4 ways charity partnerships can help grow your business
Customers increasingly opt for small businesses when making purchases or choosing a service provider. Having a more personal relationship, and supporting an individual or their business is often what drives people in their consumer choices. But with the number of small businesses growing day by day, it can take a great deal of effort to make your company name recognisable.
If you are struggling to stand out among the competition and can’t find a strategy to increase your visibility and gain new clients, here’s the solution:
Collaborating with a charitable organisation working for a cause in line with your values makes it more likely for customers to choose your products/services. Being a small business should not stop you from having a powerful impact.
Here’s the case study of Buttercup Learning, an e-shop of learning resources around sustainable living. Find out how their partnership with Windle International helped them grow and succeed as an award-winning small business.
Here are 4 ways charity partnerships can help you grow:
1. Stand out from the competition
Supporting a cause that you care about will be what differentiates you from other companies in the market. When choosing among the myriad of businesses out there, customers will compare not only the product itself, but also the values of the business. They will choose the one that catches their eye and touches their heart, and they will choose the best social responsibility campaign.
Buttercup Learning places their partnership with Windle International as a key element of their Unique Selling Points. In their recent communications “5 things which set us appart“, they showcased the uniqueness of their business because they help children in need. What makes them unique is that with the sale of their posters, they contribute to the education not only of those children who receive the products, but also students in countries supported by Windle.
2. Increase your sales
It has been proven by various studies that 86% of global consumers are more likely to choose a company that aligns itself with social issues and implements a campaign around it. If part of the profits of your products/services are donated to a charity you care about, customers are more likely to buy it. This way, you will increase your sales and simultaneously help to make the world a better place.
Buttercup Learning chose to donate 10% of their sales from their Butterfly poster to Windle International. This pledge helps to attract their clients and enables us to provide education to children and youth living in places affected by conflict in eastern Africa.
3. Build and strengthen your network
Partnering with a charitable organisation will help you reach new people, who did not know you before. The charity will most likely promote your products/services within their own network. With this new improved perception of your brand, customers who feel strongly about a cause tend to remember companies that take a stand for what they believe. This will make people want to learn more about you and financially contribute to your sales. It is also more likely for customers to remain loyal to socially responsible businesses.
At Windle International, we are promoting Buttercup Learning’s products through all our socials to make sure to support our small business partner and to offer our network other ways to support us. Customers of Buttercup Learning now have the opportunity to help others when buying educational posters. The fact of donating to Windle makes consumers proud to be buying from a business that raises awareness about issues such as inequalities in access to education.
4. Grow your public relations opportunities
Getting free press coverage is not always easy; media are looking for unique stories to tell. Partnering with a charity can help you improve your profile, by opening you up to publicity opportunities. The charity itself will help you in that regard, by mentioning your great effort in their own press communications (where appropriate). It will help you spread the word about your business across various media channels, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. This increased publicity will allow you to boost your PR opportunities and visibility.
Thanks to being a socially responsible business, Buttercup Learning gained the attention of the Smiley Movement, a cross-media platform that spreads the word about the non-profit sector to the general public. Collaborating with and supporting Windle International made them catch the attention of the press, giving visibility to their business in this article.
Partnering with Windle International can really benefit your business. You would also become a vital contributor to the empowerment of young people to achieve their academic potential, and contribute to sustainable development.
More than 11 million people are forcibly displaced in eastern Africa, with more than half being women. People who are forcibly displaced are 36 times less likely to access education and vocational training, while women are over 1.5 times less likely than men to be in education or employed.
At Windle International, we believe education transforms society. For over 45 years, we have been enabling children and youth from conflict-affected areas in the region to access quality education and training. Every year, we help over 1 million children who have been marginalised. As the lead education partner of the United Nations for Refugees in the region, we manage programmes from early childhood development to higher education. We strongly believe in giving equal opportunities to those who are often forgotten by society.
Thanks to your kindness and generosity, together we can empower children and youth and help them succeed at every educational level. We would love to see your business grow together. Visit this page to learn how to set up a partnership with Windle International.
Let’s maximise the positive impact together.
