#73 Priyanka Sharma: 4 Reasons Why It’s Worth Partnering With a Nonprofit

Successful relationships are founded on give and take.

You may be thinking that partnering with a non-profit organization is all give and no take.

GitLab’s Director of Technical Evangelist, Priyanka Sharma, would have to disagree with you.

GitLab, an application that streamlines the software development process, is in a strategic alliance with the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. The CNCF is a non-profit community of developers and advocates who support open-source projects in the cloud.

We sat down with Priyanka to discuss some of the top benefits of a partnership between a corporation and nonprofit. Those reasons include:

1. Increased credibility
2. Greater reach
3. Corporate responsibility
4. Business productivity

Let’s take a closer look.

1. Increased credibility

Partnering with a nonprofit organization can do wonders for a company’s credibility. It’s crucial to choose a nonprofit that aligns with your values and is strategically connected to your industry.

Being involved with a nonprofit that churns out best practices and accreditations for your industry can put your company in the position of thought-leader. Your excellent reputation within the industry will outweigh any costs you incurred to partner with the nonprofit.

Priyanka notes that collaborating with other experts in the field can also help to improve your product or services.

2. Greater reach

A greater reach within your industry goes hand-in-hand with strategic partnerships. Nonprofits have a leg up on for-profits, however.

Nonprofits, specifically foundations, are normally made up of volunteers within the business community. These volunteers can work at any number of influential organizations within your industry. This is a benefit due to the fact that you can connect with countless networks that might need your services.

Priyanka also points out the benefit of composing case studies based off of your partnership. Having the ability to use a notable nonprofit’s name and logo on your marketing collateral can increase the trust other industry leaders have in your company. This can lead to increased B2B sales.

3. Corporate responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is as essential as ever for an organization’s reputation. Millennials are beginning to make up the breadth of the workforce and 73% of them are willing to spend more on a sustainable product.

With millennials beginning to move into C-suite positions and increasing their buying power, it’s in a company’s best interest to find a way to boost sustainability.

4. Business productivity

Being tied to an influential nonprofit can multiply your marketing efforts substantially. Priyanka is grateful she can work on telling GitLab’s story in a meaningful way as opposed to collecting as many leads as possible through less impactful means. She’s able to do this because of the exposure GitLab gains from being a trusted partner of CNCF.

Not to mention, making more impactful business maneuvers can affect the bottom line for years, not just quarters.

At first, it may seem like you’re giving more than you’re getting in your alliance with a nonprofit. In reality, the benefits are insurmountable.

Listen to the podcast here.

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4 Reasons Why It’s Worth Partnering With a Nonprofit -Priyanka Sharma • Video

WorkSpan Community

To contact the host, Chip Rodgers, with topic ideas, suggest a guest, or join the conversation about alliances, he can be reached by:

• Email: chip@workspan.com
• Twitter: @chiprodgers
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chiprodgers