What Matters Right Now: Corporate Partnerships 2.0 - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE, Becky Endicott, CFRE and Susan McPherson

10:22PM Feb 16, 2022

Speakers:

Becky Endicott

Jonathan McCoy

Susan McPherson

Keywords:

nonprofit

organization

company

reimagining

susan

mcpherson

partner

partnership

employees

people

pandemic

virtuous

thinking

helping

becky

aligned

corporations

connections

podcast

world

Hey, I'm John. And I'm Becky.

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Happy Friday, Becky. Hey, everybody, welcome back.

Oh, my goodness. Okay, so we've just been rolling through this series that started this year. And we've been really excited for this week, because this is something that we talk about quite a bit on the podcast now ever since we've been illuminated to it, I would say. But it's this idea of reimagining how we approach corporate sponsors, or corporate donors to our organization. And just so you know, we're gonna throw out the old playbook, like, there's no room, goodbye, school transactional way of engaging corporate partners, we're going to talk today about the 2.0. And we brought in one of our favorite humans,

oh, my gosh, I cannot believe she's here. The queen is here, but we're gonna we're gonna keep her in the green room until we're done with our tone setting here. But I have to tell you, it is bringing me joy and life. Today, I am going back in my head to my imposter syndrome days of being a fundraiser. And I remember that feeling, that gut feeling where I was about to go out and go pitch to maybe a new corporate partner. And I bet there are a lot of people out there listening who understand what it feels like to have that pit. Because there's something that just doesn't feel good about the way that we used to go out, I will say the 1.0 version of corporate partnership, of passing that proposal across the table and trying to get some rapport, and hey, will you consider sponsoring my Gala? And they're trying to figure out how to populate their tables with employees who want to go, it just, it just feels wonky? Can we all agree on that. And so what I'm so excited about today is I'm kicking that feeling like a way far down the field, and we are never going to go back to it. Because reimagine corporate partnerships are based on alignment, they are based on values, they're based on CO building. And I want everybody while we're in the mindset conversation of this to just understand that you are bringing value to the table, and that you have something that this corporation needs. And we need to unpack that we need to bring that value to the table. And I can assure you everything is going to shift with your relationship with each of your corporate partners.

I think value is such a real strong word for this conversation, because it's really this awakening that's happening on the for profit side, you have the biggest of companies, corporations, that are realized in the last few years with the rise of conscious consumerism, and all that's happening on the impact social impact side of things, that purpose really does matter. Today's consumers are looking for brands that support their personal values that get involved in the Crusades, that they're interested in fighting. And so it's this really interesting dichotomy that for profits moving more into aligning with purpose and passion. And you've got the nonprofit over here, that is transacting sponsorships, when you could be the most powerful player at the table to say, Guess what, we've been doing this purpose incredibly well. We have numbers to show it, we have stories, we have all this that's serving our communities. And so that by partnering with corporations in this unique way that are value aligned, the whole thing can kind of set on fire in the most magical way. And so that's what excites us about this as more organizations feel their power, feel and understand their value. Like we just think this is the future, the future is here. And I

think that that's what we want you all to understand is that when you show up as a vulnerable human being expressing what you have, and just understanding that this ask is more than just asking for dollars. We want to activate people within the organization's we want to create incredibly creative partnerships that create, you know, some revenue generation, but we also want to elevate brands, we want to elevate our programs, we want to hitch our wagon to a corporation as much as they want to hitch theirs to our so this is really about the power of mobilizing a workforce. And for anyone who really wants to go deep with this. We've had two dynamic podcast discussions about this one was with Moon air Polish Mani with the Trevor Project that was episode 176. And he actually breaks down how the Trevor Project is using this 2.0 model with massive success. And the other one we could never forget is Mallory Erickson, episode number 60 and her PowerPoint partners formula is just dynamic, and it is exactly what you need. And she has so much thought leadership that you could get from that as well.

So Becky, we know that you know, every time we talk about corporate partnerships, we feel a little bit like imposters, because we had a perspective of this, that really shifted when we met a really incredible human on the podcast. I know the episode number was 75. Because it was literally that many times. Now there's a line in the sand moment, because we met Susan McPherson. And if you don't know her, go back and listen to that original episode and just pour into her work. Because she is a serial connector, she has received all the accolades that you can imagine, with her energy and the way that she shows up and threading together, purpose and business, and activism and all of that through McPherson strategies, which is this beautiful consulting agency that she owns out of New York, but they work with clients around the world. You know, we met Susan on the podcast, and she unpacked this just different idea of how we approach each other, how we view each other how we partner together. And then she wrote the book on the last startup, literally wrote the book, I read it become, yeah, it's an incredible anthem for how do you just build a constellation of connections that not only serve you, but also just really can grow? Whatever you're trying to perpetuate. And so when we thought about, we're talking about this trend, there was one person that we could bring back to the podcast. And that was Susan McPherson, and welcome back to the show.

Oh, my goodness, John, and Becky, I would hug you. If you are within five feet of me, unfortunately, we are very far apart, at least from a geographic sense, but certainly not from a mutually aligned purpose, goals. But I just, I still think back to that episode, and what joy you brought in my life and since and just staying in touch all this time. So thank you for bringing me back. I'm excited.

Well, thank you. I mean, we said it that day. But we we've seen you now live this out, especially in just being in your orbit and your friendship, of just the power of connecting. And I love that you've been recognized not only now as a B Corp, because I know what that means to show up. From a business standpoint, and just the different steps you needed to go to show that you're showing up for this different level of purpose and intention. But then, you know, Forbes magazine calls you out as a 50, over 50, you've had all these amazing things happen this

30 I just want to put that out there.

But so anyway, I just feel like so much has happened since we last talked, but we wanted to bring you back to really talk about the ethos, you know, kind of reset the room for us of how his nonprofit, you know, walking into the room in the wrong way with how we can approach corporate partnerships. I mean, you help us reimagine them help set the tone for what it looks like today.

Well, I you know, this pandemic has been obviously devastating for many nonprofits. But at the same token, it has reminded us all why the nonprofit sector exists, right. And, you know, many, many nonprofits in this past year and a half or two years of the pandemic really stepped up if they weren't in the space of like helping during COVID, they literally pivoted to do so. And I learned ways to be innovative to survive, right. But you know, I don't have the numbers handy. And I probably should have done a little research before joining you today. But, you know, on the most part giving has been up in the last two years, partly as the astronomical Rise of the stock market and the rise of the super wealthy but John Q Public has been giving more. And it may be because we are much more attuned with challenges that we see in our local communities, turning on TV via social media, all the ways we you know, ingests news and information. So I think it's actually a really good time for nonprofits. I think at the beginning of the pandemic, there was kind of the, you know, terrifying thought that they could suffer deeply. But I think if they were strategic, and resourceful, they survived and probably actually grew. And from a standpoint of partnerships, now, companies, whether they're on the small scale or large, they know, they need to demonstrate purpose in everything they're doing, whether it's through their employee volunteering, whether it's in their product development, whether it's in you know, ensuring that they have a diversified and inclusive workforce. But oftentimes, they could be benefiting from the assistance from the guidance from the knowledge that a nonprofit offers. So I think right now, for nonprofits, if you're not out there talking to people in the private sector, if you're not out there doing research where your particular skill set and business acumen can be helpful, you need to start doing it because companies are looking for those types of partnerships now in much greater way than they ever were before. At least that's what I'm seeing.

We're seeing it as well and I just have to thank you for something because when we hung up the phone with you on that first phone call I remember the audible silence Do you remember this John and Julie like there was like a five second What the heck just happened? And we were trying to absorb what You said and this is what I want to thank you for is when we hung up everything about the way I saw nonprofits value shifted, after I talked with you. And this is what I want people to hear today is that when we view corporate partnerships, and I will tell you, I'm guilty of this back in my major gift days of thinking that I needed to go kind of begging to a corporate partner to try to get whatever that synchronicity is going to be between our two organizations. And in a in 45 minutes, Susan rewired my brain and said, this is equal partnership. This is about you coming in bringing your value, your expertise, your community, the things that you have that are essential to this corporate partners success and implementation of social responsibility. And you need to go in there and say, how do we co build this together? And it's really an expression of stopping and looking at values and saying, you know, what, we're aligned on these things, I can see what your marketing promises, I can see what ours is, here's how we can like lift all boats and lift other sails. So I would love it. If you could kind of walk our nonprofit listeners through what is an example of where a nonprofit could start today, with reimagining their corporate partnerships, what are like a couple of quick little steps that someone could take to start rewiring that thinking,

well, first and foremost, determine what your superpowers are. Okay. And you may think I'm talking about my book, the lost art of connecting, because the beginning of that is all about your individual, but as a nonprofit, what is it that you offer? What specifically do you offer corporations for them to partner with you? And if you may remember, from our last time together, I always asked nonprofits to pivot how they think, instead of what is this company going to do for me, instead say, What can my nonprofit do for Patagonia, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, the, you know, Tesla, what have you. So flip the switch, and start thinking about all the benefits, whether it's the knowledge that you bring, whether it's the connections you have, whether it's actual programs or services you're doing on the ground in a particular area that a company is looking to add to their sales channel. So really be focusing on what it is that you bring to the table. And instead of thinking about how am I going to get money out of this organization, because in the end, it is a partnership, in the end, it is both of you contributing? Yes, the company is potentially writing the checks, but they're getting something for that. So almost think of your organization as the service as the implementation partner, as the, you know, the brains behind what the work is going to do.

And it's really just about reimagining to me, what a company can offer. It's not just about, you know, the capital that certainly we need, but the visibility, the volunteer hours, the products, like financial resources, anything, any part of that workforce hustle, I just think is really fantastic. And

it just a separate thing to offer, which you know, I want to share just because I think sometimes it gets pushed off to the end. And that is look for connections to er, G's within companies, employee resource groups, which inevitably, or through the pandemic have grown in power. You know, we all know that we're living in kind of an employee powered world now where the C suite and the board understands that your employees are your greatest assets, which they've been all along, but now it's kind of like, oh, yeah, it let's let's actually do it. Yeah. And so er, G's which range from anything from women's groups, to religious groups, any any different kind of categorization that employees put themselves in, and they can be a great inroad? If you are a particular, for instance, if you focus on women in gender rights, right, you could go in through the women's group, okay? Or if you are with, you know, human human rights and LGBTQ equality, you could be going through that door, and that that sometimes, you know, is a different way to go in and start conversations. Additionally, many large companies have matching grants. And I think sometimes we forget that there's like a database that the company may have, whether it's through Benevity, or we spire or another one of these platforms that you want to make sure your organization is in so that when employees are kind of searching for nonprofits that they want to support, they can find you.

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Hey, friends, after meeting some of the most visionary leaders and world changers in the nonprofit sector today, we realize they all have one thing in common, they invest in themselves and their teams. So they can say relevant to what's working now to succeed and scale their missions. You know, us we believe education is for all and that's when we created we're for good pro Pro is reimagining nonprofit professional development, giving you access to incredible live coaching events with some of the best thought leaders like kushana Palmer and Lynn Wester and more, imagine being able to work through your challenges in real time. That's the power of pro. Every week, we host a new workshop, giving you the playbook and tools to take immediate action, build your confidence and grow your impact. Be the Pro and get started today with a 14 day free trial head over to weird for good pro.com/free. Okay, let's get back to this amazing conversation. You taught us that it's not one dimensional, like a company is made up of humans. And the power of activating and connecting and turning believers of hundreds or maybe 1000s of employees is so much more powerful than the one company. And so I just think that there's a lot to unpack there. But I wanted to throw this back to another theme that we've been unpacking this year, is that culture matters so deeply. And we actually started our series talking about this, because we believe that that's how you can today attract the type of donors as you live your values out through the way that you show up through every policy that's in place in the way that you, you know, treat your employees that's actually going to attract not only the talent, but also the donors that align with those values. And I just got to think like, how the culture that you can bring as a nonprofit into these businesses is so rewarding and so deep. So I know we agree on this, I want to give you a chance to riff on that, Susan.

Well, I you know, from from practical experiences, one of the boards I've served on for six years is USA for UNHCR, which is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. And, you know, a lot of the the partnerships over the years, were challenging because the corporate world didn't think about refugees is an important constituency. Thankfully, that has changed over the last few years, given the fact that we see the challenge that the refugee struggle is as caused, we see people trying to enter the United States, you know, for all the good reasons, we know climate change is affecting refugees. But again, for years, companies were kind of hmm, but interestingly enough, a lot of companies started to realize, you know, there's future business opportunities with refugees, because they're, you know, they're 85 million of them around the world, right. So, you know, by stepping up and supporting an organization such as USA for UNHCR, or partnering with an organization like that, or IRC is a powerful signal to send to its constituents, its customers, that it cares about something beyond, you know, its product, but on the same token, I want to kind of flip the switch here and say, nonprofits have to be very careful about the corporations they want to partner with. Right? Oh, you know, we're watching this whole Spotify fiasco kind of unravel. And I'm thinking about the nonprofits that potentially have already been in partnership with Spotify. How are they responding today? Right? How are their donors gonna say, you've been taking money from that organization?

I mean, I think that is a really fascinating story that's unfolding. Something that I admire deeply about you is that you have used your position of influence to really shape narrative around the culture. And I would say in very controversial or hard topics that a lot of CEOs would shy away from, because it would put you in a vulnerable position. But I think something I really admire about you, Susan, is that you do use your bi weekly McPherson memo to really challenge thinking and if you're not a subscriber stop the podcast are actually if you can multitask, go there right now and sign up immediately. But this will just curate these deep topics and stories that, um, you just see us, honestly, you see the breadth of the work that y'all do. But you also see how it all connects back to the human experience and what you're thinking through as a leader and a human being. And I love that you lead with that type of integrity. And so I don't know if you want to speak to that. But I think there's something there of how we as leaders are showing up and living in this complicated world where these issues are challenging.

Thank you. That's very, very kind of you. And I think you're giving me way too much credit. But I will also say that the the, the newsletters now almost two years old and it is a labor of love and it is, you know, I certainly don't want to take credit because it's my team that puts that together every other week, and everyone participates and contributes it that I think that is what makes it extra special. And we hopefully don't spam people because it only comes out twice a month. There's a lot of content in the world. Yeah. This this notion about, you know, stepping up for our values. You know, I, I manage a company with 15 people. So I realized I don't want to over you know, make it more than it is. But I also never expect other companies to do more than what I'm willing to step up and do. And when we went down the B Corp road, it took about two years, and there were things that we had to do, we had to become much more transparent about our salaries, we had to make sure that we were, you know, even though we're a small business, offering, you know, a minimum of three months family leave, which is hard for small businesses. Okay, again, I'm not like, oh, yeah, look at us. I mean, we every company should be doing it. But it's not, it's not easy. I also, you know, I'm often asked, Would you work with a company that is in drilling or fossil fuels, and that's a complicated issue for me, because I drive a car, I put gas in my car. So you know, I can't hold a company accountable for something that I'm also contributing to. So I often think about that, you know, with every purchase, I make, you know, for every plastic container that I you know, if I eat out of, you know, I buy a yogurt or something, I am part of the problem. So I also don't want to hold people or companies to a higher level than I hold myself, it

makes such sense. And I and I think the reason that it's so disruptive for us, Susan, is specifically for the McPherson memo is there is so much kindness, baked into that. And I feel your struggle in your writing. And with your team, I feel the push and pull of these social issues and what they make us feel and what they make us think about and where we want to put our energies. And so I really appreciate you putting that out into the world, I really encourage anyone, we're going to drop that in the show notes, and you can go subscribe. But I just think that you're the one who has said that there is a dynamic shifting where, you know, this shareholder is now not so much more powerful than then the stakeholder and the stakeholder and the voice of the people is beginning to rise. And this conscious consumerism is very, very interesting. And I do think that it's important that we do a hard reset and look at all of our corporate donors and make sure that our values are aligning. And if you don't have your values, you don't have your brand promise any of the your y baked in, do not go and solicit a corporation until you understand who you are and what you're going and what you want to partner with. And so I want to talk a little bit about hybrid partnerships, because I think that this is something that's really, really interesting about how do we go in and not just ask for cash? And how do we go in? And I would love any examples that you have, where could somebody start thinking about how they could build some sort of a plan that's co built with a company that involves more than just the financial ask?

Well, I think it's really important to understand what do you need, right? And what do the beneficiaries of your organization need? Okay, so let's just take, for instance, dress for success. Okay, they've been around for a long time. And for years, they were all about providing the clothing for individuals to prepare, you know, who didn't have the means, for job interviews for things like that, to put them in a place where they could be able to go in and apply for a job like you and I. And in the past 10 years or so, the, you know, their their partnership models switched, because what they also needed was how do they train these individuals? Okay, it's one thing to put like, the clothing and the makeup on, but what about training them on the skills they need to interview? Wow, right. So, you know, I'll never forget discovering that JPMorgan Chase was a significant partner, and it wasn't JP Morgan Chase wasn't providing clothing, right. They were providing business, you know, the training from their employees who could be guiding these job seekers with what is it that they need in terms of how to be articulate how to have you know, what questions to ask for? How do you write that letter saying thank you for meeting with me. So I think what you want to be doing is looking at your organization as a whole looking at the community that you serve, and figuring out where are the holes, right? I can't hire enough people or pay for the training. So are there companies out there that could be helping? One of our clients is a company called Zoetis. So this is in the pet pharma space. So for those of us who have puppies and kittens and give them flea and tick medicine or anti nausea medicine, you in negatively are buying from Zoetis or your your veterinarian is. And we helped them. They spearheaded this. But we we gave them ideas on what their foundation could be supporting. And one area was mental wellness in the veterinary space. And another is in terms of helping the veterinary industry become more diverse. So they're, you know, they work in animal wellness. So they have been able to provide guidance to third party organizations that are helping that Nigerians that are helping the industry. So, but in terms of, you know, looking at it from the other side from from nonprofits, I think it's back to that navel gazing, right? I mean, really kind of thinking about what is it that we need? Every nonprofit needs more things than than money?

I just think if you go at these conversations, and these brainstorming with that in mind, like clarity of what you need, but just real agnostic to how it gets done, like it's so much of a better way to go about this. Just being curious and building relationships and understanding where the pieces can fit together that probably have never looked like that before. Because that's what we're building something new. Okay, something just real practical before we start to wind down. somebody that wants to build these relationships. What's a dynamic way for people to get started? Are you coming as a cold email these days as a cold DM, from your from your see, what have you seen is the best way for nonprofits to start engaging?

Well, the beautiful thing is, we live in a in a much more transparent world, I mean, you can find out who the decision makers are, you can follow them on various social media platforms, you can find what I always like to say is the commonality and the commonality, you can find something right, you can find a way to be helpful, and you do not reach out and be like, Hi, can you find us? Secondly, you know, LinkedIn is a very effective tool to find out how effective you know a connection you have to a connection. And I always suggest going that way, find out who are the warm ways you have into the organization. And if you do have connections to somebody, don't sit there and be like, Oh, I don't want to ask them, they're busy. Ask them, just ask them. They could say no, but if you don't ask them, guess what, you're never gonna get anywhere.

I have to piggyback on that. Because I was gonna say the same thing. Here's a little pre work for everyone. If you have not, if you're in a nonprofit, make sure that you are following all your execs on LinkedIn, make sure you're following all your board members, and use that capital. These are already built in allies to your mission. So yes, do a little of the pre work and then channel your McPherson bravery, and just go for it. Just get out there. Use your connections, you can do this.

Okay. When we ask this question, it means the conversations wrapping so we are both avoiding asking this question, Susan, what is one good thing you could kind of leave us with today? Could it could connect to this or just share a piece of your wisdom? What's something you want to offer our community?

I would like to say, you know, I think the worst is over from the pandemics perspective. You know, we, I think is as tough as the last two years have been I do think we're on an upswing. I am an eternal optimist, but I just believe that and the connection back to the nonprofit sector is there are going to be so many new and better opportunities going forward. And I think companies now because of the last few years of this experience, are so much better suited to partner with nonprofits. Because I do think that there's an elevation of the importance of what the nonprofit sector brings to the private sector that maybe didn't exist before the pandemic.

You know, I just heard this this last week that it was more entrepreneurship based. But I think, obviously, we need to adopt a lot of those principles into nonprofit as well. But just businesses that start in the dead of winter, are so much better off because they're so much more resilient. And they've had to figure things out that you're preparing yourself for the spring in the fall and the more bountiful times ahead. And I just think this is the moment, you know, like we've been training for this, we've been slugging through. And we've got such a great playbook. So Susan, thank you for coming back to the podcast. Thank you. We know you're hiring and people listening are gonna be like, How can I hang out with Susan? Well, here's one way you could apply for your open positions.

Most epic opening and McPherson strategies, please take a hot moment and tell everyone about it.

Well, my company McPherson strategies. We are 15 person strong at this point. We have an opening for a Vice President of Strategy and an opening for a senior account executive and soon to be an opening for our fellow fellowship program. You can live wherever you love to live, and you get to join a team that focuses on impact. I'd love to receive anybody's CVS resumes by halves.

We're going to go find this. We're going to drop it in the community so please go check out we are Hold on. I just had to throw something else in there that you're too humble not to say we've met a lot of people from McPherson strategies. They are the most hardwired, kind, warm, empathetic human beings. And so if you apply know that you are going into the warmest house, please go check it out. It would be just a dynamic, amazing, incredible opportunity. Susan, thank you so much for coming on. Just rooting for you and all things. Appreciate your wisdom as always, you.

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