Beyond Cross-Posting: Creative Partnership Ideas for Give!Guide Campaigns
Something that’s really cool about Willamette Week’s Give!Guide is that they practice community-centered fundraising by encouraging partnerships with other participating organizations. But if you’ve ever struggled to come up with fresh ideas, I’ve totally been there.
Partnerships often end up looking like a quick social share or a newsletter mention, which is fine! But there are so many other ways to team up that can build momentum, expand your audience, and raise more money.
Here are a few ideas to try this year:
Shared incentives. Team up with another org and offer a raffle entry or prize when donors give to both.
Beneficiary events. Already planning a happy hour, concert, or community gathering? Partner with another org and split the proceeds. You’ll draw bigger crowds and share the workload.
Donor appreciation. Honor your supporters together. That could look like a co-hosted thank-you event, a donor appreciation video, or even splitting up thank-you calls and cards across your teams. Just be sure to introduce the partnership clearly so donors feel part of something bigger.
Creative crossovers. Go beyond the basics. Think: a staff-curated playlist that celebrates both orgs’ missions, a donor shout-out reel featuring community voices, or a simple PDF one-pager/zine that highlights your shared impact. These don’t have to be heavy lifts, but they can make your collaboration memorable.
Resource sharing. Exchange templates, trackers, toolkits, or campaign resources so each org benefits from the other’s strengths.
Skill sharing. Take it a step further: trade staff time for quick peer workshops (ex: one org trains the other’s team on Canva, while the other shares donor stewardship strategies). Partnerships can build internal capacity as well as donor energy.
And here’s the bonus: partnerships don’t just help you execute the campaign — they give you more content to talk about. A two-month campaign can feel long, and many orgs run out of fresh things to highlight. But a staff playlist, a behind-the-scenes story of how you’re collaborating, or a donor appreciation effort you host together? Each of those can become its own email or post.
Partnerships don’t have to double your work. They can double your impact and double your content.
About the author
I’m Nel Taylor, a nonprofit fundraising and equity strategist who has run several successful Give!Guide campaigns and coached organizations through creative, community-centered fundraising. Want support making the most of this year’s campaign? I’d love to help! Send me an email at nel@nowthisconsulting.com