Feature: Corporate Partnership & Sponsorship
The value of building partnerships
Corporate partnerships and sponsorships have been around for a long time but it could be argued that there has been a step change in recent years in relation to how organisations go about such arrangements and, indeed, what they look to get out of them. Increasingly, partnerships and sponsorships –
especially between commercial entities and charity/fundraising organisations – are no longer “single transaction” events where the former provides time, skills, money or a combination of the three. Nowadays, such relationships are part of a bigger picture built around an increasing focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR). CSR activity – such as the identifying and
maintaining of corporate partnerships and sponsorships - can and does take a wide variety of forms and can be done for a variety of reasons. Demonstrating a willingness to engage with other organisations, especially those which serve a specific purpose to do good in societies, and partake in CSR- related activity to bring about positive, tangible results is an excellent and effective way of showing that a business’s practices are ethical and that it takes account of its social, economic and environmental responsibilities. And it’s something business leaders are rapidly
taking on board. A recent survey by Chamber member PwC suggested that 64% of CEOs are increasing their investment in CSR because “they care about building trust with consumers, partners, governments, and their employees”. As this becomes increasingly common practice within the business world, that 64% figure is only likely to go one way. Indeed, a report compiled by the Chamber, following
original research, revealed that six-out-of-ten businesses in the East Midlands have engaged in CSR activity in the past year, with 40% of them looking to increase their involvement in the coming year. The survey involved 276 businesses and found that,
of those that undertook some form of CSR, the overwhelming drive behind it was a desire to ‘give something back’ to the local community, with 79% citing that as a primary reason. Of course many corporate partnerships and
sponsorships are underpinned by strategy. Rather than a haphazard approach to such relationships and activities, it makes sense for an organisation to engage with an organisation or project that is aligned and relevant to who they are and what they do. Take the Chamber’s annual Business Awards for
example, each year the individual sponsors of each award will almost without exception be associated
East Midlands Chamber Directory 2019 27
with a category that resonates with them – for example a university or college sponsoring the Education and Business Partnership award. And it is the virtuous circle of partnerships and
sponsorships that, when done well, offer a potentially profound impact – repaying the cost to a business in terms of hours and money, and then some. In an interview for the Chamber’s Business Network
magazine David Williams, Chairman of Chamber Patron and leading law firm Geldards, was both enthusiastic and positive about the effect CSR and partnership building can have on both businesses and the environment they operate in. He said: “We want to make the business
environment better, because that’s ultimately good for Geldards. There are lots of virtuous circles there and I think it’s really enriching. “If we can improve our environment we can improve
our business. My mantra about CSR is to do good, look good and feel good. Essentially, if we do good it makes us look good, which also make us feel good, so the firm feels better. We’ve done some great stuff for people outside the firm, nobody’s losing and everyone is winning and I think that improves all of our skills as well.” All in all, despite the time and financial pressures
many businesses encounter, the appetite for CSR and building partnerships – as well as the lengths at which businesses are going to get meaningfully involved – appears to be growing and that was the overall message which came out of the Chamber’s CSR Summit. At the event, the Chamber’s Director of Policy, Chris
Hobson, said: “There’s definitely more work to be done to demonstrate the positive impact CSR can have on both businesses and charities alike, alongside the most effective ways of making the biggest impact. We need to bring together charities and the private sector to understand what works well, where there are opportunities to do more and what role the Chamber and others can play to help make this happen.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
