The following expert briefings feature the experience, advice and lessons learned of leaders on the forefront of corporate-nonprofit partnerships.  Special acknowledgement and gratitude are extended to the distinguished experts who have shared their valuable perspective here. This page will be continually updated to include new and diverse topics surrounding corporate-nonprofit partnerships.

To suggest new topics and expert authors, please email:  partnerships@IndependentSector.org

The Ten Commandments of Cause-Related Marketing
by Kurt Aschermann
Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director 
Corporate Opportunities Group 
Boys & Girls Clubs of America

With over 30 years experience as a marketing and resource development professional, Kurt Aschermann reveals key guideposts for nonprofit leaders to build synergistic, cause-related marketing partnerships.  His "Ten Commandments" outline the important do's and don'ts for nonprofit partners.

A Conversation With Darell Hammond
Darell Hammond
KaBOOM! CEO and Co-Founder
Independent Sector Board Member

Talking about KaBOOM!'s successes and partnership experiences since the organization's start in 1995, Darell Hammond shares a firsthand perspective on entering and maintaining effective partnerships, and responding to new challenges in the ever-changing environment surrounding partnerships.

Collaborative Alliances Meet the Rising Challenges in Workforce Development (2-Part Series).
Employers in a variety of industries are deriving enormous benefits from alliances with community organizations, employer trade associations, high schools and community colleges.  Together, business and community partners work to find demand-driven, employer-oriented solutions that meet the needs of both corporate employers and individual job seekers.  Ida Rademacher and Maureen Conway of the Aspen Institute report on the prevailing characteristics and lessons learned from employer partnerships that utilize a unique industry-specific workforce approach.

• A Win-Win Approach to Workforce Development: Industry-Specific Initiatives
  By Ida Rademacher
  Senior Research Associate, Economic Opportunities Program
  The Aspen Institute

• Moving Up Instead of Moving Around: The Benefits of Industry-Specific Training for Low-Income Workers
  By Maureen Conway
  Director, Workforce Strategies Initiative
  The Aspen Institute

The Power of Partnering:  3 Steps to Successful Partnerships
by Dr. William L. Anthes
President and CEO
National Endowment for Financial Education

Drawing from NEFE's rich experience with partnerships, Dr. Anthes shares three critical steps in embarking on any collaborative partnership—determining if partnership is appropriate, identifying the right partner, and managing the process.

Why Managers Are Skeptical of the Benefits of Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships—And How to Respond Persuasively
by John Weiser
Partner
Brody · Weiser · Burns

Addressing the reluctance of corporations to commit significant resources to corporate-nonprofit partnerships, John Weiser uncovers the underlying causes of this trend and outlines "rules of engagement" for nonprofit leaders to follow when engaging prospective corporate partners.

A New Approach to Corporate Philanthropy and Social Activism
Dan O'Brien
President and CEO
O'Brien and Associates International, Inc.
(formerly National Director for Private Sector Programs at CARE)

Surveying the changing environment surrounding corporate social responsibility, Dan O'Brien lays down the building blocks for a new "Constructive Engagement" approach of the corporate sector, specifically through strategic alliances, issue specific engagement relationships, and advocacy and constructive dialogue.

Creating "New Value" Partnerships with Business: Step by Step
Adapted by Shirley Sagawa for Independent Sector
From Chapter 10 of Common Interest Common Good: Creating Value through Business and Social Sector Partnerships, by Shirley Sagawa and Eli Segal (Harvard Business School Press, 2000)

Shirley Sagawa and Eli Segal lay out the five stages of cross-sector partnership formation, from the first stage of self assessment to the final stage of relationship growth.

Cause Branding® in the 21st Century
by Carol Cone
Chief Executive Officer
Cone, Inc. 

Carol Cone traces the history of cause-related marketing from its start as a one-time campaign model used to increase overall sales to a widely embraced policy used by many as a part of their overall business strategy. Ms. Cone also provides examples of best practices for Cause Branding and a case study. 

The Role of the Corporate CEO: Then and Now
by Stanley Karson
Former President
Center for Corporate Public Involvement

Stanley Karson discusses the relationship between corporate giving programs and the nonprofit sector. Mr. Karson provides a historical perspective and analyzes some of the differences and similarities between corporate community involvement then and now.  

Liz Claiborne: Finding the Right Cause That Fits
by Jane Rendel
Manager, Cause-Marketing Alliances
Liz Claiborne, Inc.

Jane Rendel highlights the ways in which a company like Liz Claiborne can leverage cause marketing programs to strengthen the company's overall brand and relationship with its customers. 

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