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Brand inspo: What’s the secret to a successful charity partnership?

Charity-brand partnerships are an incredibly popular marketing tactic.

When they’re done right, they bring plenty of benefits including a positive PR boost for both the charity and the brand, improved employee morale, and the chance to support a worthy cause.

With examples from Sainsbury’s, Gillette, McCain, and more, we’re taking a look at some of our favourite super-effective charity partnerships. We’ll explore why they work so well, and the lessons you can apply to your own marketing strategy.

1. Disney and Together for Short Lives

Building magic memories for seriously-ill children

This partnership began in 2017, when Together for Short Lives was chosen as one of four organisations under Disney’s Social Purpose Programme.

Disney, which soon celebrates its 100th anniversary, is a world-famous, multi-billion-dollar bastion of children’s entertainment. Together for Young Lives is a leading UK charity for children with life-threatening conditions.

In the last few years, their partnership has enabled Together for Short Lives to work closely with The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland to:

  • raise funds for children’s hospice services

  • raise the profile of the organisation

  • help more children needing palliative care

  • create magical memories for affected children and their loved ones.

What makes this partnership great?

Disney is a natural fit for a charity aimed at helping children, bringing a wealth of characters and storytelling that effectively capture young imaginations. The partnership also gives families struggling with a difficult diagnosis the chance to relax and have fun together.

In 2019, as part of their campaign to create ‘Moments that Matter’, more than 100 families from children’s hospices throughout the UK joined Disney for a special celebration at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. Here they had the chance to meet iconic Disney characters like Elsa from Frozen, Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Children’s hospice staff were also nominated to walk the red carpet and join a VIP drinks reception at the premiere of Frozen II, giving both Disney and Together for Short Lives the opportunity to celebrate (and publicise) their partnership.

2. Pets at Home and Dogs Trust

Sharing a passion for pets

Pets at Home has partnered with Dogs Trust since 2013.

Dogs Trust is a British animal welfare charity that focuses on improving the wellbeing of dogs across the nation. Each year, Dogs Trust helps more than 15,000 animals through housing, rehoming and supporting dog owners who are struggling financially.

Pets at Home is a pet supplies chain based in the UK, which has more than 350 stores nationwide. The company supports the charity in a number of ways, including providing Wainwright’s dry dog food to Dogs Trust rehoming centres, and providing dogs with toys and treats that make their stay in a centre more enjoyable.

Since 2013, the partnership has:

  • fed more than 117,000 dogs in Dogs Trust’s care

  • provided approximately £450,000 of dog food to rehoming centres, year on year – an astonishing 130,000kgs

  • given dogs in rehoming shelters toys that keep them entertained and engaged

  • enabled Pets at Home VIP club members to donate directly to Dogs Trust through a voucher scheme.

What makes this partnership great?

This partnership is a great fit, allowing animal lovers to support dogs in need in practical ways while shopping with their favourite pet supplies store - and giving Pets at Home a chance to prove their caring credentials.

The voucher scheme that Pets at Home uses has raised tens of thousands of pounds directly through customer donations, while food and toy provisions donated by Pets at Home show a deep commitment to animal welfare.

The authenticity of this partnership has given it great longevity as it now reaches its 10th year.

3. Innocent and Age UK

Working together to combat loneliness

Innocent and Age UK have been charitable partners since 2003. It’s a long-lasting relationship that has provided more than £2m in funding for both national and local services for older people.

Age UK is one of the UK’s foremost charities for older people, providing advocacy and practical services geared towards later life. Innocent is a drinks company specialising in smoothies, with a strong eco-friendly, community-service focus.

The partnership’s main project is The Big Knit. This initiative encourages the general public to knit hats for Innocent’s smoothie bottles, which are then sold across the UK. Each sale of a smoothie bottle with a knitted hat results in a 25p donation to Age UK.

So far, the partnership has:

  • helped Age UK reach new audiences by growing awareness of their work

  • boosted sales for Innocent

  • encouraged the public to get knitting!

  • helped generate funds for Age UK’s services, particularly those aimed at combating loneliness and keeping older people warm during the winter months.

What makes this partnership great?

This partnership may not seem like an obvious one on the surface. But the marketing methods suit Innocent’s quirky tone of voice and individualistic approach.
Knitting is also precisely the kind of crafty hobby that crosses generations, matching an eco-friendly ethos and Age UK’s audience. By getting people involved in knitting tiny hats for a good cause, the partnership even helps Innocent smoothies stand out on supermarket shelves for all the right reasons!

In 2023, Innocent and Age UK are celebrating 20 years of The Big Knit with the unveiling of a giant knitted hat made by volunteers.

4. Furniture Village and The Sleep Charity

Highlighting the importance of a good night’s sleep

Furniture Village is a UK retailer selling home furnishings nationwide. The Sleep Charity is an organisation that aims to raise awareness of the importance of sleep.

Together, they founded The National Sleep Helpline - available five days a week for anyone who struggles to get enough sleep.

Marketing around the partnership focuses on providing an important, practical service that the NHS doesn’t have the resources to tackle, citing data that suggests UK adults experience nine nights of ‘broken sleep’ every month.

The partnership aims to:

  • address the UK’s ‘sleep debt’ with a relevant solution

  • offer evidence-based sleep strategies and service recommendations  

  • support the NHS and customer wellbeing.

What makes this partnership great?

Furniture Village and The Sleep Charity’s partnership responds to a practical problem (sleep deprivation) while giving both organisations the chance to showcase their unique brand(s).

As Furniture Village sells home furnishings (including beds) there is certainly a relevant link between them, healthy sleep, and The Sleep Charity, which helps the partnership make sense to its target audience.

By providing this service, Furniture Village is able to showcase how much it cares about customer wellbeing, and The Sleep Charity is able to reach a much wider audience.

5. Network Rail and Samaritans

Reducing suicide on the railways

Samaritans and Network Rail first began working together in 2010, aiming to prevent suicides on the rail network by providing practical support to people with suicidal thoughts.

Samaritans is a charity that has provided emotional support to people in crisis for more than 60 years. Network Rail manages most of the infrastructure on the UK’s railways.

Rail-related suicides have been a traumatic and frequent occurrence for many years, and the partnership aims to address this issue through a blend of awareness and outreach.

The partnership focuses primarily on:

  • working closely with health services and police

  • providing volunteer outreach to the public following rail suicides

  • working with the media to encourage responsible reporting

  • reaching out to at-risk individuals

  • training staff at rail stations in suicide prevention

  • engaging with the rail industry at large.

What makes this partnership great?

Samaritans and Network Rail have a shared purpose of keeping travellers safe and well, making this a successful and imaginative collaboration. The partnership has helped to train more than 20,000 Network Rail staff in suicide prevention and been indicated in hundreds of life-saving interventions, as well as winning multiple awards.

Their campaign, ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’, has raised awareness amongst the public about how a simple conversation could help interrupt suicidal ideation.

6. Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief

Tackling food poverty and nourishing the nation

Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief have been charitable partners for more than 20 years.

Sainsbury’s is one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, and Comic Relief is a charitable organisation that raises money for good causes around the world, often using British comedians to encourage donations.

During this lengthy timeframe, the partnership has:

  • raised £153m in donations for both UK and overseas causes

  • focused on key issues throughout the years, including (most recently) food poverty in the UK with the ‘Nourish the Nation’ campaign

  • helped elevate the voices of underserved communities and addressed the key causes of food poverty through practical advice and opportunities to learn about nutrition and healthy cooking.

What makes this partnership great?

This partnership works as Sainsbury’s is happy to closely collaborate with the changing initiatives rolled out by Comic Relief each year. The company also has ready access to the UK public, which has been beneficial for maintaining the high profile of the charity with its target audience.

It also helps Sainsbury’s demonstrate the giving, charitable wing of a large mainstream food outlet.

Most importantly of all, this partnership has raised millions and changed lives – directing money and resources where they are needed most.  

7. Gillette and Movember

Changing the face of men’s health

Gillette and Movember have worked together for several years.

The famed shaving brand is a long-time supporter of this annual event that aims to make a difference in male mental health and raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Movember centres around different global fundraising events and charitable initiatives, most famously encouraging men to grow a moustache during November.

Gillette’s involvement has been beneficial in several ways:

  • giving a mainstream brand face to a growing movement

  • encouraging men to discuss taboo subjects that could be lifesaving

  • providing a portal for fundraising.

What makes this partnership great?

Gillette was an early supporter of Movember, and as a brand focused largely on men’s personal care products (and shaving) the connection is an obvious one.

But Gillette has been very creative in the partnership, creating Movember-centric products that generate donations for the cause as well as boosting its international profile.

8. Vodafone and Business2Schools

Boosting connectivity for students

Vodafone is a multinational telecom company, whilst Business2Schools is a charity that focuses on making learning more accessible for students across the UK.

Vodafone supported Business2Schools during the pandemic, keen to support children trying to study online. Internet connectivity was preventing many students from getting the best learning experience, and Vodafone was ideally placed to fix that problem.

As part of the partnership:  

  • Vodafone consulted with educational trusts and teachers to identify what equipment would be most beneficial to students learning at home

  • they then donated 10,000 dongle devices to help children study online and access catch-up classes

  • the company also donated £200,000 to the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which distributed 500 computers to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

What makes this partnership great?

Vodafone drew on its considerable resources and telecom expertise to meet demand during a difficult time for many students and families.

This was also an opportunity to show the company’s charitable understanding of the challenges students were facing, and their willingness to help. Business2Schools meanwhile provided the expertise to help identify how Vodafone could best help - making this a fruitful partnership for both organisations.

9. First Mile and Rewilding Britain

Revitalising nature for future generations

First Mile and Rewilding Britain have worked together since 2019.

First Mile is a company that focuses on making businesses greener, through recycling, waste management and circular economy services. Rewilding Britain is a charity aimed at improving Britain’s biodiversity, restoring ecosystems and wildlife on a large-scale.

The partnership includes:

  • raising awareness of the work of Rewilding Britain

  • encouraging donations from First Mile’s clients and audience

  • supporting three projects in England, Scotland and Wales as Rewilding Britain seeks to revitalise the British countryside.

What makes this partnership great?

Given First Mile’s recycling focus, a partnership with another eco-focused charity makes perfect sense. In addition, First Mile does not have the same resources as some larger organisations, but is still able to spread awareness and support projects by using its online presence and client network.

This allows both the charity and the company to get the most from this collaboration.

10. McCain and Family Fund

Helping disabled children and their families

The partnership between McCain and Family Fund is a relatively recent one but has already seen great success.

McCain is a famous food brand in the UK, and Family Fund is a UK charity developed to help disabled children. The charity highlights that raising a child with disabilities costs three times as much as a child without them.

By working together, McCain and Family Fund are supporting 150,000 families with disabled or seriously ill children – and in light of the cost of living crisis, McCain has recently doubled its yearly donation to the cause.

The partnership is designed to:

  • raise awareness of the work of Family Fund, which includes providing families with grants for essential items, specialist toys and play equipment

  • highlight the challenges faced by thousands of families across the UK, as well as cultivate opportunities to spread awareness through podcasts, activities and advertising

  • generate large donations from both the general public and McCain as an organisation.

What makes this partnership great?

McCain’s food products have always been marketed with a family-friendly brand voice: oven chips shared around the dining table, comforting home cooking, spending time with loved ones…this makes the partnership feel like a good match as the same down-to-earth approach is used throughout marketing materials for the partnership with Family Fund.

Instead of appearing forced, this connection looks natural - and McCain has made significant financial pledges to match their promotional commitment to the cause.

How do you create an effective charity partnership?

Make it authentic

Just as genuine enthusiasm is infectious, people can pick up on charity support that’s tokenistic or not heartfelt. Make sure you truly care about the projects you’re supporting, and you have a better chance of a successful partnership.

Set realistic expectations and goals

Ensuring measurable goal setting is a key starting point for any marketing activity - don’t let hazy philanthropic ideas stop you from keeping on top of the practicalities. What do you want to achieve from this partnership? How will it benefit both parties? How will it benefit your respective target audiences?

Address any power imbalance

A small charity can work with a big brand (and vice versa). But you need to address this power imbalance at the outset, so everyone understands how resources will be allocated and how much commitment to expect.

Get creative with your collaboration

Some of the examples we’ve shared are an obvious fit - but others took a little more imagination to make it work. By listening closely to one another and being willing to ‘think outside the box’, both charities and brands can build a fruitful and happy partnership.

Need help with marketing your charity or building a brand partnership?

We have oodles of experience working with charitable organisations such as Alzheimer’s Society, Care UK, the NHS, Beacon for Rare Diseases and Internet Watch Foundation.

Talk to Sookio and let our digital marketing experts get the ball rolling!