The Power of Partnerships
Every successful organization – large or small – has one thing in common: active and supportive partnerships. Collaborators enhance our work, filling in gaps where our in-house capacity might be thin and leveraging our expertise to help our clients reach new levels of effectiveness.
This month I am happy to celebrate the anniversary of Little Green Light (LGL), one of the More Than Giving Company’s trusted partners. This donor database company has been in business for 15 years, and they have partnered with us to provide training for our proprietary Nonprofit Virtual Assistants (NPVA®) program. Our cross-promotion provides value to our own companies’ growth, as well as to our nonprofit clients.
Our NPVAs® complete a comprehensive certification program that prepares professional administrative assistants for the unique aspects of nonprofit work. In addition, we provide targeted training in technology platforms most utilized by nonprofits so that our NPVAs® obtain a level of proficiency with these tools. Our technology partners provide training in their respective systems, readying our NPVAs® to provide a high level of support.
Through our firm’s robust Referral Partner Program, we collaborate regularly with nonprofit professional associations, vendor companies providing everything from database services (like LGL) to graphic design firms and event producers, and consultants. In fact, we tailor our referral arrangements to the specific interests of each partner category:
Nonprofit associations that recommend The More Than Giving Company as a trusted partner connect their members with services that can positively – and immediately – impact their day-to-day operations. We are pleased to offer their members an introductory discount. Our professionals often share their expertise as speakers and panelists at conferences and webinars, and we extend opportunities for the association to share their thought leadership through a guest blog.
Vendor companies that work with nonprofits often see the signs of an organization that could use our help. Similarly, our clients turn to us when they need a recommendation for a particular type of product or service. First-time clients that are referred to us by a vendor partner receive an introductory discount. We schedule regular check-ins with vendor partners to discuss new products and services, and when our clients overlap, we keep the lines of communication open to ensure that our work aligns.
Consultant partners know that when our NPVAs® are board, they have trained and experienced support for implementing their strategies. More Than Giving NPVAs® are ready to set up and manage email campaigns and donor acknowledgments; organize meetings and track action items; migrate and maintain donor records; and much more. We are happy to have trusted consultants that we can refer to our clients as appropriate. In addition to referrals, we support each other through introductory discounts and co-marketing.
Because of our partnerships, More Than Giving is better able to address its clients’ needs comprehensively, in addition to providing top-notch NPVA® support. In fact, it is often our NPVAs® who alert us to an operating gap or new initiative that can best be served by one of our partners.
As a result, we are always happy to bring new collaborators into our work. If you have, or know of, a product or service that is supporting the work of nonprofit professionals, I hope you will reach out to us!
Are you interested in becoming a referral partner? Schedule a call today to discuss the next steps.