Finnish companies look to upscale support for nonprofits

According to an online survey of 40 companies, the majority of corporate partners sustained or increased their support and collaboration with nonprofits during the course of the pandemic. One third of respondents said that they had expanded their collaboration with existing partner partners or started a new collaboration, while half said that their cooperation remained the same. The survey was carried out by VaLA (the Finnish Fundraising Association) in partnership with Marketing Finland – a network of 400 companies.

The majority consider it likely that they will increase future charitable donations and volunteering opportunities for employees. When it comes to the nature of their support, over one in five (22%) said they collaborate with nonprofits on cause related marketing, and a similar proportion (20%) have donated or provided other financial support. The most prominent causes for corporate partners are the wellbeing of children and young people (31%), and protecting the environment and nature (28%).

Of the companies that responded to the survey, 8 in 10 had collaborated with several nonprofits in the past two years, with just 15% working with one partner alone. While one quarter of representatives (24%) said they were looking for long-term commitment and partnership from the nonprofits they work with, almost four in ten representatives (38%) hope that such partnerships will strengthen their brand awareness among existing and new customers.

Pia Tornikoski of VaLa, the Finnish Fundraising Association, says: “We can see a lot of optimism for developing stronger corporate partnerships. It is important to understand both what companies want, and what nonprofits need, to ensure the most successful, long-term partnerships for the future.”

A parallel study of 120 nonprofit representatives carried out by Taloustutkimus earlier this year found that nonprofit organisations are seeking to have deeper collaboration with corporate partners e.g mutual co-innovation projects. The general consensus was that companies could make greater use of the knowledge and expertise of NPOs.

Both the corporate partnership and nonprofit surveys highlight the appetite for co-operative training, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities.

Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash