Partnerships
Working with business
If you want to gain support from companies local to your school, you need a plan of action, says Kevin Parker
I
t’s easy to imagine that in the current fi nancial climate, hard-pressed businesses will not have the time or inclination to help schools. But in many cases, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The
important thing to remember is that any kind of partnership between a business and a school is a win/ win for both parties. Your school might get a new funding stream or one-off donation that enables a project to be delivered – and businesses have much to gain from supporting a school. While you might get lucky simply fi ring off a few
emails to local businesses, I fi nd it helpful to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The following framework can help you develop your own strategy for success – it’s certainly worked for me!
Who to approach The answer is anyone and
everyone. I never rule anything out. Granted, national and global companies have major corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) programmes that are planned in advance, but you only need one person in the local offi ce to be enthusiastic in order to make a difference to your school. Plus national chains often have grant schemes that you can apply for at a local level. The FundEd grants database is really
useful as you can search for available grants and fi lter by key stage, region and subject. It has everything from breakfast club grants, to funding for STEM and cultivating green spaces! Smaller and local companies are often keen to help out a neighbourhood school, particularly if the children of employees go there, or if the employees themselves are alumni. They might give donations of products and money, or provide sponsorship for a longer term project.
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