Building Partnerships: Collaborate to Strengthen Your School

When you think of your school community, what comes to mind? Is it the students who come to learn each day? The hard-working teachers who support them? Or perhaps parents and guardians who participate in your PTA and ensure their children have everything they need to succeed?

These groups make up your insular school community, but what about beyond the classroom walls? Your school exists within a broader community of local businesses and groups that may be willing to give back and support your students.

Building partnerships with these organizations can unlock access to new resources and strengthen your school for everyone. Explore how to best collaborate with local businesses and community groups to get the most out of these relationships.

1. Identify shared goals and values.

The most productive partnerships are those in which both parties are invested in the same goals. Form authentic relationships by reaching out to businesses and organizations with values similar to your school’s.

Groups dedicated to education and youth development or businesses that have supported these causes in the past are obvious choices, but you can also dig deeper depending on your school’s current strategic priorities.

For example, if your school is trying to promote a love of reading amongst the student body, you may approach a bookstore, library, or publisher for a potential partnership. On the other hand, if your focus is on getting kids active, contact a local gym or fitness center to access exercise equipment or create volunteer partnerships with fitness instructors.

Leverage connections you already have as well by calling upon parents and alumni who own businesses or are involved in community organizations for help. Describe the types of partnerships you’re looking for in your parent and alumni newsletters, and directly reach out to individuals you think would be a good fit.

2. Meet to discuss how you can support each other.

Once you’ve identified potential community partners, set up a meeting with them. Emphasize that you want this relationship to be mutually beneficial. Propose what you’re looking for, but also highlight what your school would offer in return.

Some examples of how you could work with community partners include:

• School sports team sponsorships. Businesses can sponsor your school sports teams, allowing you to purchase new uniforms and equipment, upgrade your facilities, cover tournament expenses, and provide scholarships for low-income students. In return, you can feature the business’s logo on team uniforms and thank them for their support before and after games.
• Business booths at school events. Let’s say your school hosts a back-to-school welcome picnic each year. Businesses may pay to set up booths at your event to sell products or teach people about their services. While your school generates revenue, these businesses benefit from expanding their reach to your school’s students, teachers, parents, and guardians.
• Employee volunteer opportunities. Many companies have corporate volunteer programs in which they organize team volunteer outings, offer volunteer time off (VTO), and give back to the organizations their employees volunteer at through volunteer grants. Help businesses boost their programs while gaining helping hands for your school by leveraging employee volunteers to help run events, manage after-school programs, and provide professional services your school needs, such as web design or accounting.

An easy benefit you could add to nearly any partnership is promotion. Use your school’s social media accounts to highlight the good your community partners have done for your school and share photos of your partnership in action. Then, you could provide your partners with data about your posts’ reach to prove your partnerships’ return on investment (ROI).

3. Host joint fundraising events and initiatives.

Events are an effective way to bring the community together, offering visibility for businesses, exciting opportunities for students and families, and more funds for your school. Explore the types of joint fundraising events and programs you can host with your community partners:

• Auctions. Auctions allow you to raise funds while also providing donors with thrilling items they can take home due to their generosity. Have your community partners donate auction items or raffle baskets for your event. In exchange, you may name the auction after them, promote them on auction marketing materials, and include their logo on all event signage.
• Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns involve supporters raising money on behalf of your school using their own personal fundraising pages. Many peer-to-peer campaigns end in a culminating event—like a run, walk-a-thon, or read-a-thon—so people can pledge their support based on individuals’ event performance. For instance, a student’s grandparent may pledge to donate $5 per page read during a read-a-thon. Your community partners can sponsor the campaign by promoting it and providing supplies needed for the event.
• Matching gift campaigns. Matching gifts are donations companies give to the organizations their employees contribute to. For example, if a Disney employee gives $50 to your school, Disney would match that donation with their own $50 contribution. You can work with your community partners to run a matching gift campaign in which they share your donation page and how the matching gift process works with their audience. In return, your school promotes each business’s commitment to giving back.

With the joint power of your partners’ funding and your school community, you can run successful fundraising events and initiatives that maximize the positive impact on your school.

4. Work with partners to enrich your curriculum.

Lean on your community partners to help enrich your curriculum, incorporating real-world expertise to give students more engaging, memorable learning experiences. For instance, you may offer the following hands-on learning opportunities for your students with the help of different businesses and organizations:

• Coding workshops led by tech company representatives
• STEM programs led by engineers
• Culinary club or lessons led by local chefs or restaurant owners
• Mental health seminars led by local therapists or counselors
• Personal finance and investment lessons led by accountants
• Video production or graphic design sessions led by media company representatives
• A closer look at historical artifacts led by local museum employees
• Gardening club led by local farmers or plant shop employees

Consider surveying your students to determine which types of experiences they would be most interested in and working with parents, alumni, and community partners to make these opportunities come to fruition.

5. Develop a mentorship program.

Company employees can act as mentors in their specific areas of expertise or general life skills to provide role models for your student body. Businesses can consider this part of their corporate philanthropy program and feature their work with your school on their website.

Career mentorship in particular can be helpful for older students starting to think about their career paths. Mentors may have students shadow them or speak at career days hosted by the school. You may also have local tradespeople offer apprenticeship programs and vocational insights for interested students.

This type of program helps integrate older students into the local community and gives them the skills they need to succeed beyond the classroom and graduation. Additionally, businesses get a chance to make a difference for your school in a way that goes beyond their monetary contributions.

Thoroughly promote this program to parents and students in your email newsletter. As Bloomerang explains, your email newsletter should act as a monthly or quarterly “digital bulletin” for exciting news and opportunities your organization has to share. Let them know how students can sign up and what participation in the program will entail.

As a school administrator, creating the best learning environment possible is likely a top priority. With the help of local businesses and organizations, you can raise more funds and offer exciting opportunities for students to take part in. Don’t forget to thank your community partners often and promote their giving spirit to the rest of the community.