Co-Branded PR with Funding Partners – What Does and Doesn’t Work?
It’s a common occurrence in the non-profit sector for an organisation to involve a funder or corporate partner in its PR activities. In fact, the funding partner often expects a little PR payback for their support – and rightly so. However, the unfortunate truth is that, sometimes, making the funder the focus of an announcement can diminish its impact and make it less likely to attract media interest.
Over the course of my career, I’ve seen countless carefully crafted press releases scuppered because of well-intentioned interference from funding partners.
It could be a Minister’s team insisting a generic quote about the Department’s support simply must be in the opening paragraph. Or a multinational funder including a spokesperson quote with zero resonance for Irish audiences. Or a funder delaying sign-off for weeks, so the opportunity for media interest passed…
In an increasingly competitive media landscape, where people have countless sources of news and information vying for their attention, how do you navigate this minefield and ensure your funding announcement lands with the audiences that count – for both the charity and the funding partner?
Do:
Do start by jointly agreeing what you want to achieve. Who is your target audience for this announcement? Where do you want it to land? Is it better to promote this through social media and your owned channels (website, newsletter, direct engagement with stakeholders) or to aim for media coverage?
Do be realistic about what you’re aiming for. It may sound obvious, but if you want media coverage, you need an angle that will appeal to the media. A small cheque handover after a run-of-the-mill fundraiser doesn’t generally merit media attention. An investment of millions geared towards a particularly innovative cause does. If your funding partnership isn’t very newsy in and of itself, but you really want positive publicity, can you generate a news angle to coincide with the announcement – by releasing research findings, spotlighting powerful case studies, or partnering with a (genuine) celebrity supporter?
Do establish clear timings and lines of responsibility at the outset. Who’s drafting the press release; pitching this announcement to media; booking the press photographer and organising the photocall? Who’s creating co-branded social media posts? How much involvement does each party want to have? What are the sign-off processes and lead-in times required?
Do prepare all spokespersons with talking points about the funding partnership. Encourage them to reference the partnership – and the reasons behind it – when they’re doing media interviews, speaking at (relevant) public events, and in conversations with their wider teams. If you’re working with a celebrity ambassador, make sure they’re also briefed to give shout-outs to all partners.
Don’t:
Don’t write PR outputs by committee. Let the communications experts do their job. Trust them to know what’s the best approach to achieve your end goal (whether that’s media coverage or online engagement), and take your lead from them. Whether it’s a social media post or a detailed press release, bear in mind the old proverb that ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’.
Don’t be bland. “We are delighted to support this initiative” is not a newsworthy line and does not need to be included in a press release. If you’re the funder or corporate partner, don’t focus on your delight, focus on your “why” – what’s the reason why you’re partnering with this charity? Why is the work they’re doing important? What greater impact will your funding help them to achieve? And if you’re the charity involved, take a similar approach: why is this funding significant? What important work will it allow you to do? Who are the families and individuals being helped as a result?
Don’t over-promise or have unrealistic expectations. On the charity side, make sure your offering to funders is realistic. Don’t promise them blanket media coverage or a weekly blog, if you don’t have the in-house team to make that work – or if their donation doesn’t merit that level of profiling. On the funder’s side, don’t expect the sun, moon and stars! Charities are over-stretched and operating in a highly competitive environment. They cannot magic up media interest if there’s no news angle there.
Funders and corporate partners are priority stakeholders for almost all charities. With careful planning, realistic expectations, lots of advance consultation, and clarity on who’s doing what and why, it is possible to positively showcase partnerships between non-profits and their supporters. And, by doing that, the relationship is strengthened between both parties for the future.
However, as a parting note – and this should go without saying – for funders, positive publicity must not, and should not, be the only reason you’re supporting a charity. If that’s your main rationale, you need to rethink your approach. Profiling and publicity are just one of the many brilliant benefits that come from a charity partnership. But your commitment to the charity must be genuine and well thought-out, not driven by a desire to see your name in lights.
Martina Quinn is the founder and CEO of Alice Public Relations, a PR agency that specialises in promoting charity partnerships and ambitious social change campaigns. Further information is available on www.alicepr.com.