plan for aggressive activation
Once you’ve agreed on strategic options for your partnership, its time to create detailed and aggressive activation plans that show how you would bring the supporting visibility and engagement plan to life. Explain specifically what you need from your partner in terms of funding, participation and time to make it all work. For corporate donors, engage Marketing, PR, HR, the CEO’s office and others and ask them explain what reactions the company wants to elicit from employees, consumers, channel partners, suppliers, community leaders and other stakeholders relating to the partnership.
Be aware that most corporations with sizeable cause partnerships want to create a unique identity for their work with you, which is understandable given the effort that they will likely put into generating visibility. This does not have to mean exclusivity, however. In most cases, you can address your corporate partner’s differentiation needs by providing a clear central focus of your joint effort and by creating a distinct personality for your work together through the specifics of a creative activation plan.
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Focal Point Philanthropy Advisors can work with your team and your partner to create joint activation strategies to help you get to a new level of partnership.