This is according to The Deloitte Fundraising Report 2024, produced by Fundraising Norge and Deloitte. The report is based on the finances of 57 of the country’s largest charities, including Stiftelsen Flyktninghjelpen (The Norwegian Refugee Council), with income of NOK 8.1bn for the year, a 5% yearly increase.

Grants from Norwegian authorities to charities rose by 18% to NOK 8.2bn during the year – with around half of that going to the Røde Kors (Red Cross) and Stiftelsen Flyktninghjelpen. However, disregarding donations relating to Ukraine, this income fell by 3%.

Funds from EU, UN and other international bodies also grew to NOK 7.8bn, a 13% year-on-year rise.

The amount of income received from regular donors was NOK 2.55bn in 2023, a 2% rise during the year. This was due to a 14% increase in the number of new regular donors recruited during 2023 versus 2022, while average donations rose very slightly, from NOK 2,158 in 2022 to NOK 2,169 in 2023 – but still slightly lower than the 2,177 figure of 2022.

Income from occasional donors dropped by nearly a quarter, from NOK 985m in 2022 to NOK 777m in 2023.

Contributions from the business world dropped by a similar margin of 27%, to NOK 918m in the year.

The survey also shows that email is now the most used marketing and fundraising channel among Norwegian charities, taking over from Facebook, ahead of the platform winding down its fundraising tool in Europe in 2024.

Looking ahead, nearly one in five (18%) of respondents suggested they would like to use crowdfunding as a fundraising method in future – in addition to 44% who already have done so.

Almost all (95%) of charities in the survey use payment platform Vipps.

Fundraising Europe reported earlier this year that, according to a Vipps survey, Norwegian charity donors have a more pronounced gender split than in other Nordic nations, and were also less interested than their neighbours in environmental causes.

Photo by Christoffer Engstrom on Unsplash

At Action Tutoring, we don’t have a huge team working on corporate partnerships, but it’s led and driven by a lot of passion, determination and resilience! We truly believe charities cannot do it alone; to create change, businesses and charities must work together. You bring different strengths and resources to ‘the table’ ­– and that’s what drives positive transformation.

In summer 2023, we were announced as QBE Foundation’s new Community Partner. The charitable arm of a leading global insurance group, QBE Foundation pledged over £1.5 million to us across a three-year partnership, running until 2026.

A shared focus

They had a focus on ‘inclusion’, and that’s what we’re all about: ensuring disadvantaged pupils can access opportunities such as further education, employment and training. They had a refreshing approach to philanthropy, wanting to move beyond funding alone and really dive into our mission.

Agreed outcomes

As such, our partnership is focused on four key outcomes:

• Increase Action Tutoring’s geographical reach, with an ambition for 30% of our delivery to be based outside our current urban hubs by 2026, with a particular focus on overlooked rural and seaside communities.
• Grow the number of pupils we support each year to 10,000 in 2027.
• Drive our impact by empowering our pupils to match the national average pass rates for all pupils in English SATs and GCSEs, helping to reduce the attainment gap.
• Advocacy for tutoring support for disadvantaged pupils.

Working together

QBE Foundation is helping us move closer to these ambitions in a number of ways; they regularly encourage their colleagues to volunteer as tutors, connect us with potential useful contacts, and provide opportunities to visit their regional offices and deliver presentations to their teams both virtually and in-person. They also help us raise awareness of educational disadvantages through blogs, social media campaigns, videos, case studies (even supplying teams and resources to help us go into schools and conduct pupil and tutor interviews), provide us with office space, and engage their employees with fundraising challenges throughout the year.

As our partnership has progressed, we’ve developed the aims we want to achieve. For example, we started out with a handful of QBE colleagues volunteering as tutors; but as engagement grew, we set a target to get 10% of their UK colleagues as volunteers. We co-designed a strategy to ensure we were clear in our mutual ambitions and aligned on how we would achieve them, and what success would look like.

Maintaining close contact

We have regular catch ups and always look for ways to improve what we’re doing and how we do it. We ensure our connection goes beyond just our philanthropy team and their Ttustees – our marketing teams are connected, their colleagues know our programme delivery team through tutoring weekly, and their senior leaders have visited schools to see our programmes in action. Their Foundation Chairman even joined our annual team day to talk to our 70+ staff team about who they are, what they do and why they chose Action Tutoring as a partner, which is great for engaging our team in the partnership more deeply (especially when we’re all based across England).

Real partnership

They’re also helping us shape our thinking and strategies to some of the key business ‘challenges’ we’re facing, such as their Executive Team spending a whole day with our SLT to consider how to tackle developing more fruitful partnerships, enhance our approach to sustainability and refine our staff development offer. They really want to see us succeed as a charity and encourage other corporations with our work too; they have a very collaborative approach to the partnership and an aspirational ambition to do all they can to help as many children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve academically and take their next step in life.

A key highlight was when a video QBE Foundation made about us was shortlisted as a finalist in the Corporate Cause category of the 2024 Smiley Charity Film Awards. The film was created to increase engagement and awareness across QBE colleagues and regional offices by highlighting the educational disadvantage and the solution we offer.

We love working with QBE Foundation. We have a few years of our current partnership left, but hope to extend it. We’re doing great work together and have the potential to support even more disadvantaged young people to achieve.

Sharing key learnings
Organisations often have limited time or resources, or both – so it’s critical to ensure you’re in alignment with a potential partner. As a charity it’s tempting to try to drive a partnership, even if it’s not suited to your mission – but that business could be providing critical support to a charity they have deeper synergy with ­– and your ideal corporate partner could be closer than you think. So really review the opportunity: is it right for your charity, and is it right for right now?

It’s also important to remember it’s a partnership; show your partner the impact you’re having together and take them ‘on the journey’. If things are challenging and you’re facing hurdles, tell them! It’s much better to work towards solutions together. Communication is key!

Hannah O’Neill

About Hannah O’Neill

Hannah O’Neill is the head of philanthropy at Action Tutoring. Having been with the education charity for over seven years, Hannah first spent 3.5 years in direct delivery, coordinating the charity’s tutoring programmes across Liverpool, where she’s based, before moving into partnerships and fundraising. She now leads the charity’s philanthropy team to drive fruitful, sustainable and transformational corporate partnerships, whilst overseeing all fundraising activities and initiatives.

Conducted by Taloustutkimus at the end of May, and involving 300 company interviews, the survey found that those in the trade and service sectors were most likely to donate or collaborate with one or multiple charity organizations, along with larger companies by revenue and staff size. 9% of respondents expressed interest in collaboration but had no experience with it yet.

A little over a third of the survey respondents were not interested in donating or collaborating with charity organizations. A significant portion of these respondents represented small companies or those in the construction or industrial sectors.

Companies see financial situation as an obstacle to donations

The most significant reason (40%) for the lack of interest, as reported by respondents, was a poor financial situation.

“The study shows that this is biggest reason for not donating, just as it is for individuals. Fewer companies said they lacked interest or willingness. But even the smallest contributions from donors are valuable to organizations,” reminds Pia Tornikoski, Secretary General of the Finnish Fundraising Association.

Charities are also keen on collaborating with companies

There is also strong interest within the nonprofit field for cooperation with companies. According to a charity survey conducted in March-April, corporate collaboration was an important funding source for 28% of respondents, and a third planned to invest in it in the future. 62% of organizations reported having collaborated with one or more companies.

VaLa has previously investigated what companies aim to achieve with donations or organizational collaboration. Nearly 90% of respondents to a narrower survey stated that implementing corporate responsibility was a fairly or very important motive. Over 70% of respondents also mentioned brand strengthening among current and/or potential customers and enhancing the employer image among current employees and job seekers as fairly or very important.

Future collaboration views differ between companies and charities

When asked about future prospects, nearly half of the companies considered it most likely that they would increase financial support to charities. Additionally, over 30% believed that pro bono collaboration and enabling employee volunteering would increase in the next two years.

Charities also expected to see an increase in pro bono collaboration (62%) and companies’ donations and financial support (55%). Charities firmly believed that companies would increasingly utilize their expertise, for example by purchasing services from charities (70%). However, less than a quarter of companies believed in this.

“Charities often have solid expertise that companies could utilize to advance and develop their business. I believe we will see more cross-sector collaboration in the future, benefiting the entire society,” hopes Pia Tornikoski.

About the research

Taloustutkimus conducted a survey commissioned by VaLa ry as part of the Business Telebus round, with 300 SMEs (employing 5-249 people) responding. The survey investigated companies’ views on donating to charities and collaboration between companies and NGOs.

VaLa and Marketing Finland conducted an online survey for Marketing Finland member companies, “Corporate Donations and Collaboration with Organizations,” in spring 2024. The survey received responses from 22 companies, more than half of which employed over 250 people.

Taloustutkimus conducted the “Organizations’ Financial Operating Conditions 2024” survey commissioned by VaLa ry and the Ministry of Justice, which examined the sources of income and fundraising developments for organizations. The survey was conducted in March-April 2024, with interviews from 120 charity organizations from various sectors.

Main picture by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash

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

Among the key findings, the study reveals that charitable organisations in Germany raise twice as large a share of their voluntary income through corporate gifts than those in France and ten times as much as those in the UK. Organisations in France and the Netherlands generate over a third of that income from private donations, while those in Spain, Switzerland and the UK raise more than €1 in every €2 from foundations.

The Swiss philanthropic market is the smallest in the study (raising €3.45 million annually compared with €51.29m in the UK and €22.08m in Germany), and yet the average amount given per person is second only to the UK.

The study, produced by StiftungSchweiz, the largest digital philanthropy platform in Switzerland, highlights areas of commonality and contrast in charitable giving trends. Drawing data from a range of sources, the report acknowledges the challenges in identifying comparable figures across European markets and emphasises the need for more robust sector research.

Peter Buss, StiftungSchweiz

Dr. Peter Buss, Founder and CEO of StiftungSchweiz says:

“Charitable giving differs considerably at a national level, but there are some fascinating trends and differences noted in our research. Foundations clearly play an important role in income generation across Europe, but there is not always clarity about how those funds are allocated. Donations from individuals are significant, with a large number of digital platforms making giving even more accessible. However, the share of money given digitally remains a small fraction of that income, suggesting there is far greater scope for growth.”

Germany

With voluntary income of €22 billion, Germany is the second largest philanthropic market in the study. Corporate giving is particularly prevalent, with companies giving 43% of fundraised income – as much as donations from private individuals (23%) and foundations (20%) combined (excluding church foundations). Second only to the UK, Germany also a considerable share of state lottery money (13%). The report also references ‘great potential’ for growth in legacy donations (charitable bequests).

France

The charitable sector in France raises €9.62 billion and is more reliant on donations from private donors (36%) than any other country in the report. This is closely followed by income from foundations (29%), which the report describes as ‘surprising’ since foundations are relatively new to the market. Bequests are also very strong, raising 11% of donated income.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, €6.19 billion is gifted annually and the donation sub-markets are fairly balanced. Income from companies (31%) and private donors (34%) are almost equally strong, with lotteries yielding around €1 in €10 given (9%).

Switzerland

The smallest market in the study, foundations contribute more than half (53%) of the total amount given in Switzerland (€3.45 billion). In general, despite the disparity in the overall size of the market, the UK and Switzerland are very similar in their donation trends. The market share of corporate giving (3%) is modest compared to Germany, France and the Netherlands, although the report authors question if there is a lack of complete data available.

Spain

Raising €3.77 across all channels, Spain’s nonprofits rely heavily on income from foundations, at 62%. In comparison, corporate donations are marginal (8%) – and the author questions whether companies may donate through corporate foundations. Almost a quarter (23%) of donations are given from individuals.

United Kingdom

The UK is the largest market in the study, both in absolute and relative terms, raising €51.29 billion annually – more than all the other countries in the study combined. The largest share is contributed by foundations at 51%, followed by private donors (23%) and lotteries (17%). Corporate giving is relatively small in comparison to other markets at just 4%.

The report was developed with support from Brakeley Ltd, Brakeley GMBH, Cred Funding, Han Valk, LVWB Fundraising and Zohar Consulting.

For more see the full report.

Charitable giving and fundraising have changed markedly in recent months. While some of those evolutions were already on the cards in 2019, many are a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis and others have simply been accelerated by it. What’s changing and what will this mean for the future?

Donor numbers in decline

Most noticeably, we will see fewer individual donors. For nonprofit organisations – certainly the larger ones – the focus is on regular giving, with more than 85% of income coming from monthly donors, many of whom were brought on board through face-to-face and telemarketing. So, perhaps the time has come for more of a focus on supporters who lie in that middle ground between these regular donors and major philanthropists, instead of the current one-size-fits-all approach.

At the start of the Spanish financial crisis in 2008-09, the number of supporters dropped by around 10% to 15%. If we’re facing similar figures, nonprofits will need to invest heavily in donor loyalty to prevent further supporter losses. After all, for the next couple of years at least, it will be difficult to replace these withdrawals with new donors, due to the challenge of recruiting supporters face-to-face. Plus, the decline in wages and employment will limit the capacity of families to give. Faced with the fear of economic uncertainty, families are choosing to save rather than spend. Donors should be reminded that their donations are now more important than ever.

Unlike the UK market, events are part of the fundraising mix in Spain, but they rarely yield a fundamental level of income, with the exception of some research, health and local organisations. So, the limitations imposed by COVID-19 for events are unlikely to have such a significant impact across the sector.

Changing funding models for nonprofits

The lockdown is affecting all sources of income, ranging from foundations to the sale of services, particularly in the cultural, social or educational fields. Nonprofits working at a local level or in the fields of social welfare, research and health, will surely have greater capacity to raise funds than much of the rest of the sector, who will need to make structural changes and potentially to radically alter their funding model. 

Unlike in the USA, banking and grant foundations in the EU and Spain – due to lower profitability levels – are likely to reduce their budgets from 2021 to 2023. However, dependence on foundations is relatively low in Spain.

Companies have responded to the COVID-19 emergency with a very high commitment to donate, especially to hospitals and also to the government(!). The majority of businesses are already strongly affected by COVID, although some have been able to build and strengthen during this time. So, while corporate giving will suffer where businesses are in crisis, I’m expecting to see partnerships with nonprofits increase. The corporate movement towards a purpose-driven philosophy, with businesses increasingly seeking to positively influence the world around them is of course a positive step, which may create more opportunities for charities and partnership working.

Activating supporter ambassadors online

Online donor recruitment has been the trend for months: but we have yet to see its growth capacity and the potential impact on advertising costs. We need to be able to activate those committed donors as our ambassadors – acting as our F2F team among their friendship groups and contacts.  

Organisations will have to develop their online community of donors. Supporter relationships shouldn’t be like paying for a utility, such as electricity and gas. We have to change that relationship and ensure it isn’t too passive, and that means knowing our supporters and what they want from us. As Mark Phillips says in this Queer Ideas blog, some donors give to focus on a problem, while others give to forget. The more we understand their drivers, the better we can build on those relationships and deepen supporter commitment.

The need to grow, change and adapt

And, as in 2008, we may simply have to learn to survive with fewer donors and fewer resources. We have to grow, change and adapt. In other words, we have to innovate, to try new things and not to fear making a few mistakes along the way. After all, the virus will remain a big part of our world for some time yet. It’s up to us to re-invent the future for our organisations, our supporters and beneficiaries. 

Related feature:

Future-proofing fundraising for a pandemic world

What do you think?

Are these changes reflected in your national market? How is your fundraising environment changing? What are the opportunities and challenges for re-shaping fundraising and the donor market? To continue the discussion, comment via our Linked In page.

About Ricard Valls Riera

CEO of Zohar Consultoria & Marketing Social, Ricard has over 30 years of experience in consulting and fundraising strategy for nonprofits, NGOs, universities, hospitals and research. Ricard is the global leader of #GivingTuesday Spain and author of “Como captar fondos con éxito”. He is also a founder and ex-treasurer of EFA. Follow him on Twitter: @rvalls.

There’s no doubt that this is a challenging environment for charities to generate income across the board, but recent studies suggest that it’s corporate fundraising that will be hit particularly hard in the coming years.

Businesses large and small are feeling the pinch after many months of reduced trading levels due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cost-cutting measures are being introduced and large-scale redundancy announcements are increasingly widespread, making it more difficult for employers to justify giving money away while simultaneously shedding staff.

While some national economies have been more severely impacted than others, many employees across Europe are still working from home and there remains continued uncertainty about the spread of the virus and what this means for future working practices. Against this backdrop, what does this mean for corporate fundraising?

Pandemic expected to take its toll

Recent surveys of fundraising specialists in the Netherlands, the UK and the US found that, out of a broad range of voluntary income streams, corporate giving was the area most likely to decline over the next three to five years, while major giving and legacies were expected to drive income growth.

Thomas Schiffelmann, head of marketing at Handicap International in Germany, says: “The Covid pandemic is having a huge impact on our corporate partners. Companies have less income, so we’re facing an even bigger challenge to raise funds.”

With responsibility for strategic and value-based corporate partnerships at Save the Children (Redd Barna) in Norway, Bodil Sveen Berggren agreed, saying corporate fundraising, prospecting and managing existing partnerships have all become more challenging.

She commented: “This spring, the pandemic instantly resulted in corporates reducing costs, preparing for economic uncertainty. Supporting organisations like ours, while at the same time laying off employees, is not easily communicated.

“Preventing a learning crisis from becoming a generational catastrophe requires urgent action from all. Building knowledge helps the corporate community stay attentive to the macro picture. Hence, we share information about how we work to reduce the negative effects Covid-19 has on children and communities around the world. Despite being in the middle of a deep economic downturn, we see signs of renewed interest from the B2B segment.”

While Reinier Spruit, interim fundraising manager & senior advisor at Greenpeace in the Netherlands, believes that income projections for corporate fundraising are heavily linked to the corona crisis, he also feels that corporate donations can often be overrated in the fundraising mix. He says: “The expectations from charities starting out in this area – in both how fast and how much income can be raised from corporates – are almost always too high.”

Working towards a diverse funding base will be all the more important for ensuring resilience in the years ahead. While income from corporate fundraising may well decline, some charities and NGOs have strengthened corporate relationships in recent months. The pandemic environment is also seen to have created new opportunities for relationship building for those taking a more strategic and innovative partnership approach.

Accelerating change

Many successful nonprofits in the field adjusted their corporate fundraising strategy to demonstrate their relevance in the Covid world, seeking out new potential funders with a strong fit.

In Eastern Europe, SOS Children’s Villages International was one such organisation, gaining new partners during the pandemic. Private partnerships advisor for the CEE / CIS / ME regions, Katalin Kovácsné Béres attributes this to companies’ willingness to take action to alleviate the crisis in their nearby communities, and to their own shift of approach. She emphasised the need for nonprofits to be authentic and agile in their approach to partnerships in the current environment, adding: “It’s important that needs are identified properly on both the companies’ and their own side, and that those needs are put into context at a community level, exploring how they will contribute to solving issues and creating impact.”

She explained that the key was in demonstrating empathy and willingness to care towards businesses that they work with, saying: “We waited to see which sectors were impacted positively and negatively by the crisis and then acted accordingly. This meant being supportive towards those partners whose industries had been heavily impacted by the pandemic by, for example, simply asking “how are you?” or even offering psychological support from our experts to company employees in their home office. It also meant identifying those partners that might be able to deliver additional support like extra resources for increased needs due to the pandemic. We clearly defined our Covid-related activities, identifying our role in alleviating the crisis and the precise needs related to that.”

Similarly, the Youth Academy (Nuorten Akatemia) in Finland cites how important adaptability has been to the organisation’s partnership strategy, highlighting that long-term partnerships are key. When social distancing restrictions restricted their ability to deliver services to their corporate clients, they developed new digital tools, including pedagogical games, to be used as a part of the organisation’s youth participation services and online learning platform. These services are not only beneficial for young people, but form a core part of the organisation’s unique corporate partnership model.

Seeking true partnerships above corporate donations

Fundraisers emphasise that a successful partnership is about so much more than income alone, with all parties bringing something to the table and gaining from it.

Katerina Eskelinen, international agency coordinator of Youth Academy, adds: “Ultimately, when we build a partnership, we believe that all parties should be able to profit from it. Young people get opportunities to learn and experience new things and be part of society, our partners learn more about young people and can develop their services or products in a way that is targeted to that group, and we get the opportunity of using and growing our expertise. So we don’t see the corporate partnership strictly as a charitable activity, but we see it as providing high quality services to our partners.”

Berggren agrees with the importance of mutual benefit and a willingness to adapt, saying: “These are changing times, and we need dialogue and collaboration with others to find the best solutions, adapting our products and services to meet market demand. What’s more, we should utilise the capacity the corporate community has to innovate and scale and use corporates as a channel to advocate for positive, sustainable change.

“The value of strong, long term, strategic corporate partnerships is clearer than ever. Utilising corporates’ capacity and competency, distribution network, technological knowhow and digitalisation, will lay the foundations for mutually beneficial partnerships.”

CASE STUDY: Youth Academy

Youth Academy is a Finnish youth work organisation working to build bridges between those aged 13-25 and wider society, supporting young people’s projects, ambitions, learning and participation. The organisation delivers workshops for young people on topics ranging from tax to insurance, climate change, sexual health and sustainable mobility. It also provides training for adults that work with young people.

While the organisation is mostly financed by public funds, the Youth Academy sought to generate funding from the corporate sector by setting up a trading arm to sell what the charity excels at: its in-depth understanding of young people.

Katerina Eskelinen, international agency coordinator of Youth Academy says:

“The business world wants to hear more from young people, so we offer corporations a way to connect with them and understand their views. This might include their views of the company as an employer, its services and even developing new ideas about what the company should do. To achieve these goals, we develop tools for companies to hear what young people have to say including gaming strategies such as method card decks, mobile games and story-based escape games, as well as more traditional focus groups and workshops.”

 “To have a sustainable economic model, we don’t ask for donations. We simply sell our own services; the thing that we are best at – and with very reasonable prices of course.”

Understanding what businesses want

But it’s not only charities that are looking to form genuine partnerships. Increasingly, businesses are actively seeking partnerships that enable them to do more than simply donate. They want their charitable partnerships to fit with their strategic goals, to build on a set of common goals and values, motivating employees, their customer base, and strengthening brand profile and the company’s reputation. Relationship is key.  

Berggren adds: “Doing good is doing well. Companies that demonstrate responsible business conduct, that secure their value chain, and positively influence and advocate will ultimately increase share value. As non-profits, we need to explain our role in assisting companies’ environmental, social and corporate governance strategies, and how this can help to fulfil sustainable development goals.”

Businesses are also seeking new ways to connect with customers and potential customers by demonstrating their engagement with the issues that matter to them, whether that be mental health, protecting the environment, support for the elderly or alleviating poverty.

Director of UK-based fundraising training and coaching specialist firm, Bright Spot and leader of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s masterclass on corporate fundraising during a pandemic, Rob Woods says: “Now more than ever, companies really do want to make a difference to the causes that are important to them, their community and customer base. Increasingly, we’re seeing companies embed this as their lead message in advertising programmes.

“They are talking less about their product, and instead engaging potential and existing customers by addressing the issues that they care about. Charities can help them achieve that. For charities willing to do the ground work, there is an opportunity for more valuable, strategic partnerships.”

He explains that it’s essential to understand what each company is looking for, continuing: “For instance, for the company you’re looking at, in addition to achieving good, is it also wanting to inspire employees or help engage existing customers… or anything else? The more precisely you understand the companies’ motivations, the better you will be able to build a valuable, ongoing relationship. It is not always easy to do, but great partnerships only happen when the charity – not just the fundraising team – commit to making it work.

Schiffelmann agrees saying: “A crisis like Covid shows how important it is for corporate fundraisers to practice relationship marketing – from the first prospect to a long-term partner. Charities should be working to build on their existing relationships and partnerships, especially when it comes to major donors, foundations and corporate partnerships to hold onto those contacts and to strengthen trust.

“Corporate partners will want to work with charities that have continued to engage, demonstrating that they care and that they are both authentic and reliable.”

Building and sustaining corporate partnerships

While income from corporate fundraising is expected to decline in the coming years, fundraisers recognise that there is significant potential to be met beyond monetary value, and that the current environment may well open the door to new strategic partnerships. With this in mind, what can charities do to build and sustain lasting corporate partnerships?

Woods recommends that fundraisers need to be both more focused and more proactive. He says: “Charities tend to be reactive, primarily talking to companies that have already shown an interest. But often there isn’t a great fit strategically, so it’s unlikely to raise much money. And if they are trying to seek new partnerships, the list of companies tends to be too long – an overwhelming spreadsheet that makes it hard to focus in a deliberate, sometimes creative way, to start the conversation. Sending a bunch of emails usually doesn’t work! We’ve found it pays off to have a really targeted list – a dream top ten – and to be able to articulate why the partnership makes sense for both parties. Then, one tactic is to share that list with other people – including trustees and other supporters – who might be able to introduce you. When your list is clear and focused, you find people are much more helpful.”

Eskelinen highlights the need for nonprofits to be more active in seeking new potential partners, more flexible and creative in finding ways to collaborate and reacting quickly to change.  She says: “Generally, we encourage nonprofits to recognise their expertise and find ways to transform that into a service they can provide. We believe that building long-term quality partnerships is key. Excellent partnerships will survive even in Covid times.”

Berggren concludes: “Partnerships with corporates need to be an integrated part of our business. Meeting the demands of the market, delivering the types of partnerships and “products” that corporates demand, will ultimately make us more resilient.”

Useful resources: 
Power through the Pandemic – 7 ways to raise money with major donors, corporates and trusts, even now (Rob Woods, Bright Spot)
EFA’s Coronavirus Hub