It has become common practice for nonprofits and corporations to partner in a variety of ways. One could involve a corporation sponsoring a nonprofit event. Another kind of partnership could involve co-creation of a product line specific to that partnership. According to Mark Kramer’s recent article, “Catalytic Philanthropy” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Fall 2009), it’s not only beneficial but absolutely necessary for the two sectors to collaborate, leveraging all available resources, in order to achieve the next generation of long-term social impact. 

In the course of working with a number of corporate giving programs and nonprofits seeking better and more strategic ways of partnering and assessing the value of those partnerships, we’ve developed a Partnership Analysis Rubric which lists a set of criteria to evaluate the strength and depth of these cross-sector partnerships. The four salient criteria include the following:

1) Funding/Duration: What is the amount of financial or in-kind donations; how long have the partners worked together? 

2) Shared Value: Do the partners have concurrent values and does the partnership itself have value? 

3) Co-Branding: Are products, services, branded in such a way to easily recognize the partnership? 

4) Engagement: Is the partnership synergistic and dynamic? Are important strategic decisions made together? 

Thinking more strategically about partnerships will help both corporations and nonprofits achieve sustainable social impact – together.