We’ve all been there. The coffee meeting where a colleague or professional acquaintance talks for an hour without asking you a single question. The scrolling Slack message with a partner who consistently reaches out for support and advice but rarely offers any in return. And of course, there’s always that one person (you know the one) who asks you to give and push and stretch and rush and conveniently forgets to say thank you.
Ahhh … relationships. They’re wonderful, beautiful, complicated, sometimes-make-you-want-to-pull-your-hair-out things.
Although it sounds simple, the key to just about everything in business and in life depends on strong, healthy relationships. But if you’ve ever been in a relationship with anyone of any kind (hello, that’s all of us!), you know relationships are often anything but simple.
So, what does a successful relationship look like between a nonprofit organization and an agency partner?
That’s a question we started pondering after a large national nonprofit recently asked us that during our courting process. Here’s what they wanted to know: What do our nonprofit AND an agency partner like Round Square each need to bring to the table to have an effective working relationship?
Excuse us while we drop the mic for a moment.
The very act of asking that question is the foundation of a relationship. Two-way communication, shared expectations, genuine accountability, and care for the other. Ding, ding, ding.
Dr. Shirley Davis, an organizational success expert, believes strong relationships are rooted in turning the infamous Golden Rule on its head. She suggests that we shouldn’t treat others how we’d like to be treated; rather, we should treat others how they want to be treated. (Should we drop that mic again???)
That brings us back to the question at hand: What do a nonprofit organization and its agency partner each need to bring to the table to enjoy a successful working relationship? Here’s our take.
What a Nonprofit Must Bring to the Table
To ensure a successful working relationship with a brand and communications agency like Round Square, we believe a nonprofit should bring these four foundational things to the table.
1. Courage
We find the best project outcomes and partnerships are rooted in courage — where stakeholders are willing to set aside preconceived notions, think differently and consider new or untried approaches. Courage is being willing to listen — truly listen — to what constituents and customers say without being defensive, ready to act on meaningful insights. Making decisions from a place of strength and courage leads to much more powerful results.
2. Trust
When bringing on a new agency partner, trusting in their experience and expertise is important. Even when something feels new or a little uncomfortable, your agency partner has done this many, many times with many organizations. We spend all day, every day immersed in our craft to bring you our very best to advance your mission. Trust in your partner and their recommendations, while offering additive feedback and insights that will inform and improve the process.
Likewise, be a partner your agency can trust. Be timely in providing reviews and feedback that will allow you to adhere to timelines and maintain momentum.
3. Clearly identified stakeholders and decision-makers
Nonprofits are typically complex organizations with many stakeholders, interdependencies and nuances. Therefore, clarifying who is critical to inform the process and how final decisions will be made is paramount. Nonprofit partners must establish a day-to-day point of contact who can mobilize and collect feedback/input and facilitate the larger team of internal stakeholders to drive efficiency and effective outcomes.
4. Frequent dialogue and actionable feedback
Finally, any great relationship involves two-way feedback where both parties genuinely seek out and appreciate the other’s views. Be honest with your partner. Ask questions that may spark additional ideas, and don’t be afraid to let them know right away if something doesn’t sit right with you or meet your expectations.
Additionally, when providing feedback for naming, design or other creative visual elements, share the tension or problem you’d like addressed rather than trying to solve for it — that’s what your agency is for. Instead of saying I don’t like that color, approach feedback with answers to questions like: What’s still not working for me? What is giving me pause?
What An Agency Like Round Square Must Bring to the Table
1. Radical listening
We believe our clients’ thought partnership and fingerprints on a project always enhance the work. While we are experts in our field, we don’t know everything. The ability to learn, grow and push limits starts with radical listening.
2. Proactive, frequent and responsive communications
Nonprofit partners should know exactly where an agency is in the process, what is expected of them and what comes next … before they have to ask.
3. Honest and authentic thought partnership
As a true extension of a nonprofit’s team, agencies should serve as strategic thought partners, doing what’s right and best for each nonprofit and the people and families they serve. Always.
At Round Square, that means sometimes sharing hard truths and going outside our lane a bit to do what is in our partners’ best interests.
4. An all-in approach
We believe an agency should bring an all-in approach to everything they do. Nonprofit resources are limited; organizations shouldn’t receive 80% or even 95% of a team’s best. 100%+ is what nonprofit partners deserve, every day in every way.
At Round Square, we literally adopt our partners’ missions as our mission. Deep immersion and understanding of a partner’s brand, community and culture are essential to delivering results that exceed expectations. Here at Round Square, we only have C-suite level staff on every project to ensure our nonprofit partners receive the best and brightest thinkers and doers on every aspect of the work — an ingredient we believe is both differentiating and essential.
5. Values that show up in the work {every day}
Brand agencies should have a strong set of personal and organizational values that nonprofit partners see and feel daily. As a brand strategy agency ourselves, we don’t just create values as part of the process for others; we live by our set of values every day when working with and for partners.
Here’s what that means at Round Square:
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- We relentlessly oppose the status quo. Yep, we have a clinically confirmed allergy to mediocrity of any kind.
- We do everything with excellence. It’s a healthy obsession, we promise.
- We do what is right, not what is easy. Every. Single. Time.
- We believe in 100% authenticity and 0% ego. We don’t care about who gets credit. We only care about driving impact to improve the organizations and communities we serve.
- We care the most. About you, about the people who work with us, about your mission and its impact. About what’s right. About every single detail.
6. Follow-through {do what you say}
Finally, a great agency partner must do what it says, following through on promises related to timelines, deliverables and shared expectations.
What do you believe nonprofits and agency partners need to bring to the table to ensure a successful partnership? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Connect with us on social to continue the conversation! ⬇️
