How to pitch effectively for corporate partnerships

Our most recent cohort of Weston Charity Award winners are reaching the end of their awards journey. Over the past year each organisation has received support from us to tackle their most pressing issues, from governance to growth plans. However as Dickie James, CEO of Staffordshire Women’s Aid, just one of the 16 winners, said, the Weston Charity Awards “isn't just about developing a business plan, it’s about feeling more secure about the sustainability of your organisation”.

In more and more of our work with charities we’re seeing an increased demand for guidance on how to receive support from corporate companies, so we invited the award winners to attend a two-part series of workshops focusing on this. The events culminated in each charity pitching their proposals for corporate partnership to Dragon’s Den style panel drawn from the fields of business and charity for feedback. Our panellists gave each charity tips on how to pitch to a corporate for an effective and appealing partnership, and here I share their top three tips:

1. Understand your audience

Whatever kind of support you’re pitching for, it’s essential to do your research in advance of meeting a potential partner. Has this business worked with other charities? What kind of financial amount or type of skills could they realistically provide you with? Who makes the decisions about who they support and how?

This information can often be easily found out through their own website, Companies House or LinkedIn and it will give you the advantage of being able to target the right person at the right company, for the right things.

2. Create an engaging presentation

Grab your audience’s attention with standout statistics, pictures or infographics, and stories of people whose lives have changed as a result of your work. Focus on what makes your organisation unique, use positive language and spend more time talking about where you are going rather than where you are now or were previously.

Excellent presenters have always practiced and make sure they appeal directly to their audience throughout, so don’t forget to practice your pitch!

3. Emphasise ‘The Ask’

‘The Ask’ is the most important part of your pitch and should be specific, realistic and clear. If asking for funding be clear on the amount – lay out a menu of different donation options and what each amount would be used for. If asking for skills or time explain why they’re needed and how volunteering would work. Every ‘Ask’ should be directly related back to the impact it would have for your service users. Outlining how supporting your organisation will benefit their corporate company is essential. Will it raise their profile? Would it meet their CSR targets or provide development opportunities to staff and make them value their employers more? These benefits may be the decider for the corporate.

As the Weston Charity Awards journey is coming to the end for these charities, the journey for the most recent winners is already underway and we’ll be open for applications for the next cohort at the end of the year.

Apply to the Weston Charity Awards here.