Growing Partnerships
Client: Furniture Bank of Central Ohio
Team: Sam Chase, Autumn Dang, Maxine Fang, Eugene Hoban
Date: Fall 2018
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Our challenge was to find a way to grow the Furniture Bank’s partnerships to increase their resource pool.
Key Findings
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At different times, all partners are the face of the Furniture Bank’s mission
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The process of cultivating partnerships is highly individualized and varies based on a number of factors forcing Furniture Bank staff to dedicate a large amount of time to sustain current partnerships and try to grow
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The Furniture Bank is more successful in growing and sustaining partnerships if they make their operation visible and communicate the impact of their mission at the same time
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The Furniture Bank facility is the best place to showcase the mission in action, therefore, prospective donors and partners are more likely to sign on in some way if they can visit the Furniture Bank and interact with as many aspects of the operation as possible
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Out of all partnerships, volunteers have the most interaction with prospective partners because they interact with the process in many ways
Solution and Value
Our proposed concept was "Build with a Heart". We knew we wanted to create a simpler and more cost-effective service that would allow the Furniture Bank to identify and cultivate long-term partners, therefore, elevating their capacity. Based on one of our insights, we knew that the Furniture Bank has the most success getting potential partners to sign on when they are able to go to the Furniture Bank's facility and see the mission in action. We wanted to create greater visibility of their operations and create a unified partnership pipeline. We began piecing together the idea of a team building event marketed to potential high-level donors/partners in Central Ohio.
The event will bring them to the Furniture Bank's facility and make all of their internal operations accessible. By creating the opportunity for these potential partners to interact with staff, volunteers, and referral partners, we allow them to discover and assign their own value to a potential Furniture Bank partnership and envision their own role as a partner.
The Furniture Bank could increase visibility of their operations and create a unified partnership pipeline.