How To Build Game Changing Impact Partnerships That Inspire Action

Forbes

27-05-2025

It's an early Sunday morning and Sir Matt Busby Way is already a buzzing sea of 'real red.' Clad in bright football jerseys, thousands of fans joyously march towards the theatre of dreams, historic Old Trafford, to watch Manchester United take on West Ham. The 75,000 spectators are treated to a spirited contest, but it's halftime that truly steals the show.
At the center of it all is a young, 12-year-old girl. Hailed as a miracle child, Lubona lost three of her siblings to AIDS. But thanks to another miracle—anti-retroviral treatment—the Zambian native was born HIV free. Today, she's alive and well, and standing in the penalty spot aiming to score a goal on Manchester United mascot Fred the Red. Just like a striker, Lubona eyes down her target, draws her right foot back, and delivers a precise ground shot to the back of the net. The crowd erupts, people stand and cheer as her mother, Connie, proudly looks on.
This inspiring moment was the power of sports personified—and a long time coming. It was the climax of years of conversation and teamwork between Snapdragon, Manchester United and the organization that I lead. It was also a reminder of how even amid these turbulent times, purpose-driven partnerships can still break through in big ways.
Not every collaboration culminates in a goal at Old Trafford—but the best ones create unforgettable moments, forge lifelong supporters, shift minds, and dare to make the world a more just place.
Here are some of the secrets to building game-changing impact partnerships.
The hard truth is that forging strong impact partnerships has never been easy, but it was easier. In the early 2000s, few Fortune 500 companies had corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams. The goal was to make money for shareholders, not give it away. Then came a wave of CSR, which nonprofits—and the companies themselves—benefited from immensely. Between the early 1990s and early 2020s the number of public companies that published CSR reports increased from less than two dozen to over 10,000.
Now the times and objectives have changed once again. CSR is no longer viewed as charity, but a strategic business investment. It's less about altruism and more about mutual benefit. Today, the winning formula for impact partnerships focuses on reciprocal value—aligning a company's values and the values of their employees and customers with a nonprofit's mission. Much like a strong marriage, success requires a mixture of doing your own homework and choosing the right partner.
Before considering an impact partnership, it's important for nonprofits to construct the right internal team that has the muscle to transform ideas into impact. Ask yourself the tough questions before you begin pitching prospects. Who are the key internal stakeholders that need to be part of the process at my organization? Should the team be cross functional? How much upfront buy-in is needed from leadership? The answers to those questions will differ by organization. But creating the right team at home will increase the odds of success and reduce the risk of last-minute hurdles.
Once aligned internally, there's no widely used match.com equivalent for companies and nonprofits to collaborate. If you're a nonprofit, it can often take weeks or even months of LinkedIn searches, introductory emails, cold calls, and meetings just to get connected to that one-in-ten-thousand person at a company who holds the keys to making a partnership happen.
Choosing who you embark on the partnership journey with is critical. While there's an obvious temptation to identify and target the biggest and brightest brands, seldom does that dictate success. Do your research. Learn about a company's history, its values, its objectives, and past partnerships. Search for companies that have a clear commitment to your nonprofit's values. Your mission statements needn't be a mirror, but like a Venn diagram, you should see some strategic overlap.
Hugh Foley, an expert on shared value, once said, 'Bringing those two things together, the unmet social need and the business opportunity, requires artistry, commitment and ingenuity.' If the goals and vibes are off from the get-go, get out before you get in too deep.
There's an old proverb that says, 'If you want to go quickly, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.' Building strong, lasting impact partnerships takes time. The strongest impact partnerships are the ones you know by heart because they've been around for decades, think the United Way and the National Football League or the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets Campaign and the National Basketball Association.
Short term, quick turn collaborations are currently in fashion, but how will they be remembered a decade from now? And will those fans remain loyal to the brand or will they move on just as quickly? Resist the temptation to rush into a partnership just to hit your business development goals or organizational objectives. Learn the other side's motivations, strengths and weaknesses. Visit the company's headquarters, meet their employees and take in the environment.
Recognize that it costs money to create impact. Whenever possible, invest the necessary resources to enable prospective partners to see your work up close and personal. As the old saying goes: show, don't tell.
Once a partnership looks promising and leadership begins to get excited, there's a temptation to rush through the deal points as quickly as possible. Even if you're facing internal pressure to hustle, breathe and slow down. It's important for everyone to be on the same page about expectations and deliverables. Do this right up front and the chance of renewal increases considerably. And remember, it's a lot easier to renew a partner than it is to find a new one.
One of the questions I get asked the most is: How do brands break through in this environment—one that's dominated by distraction, impatience, and short attention spans? The answer is: invest in good storytelling.
Finding strong characters and strong narratives that show your organization's values and what you truly stand for is essential. Aristotle's rhetorical theory of ethos, pathos, and logos can help you connect with your audience and tell stories better. Amplify singular, personal stories. A piece about 5000 women and girls contracting HIV every week is not as compelling as a story about one miracle girl who lost her three siblings to AIDS, but overcame the odds.
Get your audience involved and make them a central character in your storytelling. Create a strong call to action that empowers the audience to care and make a difference.
When it's time to announce the partnership, you need to carefully consider what you're launching and who will see it. It goes without saying, but the vast majority of the money generated from an impact partnership should go to impact. But for every $1 you invest in producing the announcement—whether it be a launch video or splashy event—spend $4 on marketing and driving eyeballs to it. In order to break through, you need to meet your audience where they are—again and again—to increase awareness and recall.
There's a reason you keep seeing the same ad in multiple places. Excellent storytelling can only take you so far. To land in this oversaturated environment, partnerships must reach people multiple times in new and creative ways.
This year has been a brutal year for CSR. Words like social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion have been all but banned at most Fortune 500 companies. I've spoken to many well-intentioned executives, who are understandably terrified that any type of impact partnership could be misconstrued and spark a negative news cycle.
It's incumbent on nonprofits to acknowledge the turbulence and help mitigate the risks for prospective corporate partners without compromising impact. The best thing a nonprofit can do these days is be nimble and flexible. Just because it's worked in the past doesn't mean it will work again in this new era. Nonprofit leaders may need to adjust their organization's value proposition, deliverables, and messaging without abandoning the mission. And that's okay.
Stay opportunistic and get comfortable with rejection. It's an unusually tough time for nonprofit leaders looking to drive impact. But the pendulum always swings back—eventually. And the nonprofits that come out the other side will be the ones who possess the ability to reinvent themselves and evolve with the times.