Newsletter: What Makes a Good Partnership Program? Lighting💡; Jiffy Lube, Good Humor Partner to Keep Ice Cream Trucks Running🍦; Connecticut Dry Cleaner Saves Turtles From Being Squashed 🐢

Corporate partnership teams could learn a lot from convenience stores (C-stores).

Here's a good takeaway: Have good lighting.

You see, C-store customers like it when ​stores and shelves are well-lit​.

"The entire store looks cleaner, brighter, and fresher, which leads to larger basket sizes, increased profitability per average shopper, and stronger store loyalty."

Better lighting also decreases store theft, as everyone knows shoplifters like to operate in the shadows!

Here's the connection between C-store lighting and your corporate partnership program...

Your corporate partnership program needs to be as well-lit as the shelves are in a C-store!

Your partnership program will be more successful if you spotlight it.

But how? Here are seven suggestions.

✍️ Partnership Case Studies. Check out this one from the ​American Lung Association​.

🕸 Partnership Web Page. Need some guidance on how to create yours? Look at the big charities that have optimized their pages: ​St. Jude​, ​American Lung​, and ​CMN​.

📣 Testimonials. Collect them when interviewing partners for case studies - then post them on your partnership web page.👆 ​Check out the testimonials​ on the Breast Cancer Research Foundation web page. Plus, add a testimonial to your email signature so everyone sees it!

🦠 Spread the word to your team. Meet with the rest of the team in development to swap leads. And I do mean swap. Commit yourself to being helpful to others FIRST, then ask for help.

🔦 Spotlight the partnership team in communications. Let your donors and supporters know what's happening with the partnership team. It's not a secret! Check out ​this newsletter​ from Operation Warm.

📝 Publish thought leadership content. Publish content that shows partners and prospects that you are experts in sales, account management, marketing, and social impact and responsibility. You don't necessarily need to write long-form content. Use Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Threads.

🎤 Attend trade shows and professional events. More corporate partnership teams should attend trade shows to focus on key industries, network, and build their email list. One year, I joined Share Our Strength at the annual ​National Restaurant Show in Chicago​ for a partnership roundtable for prospects.

What would you add to this list to further illuminate your partnership program!?

✍️ Partnership Notes

1. Jiffy Lube and Good Humor are partnering to "preserve this ​nostalgic element of summer​." I think we can all agree that this is a great cause!

2. No one would meet with this guy - until he offered them ​free airport rides​. A brilliant networking strategy!

3. A ​terrible sponsorship decision​ by the New York Yankees. They're acting like some overpaid losing team that's only won one World Series in the 21st century - while the Boston Red Sox have won 🏆🏆🏆🏆. Wait...🧐🤣

🤑 Marketing Your Cause

1. Americans are bullish on ​boycotting businesses​. How long before they boycott your nonprofit? Are you ready?

2. By the end of this year, ​1 in 4 email addresses in your database will be worthless​. What are you doing now to grow your audience and build your list? Remember my mantra: Build an audience. Engage with that audience. Monetize that audience over time.

3. Why your nonprofit needs to ​'own' an emoji​. 😈😇 = Selfish Giving. What's yours?

😎 Cool Jobs in Cause

1. Assistant Director, Corporate Partnerships, ​Dana-Farber Cancer Institute​, Brookline, MA

2. National Corporate Campaigns & Community Relations Manager, ​U.S. VETS​, Los Angeles ($70k - $90k)

3. Senior Director, Corporate Cause Partnership & Business Development, ​Boys & Girls Club of America​, Remote

🧠🍌 Brain Food

1. A wonderful story on how employees at a dry cleaner in Connecticut ​save turtles from being squashed​ on the busy road outside their business.🐢❤️

2. Social proof isn't just valuable for securing new partnerships. It could also get you a promotion. How to ​get your colleagues to brag on your behalf​. Sadly, my only colleague, Charlie the Yorkie, never says anything nice about me!

3. The people I've polled on this have had an extreme reaction ​on if they would do this or not​. Me? Wellllllll....I do love a good Xmas movie (and turtles).😬🎄