Newsletter: Partnership Lessons From My Summer Vacation🏖️ ; Nature Livestreams Build Real Human Ties 🦍 ; Learners Will Inherit the Earth 🌎
My wife usually picks our summer vacation spot, but this year she was undecided, so I suggested Saratoga Springs, New York.
I wanted to explore the area because I knew it was full of history! After corporate partnerships and gardening, I love history, and I knew this was my chance to visit a few sites that have been on my bucket list for a while.
👉🏻 Of course, the partnership guy in me couldn’t resist another angle: seeing firsthand how local organizations in 2025 could flip federal cut pain into partnership gain!
Our first stop wasn't Saratoga Springs, New York, but Amherst, Massachusetts, right off the highway en route to New York.
Emily Dickinson Museum, Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is home to the Emily Dickinson Museum (EDM), which includes two historic houses associated with the poet Emily Dickinson and family members during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
I've always loved Dickinson’s poetry (and she was an avid gardener, too!), but the story of how her poems were published? Wow! Pure family drama, worthy of a reality TV show. Our guide recommended the book After Emily for all the juicy details. I've already ordered a copy.
Like most organizations, EDM already solicits corporate sponsorships. But there’s room to think bigger. After losing a federal grant, some extra funding would go a long way. Amherst may be small, but it’s a vibrant college town with plenty of small businesses eager for visibility.
One timely opportunity: Dickinson’s birthday on December 10th, which is in the heart of the holiday shopping season. Even more exciting—her 200th birthday is just five years away. That milestone could be a perfect anchor for a local fundraising tradition.
Imagine a week-long Celebrate Emily campaign where businesses rally around the museum: donations collected at the register, special products tied to her legacy, or themed menu items at restaurants. A bakery offering a “Belle of Amherst” blueberry pie that benefits the museum, for example, would honor her and drive community engagement.
Ulysses S. Grant Cottage Historic Site, Wilton, New York
Our second stop was the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage Historic Site on Mount McGregor in Wilton, New York, about nine miles north of downtown Saratoga Springs.
Grant Cottage is where President Ulysses S. Grant spent his final weeks in 1885 finishing his memoirs before his death from throat cancer (Grant smoked 25 cigars a day for over 20 years!). It was a race against time as Grant had gone bankrupt the year before and was writing his memoirs—in partnership with Mark Twain—to provide for his family after his death.
To prepare for the visit, I read Grant's Final Victory: Ulysses S. Grant's Heroic Last Year. It was quick, interesting, and inspiring.
Grant’s Cottage is a small historic site, but its story has legs, and they should move beyond their current site-specific sponsorships.
Imagine co-branded podcasts, short documentaries, digital lessons, or even traveling exhibits sponsored by companies and brought to schools, libraries, and workplaces.
Even social campaigns, like a bank sponsoring “Leadership Lessons from Grant,” could carry the site’s message far beyond Mount McGregor.
The real opportunity isn’t just in site sponsorships, but in story sponsorships. Grant’s narrative of resilience, leadership, legacy, and especially service to veterans is the real business draw. By packaging that story into experiences and content, the Cottage becomes a far more compelling partner for companies looking to align with values their customers care about.
Saratoga National Historical Park, Stillwater, New York
Our next stop was the Saratoga National Historical Park in Stillwater, New York, about 15 miles from our hotel in downtown Saratoga Springs. This sprawling park preserves the site of the 1777 Battles of Saratoga, where American forces won a decisive victory over the British. This victory was a turning point in the American Revolution, convincing France to join the American cause. It’s often called the battle that “changed the course of history.”
I've read about the Battle of Saratoga many times, so instead of nonfiction, I read the classic novel Drums Along the Mohawk to immerse myself in backwoods life in revolutionary New York. Life was hard, scary, and downright dangerous back then!
The battlefield is run by the National Park Service (NPS), whose budget has been gutted by the current administration. Corporate partners are needed more than ever. The challenge is that NPS has strict guidelines on corporate partnerships. It's time to revisit those rules to see what can be adjusted. The stakes of lost funding are just too high.
This needs to be done quickly in the case of Saratoga Battlefield, as the 250th anniversary of the American victory is just two years away and is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for partnerships.
Saratoga Battlefield can learn much from the partnership program at Rome’s Colosseum, which I wrote about after a trip to Italy in 2022.
Think beyond plaques: Corporate partners didn't get a billboard on the Colosseum; they got a lasting brand association and global PR. Saratoga can package partnerships the same way.
Offer a story, not just signage: Italian companies linked themselves to legacy and culture. Saratoga can do the same by offering companies a chance to link their brand to patriotism, history, and destiny.
Partnerships beget partnerships: One bold sponsor can inspire others to join. Saratoga can spark a ripple effect by securing just one marquee partner. Saratoga sparked a ripple in 1777 and they can do it again for 2027.
These are just three historical sites we visited during our Saratoga Springs vacation. My wife was a saint for indulging me, as history isn’t her jam.
Her reward? Shopping, the spa, and fine dining—not really my jam! (though those cucumbers they put over your eyes are tasty!). But the result was a true win-win getaway.
And that, my friends, is yet another example of a great partnership! 🤝❤️
✍️ Partnership Notes
In my "Partnership Notes" section, I share stellar corporate partnership programs and show you how to do your job better!
1. Target’s in a brand identity crisis. It’s not alone.
💡Target’s slump proves consumers don’t just buy products, they buy identity. Partnership pros should position their nonprofit as the ally that helps companies affirm the values customers crave. A well-timed partnership isn’t charity; it’s a strategy that will help businesses keep, even regain, their mojo.
💡 Convenience Store News' regular spotlight on c-store philanthropic efforts is always worth checking out. I particularly liked reading about OnCue's charitable cup fundraiser that has raised $468k since 2018.
3. The secret to reviving dead deals.
💡 Is your database full of dead deals? They may not be as dead as you think. This article shows how breakup emails, trigger events, and adding fresh value can bring prospects back to life, and even turn them into your lowest-hanging fruit!
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
In my "Marketing Your Cause" section, I share strategies for growing your brand and audience—two key ingredients for securing more partnerships.
1. Generational theory still matters when applied correctly.
💡 Generational theory isn’t dead, but it does need nuance. This piece shows how period, life stage, and cohort effects shape generations differently, and why marketers should apply generational insights with both curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism.
2. Study: Nature livestreams build real human ties.
💡 The bigger lesson here for nonprofits is that livestreams aren’t just for cute animals. Streaming and sharing authentic, unscripted moments can be more powerful than polished campaigns.
3. The era of the public apology is ending.
💡 Axios reminds us that a well-delivered apology can be a superpower, while a clumsy one can spark backlash. For nonprofits, the takeaway is clear: stand firm on your principles, but when you’re truly wrong, say sorry. In fact, getting sorry right proves that right makes might, even when you admit you’re wrong.
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
In my "Cool Jobs in Cause" section, I share open partnership positions so you can discover your next adventure.
1. Director of Corporate Giving, Direct Relief, California-Hybrid ($95k-$120k)
2. Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships, United Way Bay Area, San Francisco ($94.5k)
3. Director, Corporate Partnerships, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, San Francisco ($102k-$145k)
🧠🍌 Brain Food
In my "Brain Food" section, I share things that spark inspiration, fuel curiosity, and bring a smile to your face!
1. Is “decomposition” the key to stopping procrastination? ; Now is the time for courage
💡 We all need to be more courageous—including me! But courage doesn’t have to be high risk. Breaking big tasks into micro-steps or nudging forward with small, bold moves proves the same truth: progress comes not from waiting for courage, but from doing the next doable, brave, right thing.
2. Learners will inherit the earth.
💡 So many lessons in this article. For partnership pros, the best aren’t just closers—they’re learners. In a changing world, it’s the learners who build and sustain the strongest partnerships.
My friends at Stellar Partnerships echoed this point in a timely piece. The key is to always be opening. Stay curious, friends!
