the private and social sectors is all too often absent entirely. The Law Family Commission on Civil Society showed that UK businesses donate an average of just £450 a year to charities – broadly in line with the amount held in petty cash. It’s not that British business isn’t looking to do good – consider the huge growth in the ESG agenda in recent years – merely that it too often does it in parallel with civil society rather than in partnership with it.

With business-charity partnerships, there are no guaranteed shortcuts. Charities can spend valuable time and energy just trying to secure a short term partnership which doesn’t always go beyond a donation or an annual volunteer day. In the worst cases, it can feel like charities are “competing” in beauty pageants for short-lived “charity of the year” roles. Sure, it brings in a cash injection. But it doesn’t build anything lasting. It doesn’t dig deep into the work that needs doing.

What if there is a better way? In a series of round-table events bringing together charity and business leaders, we reviewed the challenges, pitfalls and best practice examples of charity business partnerships. Insights from this work featured in our report, A prosperous partnership: supporting better collaboration between charities and businesses. Here's what we learnt:

Finding the shared purpose

To build a partnership that makes a real difference, finding a truly shared purpose is essential. It’s not about jumping on the latest trend or latching onto a convenient connection. It’s about aligning with something deeper — a mission you both care about. Without this, the partnership will struggle to last. But when both sides are genuinely committed to the same cause, everything else becomes easier. That’s where trust, excitement and sustainable impact can begin.

Take the partnership between Boots UK and the stay clean charity Hygiene Bank. This isn’t just about providing products or giving money. Boots’ founder, more than 150 years ago, was passionate about making hygiene essentials accessible to everyone. That purpose aligns perfectly with the Hygiene Bank’s work today, and that alignment is woven into every aspect of the collaboration. It’s clear. It’s genuine. And because of this, it has a lasting impact.

Finding this kind of connection takes time, and sometimes it takes saying “no” to a partnership which doesn’t quite fit. Be confident in what your charity stands for and stay committed to that. It can be tempting to compromise, especially when resources are tight. But a mismatched partnership may end up draining your energy and resources.

So, start by defining your unique strengths and what your charity really offers —whether it’s community expertise, innovative approaches or a deep understanding of a particular issue. Let those guide your search for the right partner.

When you invest in finding a good match, you open the door to meaningful, sustainable relationships. The right partner doesn’t just give money or show up for photo ops. They bring your mission into their culture and make it part of who they are. And that’s where real change starts.

Communicating clearly and often

Strong partnerships thrive on open, honest and regular communication. It sounds simple, but when things get busy, this step is easy to overlook. At the beginning of any partnership, sit down together and have a real conversation. Spell out your goals. What are each of you hoping to achieve? What does success look like?

Get specific about who will handle what. Will the business provide funding or resources? How often will you both check in on the progress? Establishing these details upfront keeps everyone on the same page and avoids confusion or disappointment later. Misaligned expectations can strain the partnership, but clear communication helps everyone stay focused.

Even after you start working together, make communication a priority. Check in regularly. As time goes on, priorities will shift — on both sides. Circumstances change, new challenges arise, and that’s okay. Regular conversations let you adjust when you need to, so the partnership stays strong and relevant. An open door approach to feedback helps both sides stay connected to the shared purpose and makes it easier to keep things running smoothly.

Structuring for success

Beyond shared purpose and good communication, effective partnerships benefit from solid structure. A clear, well organised plan can make all the difference, allowing each side to focus on what they do best without getting bogged down by administrative challenges.

Consider the collaboration between the Strand Palace Hotel and Only a Pavement Away, a charity which helps people facing homelessness, former prisoners and veterans find work in hospitality. Their partnership goes far beyond donations. The hotel offers real job placements, training and opportunities for long term employment.

Both sides have defined roles, clear expectations and the commitment to help people transition into stable careers. This isn’t a one-time effort; it’s a structured approach to building pathways out of hardship.

To set up a partnership like this, map out each side’s roles and responsibilities from the start. And make use of shared tools and systems, like tracking platforms, to measure impact. Having consistent data lets you see the results and ensure the partnership stays on track.

Streamlining processes, like reporting, frees everyone up to focus on creating change rather than getting lost in paperwork. With a solid structure, both you and your partner can maximise the impact without unnecessary back and forth.

Thinking beyond the short term

Short term projects can be valuable, but they don’t have the same impact as long term commitments. A partnership with a long term focus gives both sides time to build trust, learn from each other and find the best ways to work together.

Benefact Group’s relationship with the Gloucestershire Deaf Association is a great example. This partnership isn’t about one-off donations. It’s about consistent, ongoing support that makes a real difference in the lives of deaf children and their families. Benefact Group provides financial stability for the charity, which helps fund supportive environments for kids to build friendships and for families to connect.

Over time, the relationship has deepened, and the business now offers additional support through employee training and awareness programmes. This is a partnership which grows and adapts, creating lasting benefits.

When both sides commit to a long term partnership, they can also focus on place-based impact, especially if they’re part of the same community. Long term partnerships allow both sides to tackle complex, local issues together, pooling resources in a way that benefits the community and strengthens each organisation’s presence.

Building partnerships which last

For charities, the key to successful business partnerships is to take the time to find the right fit. Focus on working with businesses which genuinely align with your values and vision. A partnership built on mutual respect and a shared purpose isn’t just valuable; it’s transformative. These partnerships go beyond transactions. They’re about impact, commitment and long term change.

It’s also crucial to avoid “cookie-cutter” partnerships that can create an imbalance. Partnerships which only serve a business’s short term goals can dilute your charity’s mission. By focusing on finding purpose-driven, long term partnerships, you can build relationships which make a real difference in the lives of those you serve.

With a shared mission, clear communication, structured strategies and a commitment to the long term, you can unlock the full potential of business-charity partnerships. This isn’t about ticking boxes; it’s about creating partnerships which go the distance and have a real impact. By working thoughtfully, charities and businesses can transform these relationships into powerful drivers of change.

Ethical considerations

By carefully considering which partner aligns most closely with its core values, a charity can maximise a brand partnership whilst also staying true to its charitable objectives. This leads to increased market visibility and strengthens a charity's identity.

There are various high profile campaigns which demonstrate how successful this approach can be. Take Marks & Spencer who partner with Breast Cancer Now, where both brands are focused on supporting women through breast cancer diagnosis – sharing stories from customers and supporters in a genuine and thoughtful way to support others who have similar personal experiences.

Another example is how Dogs on the Streets and All Dogs Matter partnered with BrewDog to increase awareness of homeless dogs and find new homes for them. BrewDog's “Street Dog” product was developed with these goals in mind and provided an innovative way of bringing recognition of the charity’s work to a new audience.

Communication is key from the outset when any charity is exploring a partnership opportunity. It's vital that you establish clear ways of working as soon as you engage with another brand, and early interactions can often be a strong sign of whether or not a particular brand will be a good fit. Establishing an open dialogue and being confident enough to ask difficult but pertinent questions will help to understand whether both brands have the same values and goals in mind.

Regulatory complexity

Safeguarding a charity's brand should be a top priority in any partnership. A charity must ensure its logo is suitably protected, and if promotional materials and taglines form part of the collaboration, it is crucial that the charity and its proposed partner discuss ownership of both existing and new IP. Trademarks, logos and original designs are core assets which require careful protection to avoid misuse or dilution.

A partnership agreement should be drawn up which addresses these aspects, defines any approval rights and processes, and also provides for use of materials once the campaign has come to an end in order to minimise any unintended consequences.

All promotional materials must be transparent and not misleading to avoid falling foul of advertising and marketing regulations. This includes clearly disclosing the nature of the collaboration to consumers and adhering to rules on influencer marketing and endorsements, where content must expressly state if there's a commercial relationship in place.

Data security is another key consideration at the start of a partnership, and robust contractual commitments are essential to ensure any data gathered as part of a collaboration is stored and used in accordance with applicable laws. This will minimise any financial and reputational risks in the event of misuse or loss of customer data.

The applicable regulatory and legal landscape will depend on the nature of a collaboration. If a charity is looking to run a co-branded campaign, the advertising and marketing rules will be paramount. A good example of this type of collaboration is the Samaritans partnering with National Rail to encourage rail passengers to chat to fellow travellers who appear to be at risk.

This campaign is a hugely successful one, instigating multiple life-saving interventions through a carefully thought through advertising initiative. Combining their respective sector knowledge, these two brands have come together with shared values to create meaningful content at railway stations across the country.

Another type of partnership might involve the production of a joint product, like Gillette who produce a particular product for their “Movember” range. Working together in this way, Gilette's product team have worked seamlessly with “Movember” representatives to raise awareness of mental health and prostate cancer through a product aimed at those who may unfortunately suffer from such illnesses.

Where brands do come together to create a new product, a well drafted contact should include quality control clauses, ensuring that both parties meet agreed standards to uphold their respective reputations and avoid disputes.

Whatever the nature of the collaboration, brands should enter into a written agreement which not only covers product and content ownership, marketing approvals and quality control, but also addresses financial contributions and the share of any revenue generated as well as establishing exit strategies, allowing for termination in cases of reputational or financial risk. Incorporating these elements from the outset helps mitigate risks and paves the way for a smooth, legally sound partnership that enhances brand value whilst protecting key assets.

Reputation considerations

Charity corporate partnerships are vital to raise a charity's profile across different sectors. Whilst charities may have regular income streams from existing donors and activities, a collaboration can often open doors and increase the charity's reach towards new audiences.

One of the most successful approaches is to find a corporate partner who already operates in a market which is ancillary to a charity's goals and objectives. A good example of this is Dogs Trust working alongside Pets At Home, maximising opportunities with retail customers who are passionate about animals.

Similarly, Age UK has partnered with Innocent to extend their reach across the knitting community nationwide with their “Big Knit” initiative – encouraging thousands of volunteers to make hats for smoothie bottles. Not only did this collaboration result in a direct revenue stream for Age UK from sales of Innocent smoothies, it also increased Age UK's profile beyond its existing donor base.

Partnering with brands who have similar values reduces the risk of issues arising during a partnership because these values should underpin their respective working practices and facilitate more transparency. Partners must have a clear discussion about the overall aims and objectives of their chosen initiative at the start of their working relationship. This will avoid misunderstanding or disputes arising once the collaboration is in the public domain.

Any agreed goals, performance levels or projected revenue should be captured in a written partnership agreement at the outset. The agreement can also set out the circumstances in which either brand can exit the arrangement, which may be on mutual terms or at either partner's discretion if it becomes apparent that its reputation is at stake.

Actions for success

Here are some key actions to make your brand collaboration a success:

• Select a partner whose values align with yours; conduct thorough due diligence to assess if the partnership will enhance or dilute your brand’s identity, and avoid reputational risks. This should include ethical and sustainability considerations, being open from the outset about the origins of materials, manufacturing processes and the environmental impact of products.
• Set mutual objectives and agree on key performance indicators (KPIs) like audience growth or stock movement (if relevant), regularly revisiting these metrics to stay on track.
• Maintain open, clear and regular communication by defining check-in points from the beginning and adhering to them, ensuring that both parties remain aligned throughout the collaboration.
• Engage legal teams early to draft contracts, identify potential risks and offer strategic advice, ensuring a smooth and legally sound partnership.