Build business partnerships for multiple benefits

The best way to help children and young people learn about the variety of careers that are open to them – to broaden their horizons and raise their aspirations – is to invite a wide range of business partners into your school or take pupils out to visit factories, offices and other settings.

But business partners have so much more to offer. Donations of services or goods, sponsorship, equipment loans, training – there are a wide range of opportunties for collaboration. Here I explain how you can get started and make partnerships work in practice. 

It can be daunting asking for free goods or services, but work on the basis that the worst they can say is ‘No!’

Getting started

Some projects come about naturally as a result of obvious mutual interests, others develop over time. Relationships need to be nurtured before asking for cash, but donations of goods, services or time are far easier to come by. 

There are two main approaches. 

1. If you need support for a specific project, make a direct approach to a relevant organisation. For example, to build brick planters you might call a local building suppliers. But leverage existing relationships where possible.
2. Actively start networking and see what opportunities arise as a result. Undoubtedly there will be many! Once you establish your school as being ‘open for business’, offers will start to come through.

There are a variety of reasons why many businesses want to work with local schools, such as:

• altruism
• a personal connection – 'my son goes there'
• to meet corporate social responsibility (CSR) requirements
• to inspire the next generation into their industry
• marketing benefits, such as positive publicity as well as the potential to reach a target audience. 

Identifying potential partners

1. Make a list of the needs of your school, broken down into goods, services, visitors and trips.
2. Look at existing connections. For example, parents who run or work for a local business; school suppliers; organisations that hire the school premises; contacts via the PTA and so on.
3. Join a business networking group. Some, such as BNI, have weekly meetings, where attendance is mandatory. Others, like British Chambers of Commerce, run special ‘education’ programmes. Realistically, you want one that’s local, where meetings are easy to attend and members operate within your catchment area. Research business groups within your town, where members will vary from sole traders to larger local employers. Joining fees vary massively, as does the commitment required. Ask whether you can attend a meeting as a ‘guest’.

Making contact

A named contact is the ideal route in. Failing that, speak to a decision-maker, such as the managing director, the marketing manager or the person who looks after CSR.

Call the main number to ask for direct contact details. It can be daunting asking for free goods or services, but work on the basis that the worst they can say is ‘No!’.

Networking enables you to build relationships over time. Be ready to talk about school activities that have just taken place or are coming up, ask lots of questions and aim to ‘work the room’, speaking to as many people as possible. You will quickly learn who is receptive to working with your school.

Relationships need to be nurtured before asking for cash, but donations of goods, services or time are far easier to come by

Ask if you can take their business card, or who within their organisation is the best person to speak to. Follow up with an email so that they have your details.

Pitching a project

Some projects come about naturally as a result of obvious mutual interests, others develop over time. Relationships need to be nurtured before asking for cash, but donations of goods, services or time are far easier to come by.

The value of the support you are seeking will determine the best approach. You are unlikely to secure several thousand pounds by cold-calling a prospective partner. In this instance, set up a face-to-face meeting and prepare a detailed proposal that shows what they will receive in return.  

Gauge the motivations of a business partner and tailor your pitch accordingly

Have a few different projects in mind, ranging from £300 to several thousand pounds. This gives you the chance to weigh up the level of interest: you never want to leave money on the table, so start by asking for a mid-range amount and be ready to scale up or down depending on the response!

For those who can’t offer financial or material support, can they donate time? For example, Balsall Common Primary School in Coventry had a carpet-fitter come to talk to children for maths week, getting them to measure the room and work out the cost of underlay and carpet.

Hosting a networking event

Invite significant potential partners to your school or host a networking event and present an overview of the work the school does beyond the curriculum – such as mental health provision, or how you support pupils with SEN.

Don’t underestimate the charms of your children, so give a tour of the school! Aim to foster a sense of warmth and community, of which they will want to be a part. Give attendees a ‘call to action’, which might be as simple as to complete a feedback form with the options they would be happy to discuss further.

What’s in it for them?

While some businesses will help with no expectation of receiving anything in return, others take a more pragmatic approach. Explain who the beneficiaries of each project will be and the impact any intervention might have.

Gauge the motivations of a business partner and tailor your pitch accordingly. Positive PR coverage has value, so what publicity can you generate around any partnership work you undertake (through local press or social media channels)? Be ready to answer questions such as the following.

• Do you send out a regular newsletter to parents?
• How much traffic does your website receive?
• What’s the open rate on emails?
• How many followers do you have on social media?

Present a business case for the partnership. Can you run a project per term so that publicity is sustained over time?

Growing your network

The more conversations you have, the more people will come to you with suggestions of projects involving your young people. Be receptive and always respond. If something isn’t possible, say so, but suggest an alternative.

Developing business partnerships becomes easier over time and raises the profile of your school in a positive way. Through regular networking, you will start to facilitate introductions – this puts your school at the heart of the business community and they are more likely to support you financially if you are actively helping their business to grow.

Nurturing relationships

Always follow up on any conversation you have. You want partners to be impressed with all interactions they have with your school, so follow the mantra ‘under-promise and over-deliver’!

To encourage shared ownership, provide regular feedback or progress reports on projects. For example, invite the Year 8 football team sponsor along to watch a match and have their photo taken with the team – post this to LinkedIn and tag the sponsor.

This is great coverage for them, but also shows prospective sponsors the benefits of working with your school. Even a simple email sharing comments from pupils and staff is valuable. Remember, your first project is hopefully the first of many!

Next steps

1. List the needs of your school, broken down into goods, services, visitors and trips.
2. Create a spreadsheet of existing contacts.
3. Research networking groups and attend a trial meeting to assess the types of businesses involved and their interest in working with your school.
4. Draw up a shortlist of priority needs and match this to relevant business partners.
5. Start small – get a couple of successes under your belt. These can then be used as examples in discussions with other potential partners.