Why?
To be a strong part of your community and a partner that gives back to help local organizations. Guests feel strong connections to local groups and often will be loyal to businesses that support them, which leads to increased visits and sales. Giving back can also lead to increased exposure and press in the area.
Estimated Time to Execute:
Varies depending on the partnership and giving back commitment. Some research time may be needed as well as a 30-60 minute initial meeting.
What makes a good partner:
- Look for a group that you and your team can feel passionate about helping. The more excited you are, the more excited your guests will feel.
- Make sure it is local and near your restaurant. Families who attend an elementary school a few blocks away have more stake than the “American Lung Association- Florida” that is a great cause, but not as personally connected to your community.
- Ensure the partner has a good guest reach with social media presence, email blasts, meeting attendance, etc. The more word they can get out about the restaurant partnership, the better for both of you.
- Choose a partner that you can work with multiple times over the year. This should not be the only time we work with them (catering for events, silent auction donations, sponsorship, etc).
- 501c3 status as a non-profit
Tools Needed:
- Internet time to research local organizations
Research Needed Prior to Execution:
- Ask your team if there are any local causes they feel passionate about. This is a great starting point if you do not have any previous partners you’d like to work with again.
- If you’re starting from scratch, look through previous donation requests and see if there are any groups you think would be good to work with.
- Use Google Maps to look for non-profit organization in your area if looking for more ideas. Use the ‘Search Nearby” function for non-profit.
- Also consider local schools, libraries, fire stations, animal shelters etc as local partners.
Execution:
- Once you’ve selected an organization, approach them with
what we are doing for our fundraising for the holidays (reference the Holiday
Fundraiser Promotion document for more information.)
- Prior to selection, try to check out their website, social media, etc to ensure they will have a good reach.
- Try to avoid any groups that may seem controversial in any way- we want all guests to feel comfortable donating to the group.
- Ask if they’d be interested in being our partner for this December after outlying the program.
- If interested, get the best contact information for the person who you will be working with going forward, and aim to set up a meeting (either in-person or by phone) to discuss promotional activities for both of you.
- When you meet or discuss further, be sure to collect their:
- Logo
- Website
- Social media sites/handles
- Any photos they will let us use for promotion
- Any restrictions or language they’d like us to use for promotion
- Details for payment after promotion ends
- Let them know how we will promote their organization via:
- In-restaurant promotion with desserts
- Server mentions
- Email blast (contact Kathryn for numbers if needed)
- Social media
- Ask about other opportunities for this season (speaking at a meeting, press release, donating desserts to a meeting, etc) as well as through 2019.
- Thank them and get excited for a fun holiday promotion!