Hot Topic- Are you Ready to Partner?

Forming a relationship with a corporate partner can be tough and requires passion, knowledge and patience, according to The Smith Family corporate partnerships manager Jo Booth.

Booth shared her top 10 tips for beginning the partnership search, at the Not for Profit and Corporate Partnerships Conference in Sydney on Tuesday.

1. Be ready and have a plan. Don't be forced to go too early. Do you have everything you need for example branding and marketing etc? Set realistic expectations with budgets, timelines and workloads.

2. Listen and be open. Get a brief and ask questions. Do you know enough about corporate partnerships? Who do you target? Why is your prospective list a good fit for your organisation? When is the best time to appraoch? Who is the best contact? What are the economic forecasts for your prospects?

3. Be patient. 6-12 months is normal for a partnership to form. Stay in touch and don't give up.

4. Do some database gold mining- look at current or lapsed partners as well as the supply chain

5. Do what you say. Don't over-promise, be clear and realistic about what you can do

6. Share the love. Give the partner stories to tell and share about what you are achieving.

7. Get internal buy-in- think of everyone as an ambassador, train them.

8. Know your organisation inside-out. Do you know the synergies between you and your partner? What are your asseys and what are they worth? Who are your competitors?

9. Thank, thank and thank again. Recognition is key.

10. Have passion for your job, your organisation and the difference you are making. You can't afford to be humble. If you don't sell it, how do they possibly know they should partner with you? Don't hide behind a bushel, you have to talk about what you do and be prepared to put it out there.