Strategic Partnerships for Good Recap

Thank you for joining us for our virtual event.

Thank you to our speakers for sharing their expertise, insight and inspiration on creating meaningful, long-term partnerships.

Speakers:

Judith Ackerman, Senior Manager of Development, Metro Caring
Kelly Dunkin, President and CEO, Community First Foundation
Kelly Kaminskas, President of Retail and Digital Banking, FirstBank
Sarae Kurth, Outreach Program Director, Denver Community Credit Union

Access the recording below:

Huge thank you to our speakers for their top 10 recommendations for successful partnerships:

Align your values: Find partners who match your values and stick to them.
Communicate, communicate, communicate: Establish and create communication guidelines from the start. Don’t assume what the other partner wants.
Respect and trust each other: Expect partners to do what they say that are going to do and trust them when they provide updates. Partners should be equals.
Ask questions: Ask each other how you’re doing, what the needs are at that time and how you can support (from both sides).
Check-in and debrief: Establish a cadence to meet and check-in on the partnership. Take time to debrief, review messaging, brainstorm new ideas and make a plan for the future.
Leverage partners as a resource: Does your partner provide a service or resource that employees, clients, suppliers and other key stakeholders could use? Let them know about it! It’s important to remember that nonprofits provide critical services and you never know who might be in need of them.
It’s not just about money: Money is definitely important, but can you engage employees in board service, skilled or volunteer work? Can you connect them to people you know or include them in advertising? What about providing in-kind services or donating extra swag that is useful to them (ex: tote bags).
Talk about the partnership: Share your partnerships on social media, newsletters (internal and external) whenever you can.
It’s okay to say no: Be honest with your partners about expectations and capacity. If it’s not the right time, worth it for everyone or it’s not feasible – let them know. It’s important to respect each other’s limits.
Celebrate successes: A partnership initiative can go by fast, remember to celebrate the successes before moving onto the next.

Learn more about the companies and resources mentioned:

Denver Community Credit Union
- Learn more about their CSR efforts
Metro Caring
- Subscribe to receive communications from Metro Caring, including their monthly newsletter, advocacy action alerts, and more
- Learn about volunteer opportunities, sponsorships and upcoming events on their website.
https://www.efirstbank.com/FirstBank
- Learn more about their CSR efforts
- View the Griz Coat commercial
Community First Foundation
- Learn more about Colorado Gives Day
- Learn about engagement opportunities on their website

Strategic Partnerships for Good Recap

Huge thank you to our speakers for their top 10 recommendations for successful partnerships:

Align your values: Find partners who match your values and stick to them.

Communicate, communicate, communicate: Establish and create communication guidelines from the start. Don’t assume what the other partner wants.

Respect and trust each other: Expect partners to do what they say that are going to do and trust them when they provide updates. Partners should be equals.

Ask questions: Ask each other how you’re doing, what the needs are at that time and how you can support (from both sides).

Check-in and debrief: Establish a cadence to meet and check-in on the partnership. Take time to debrief, review messaging, brainstorm new ideas and make a plan for the future.

Leverage partners as a resource: Does your partner provide a service or resource that employees, clients, suppliers and other key stakeholders could use? Let them know about it! It’s important to remember that nonprofits provide critical services and you never know who might be in need of them.

Talk about the partnership: Share your partnerships on social media, newsletters (internal and external) whenever you can.

It’s okay to say no: Be honest with your partners about expectations and capacity. If it’s not the right time, worth it for everyone or it’s not feasible – let them know. It’s important to respect each other’s limits.

Celebrate successes: A partnership initiative can go by fast, remember to celebrate the successes before moving onto the next.