What our partners want – the five hot topics

We all know that collaboration is one of the contributing factors to a successful partnership. So each year Landcare Australia invites its corporate partners and contacts to come together for half a day to share ideas, gain knowledge and workshop how to better leverage their support of Landcare.

Earlier this month, representatives from 22 businesses joined the Landcare Australia partnerships team in Sydney, and the room was abuzz.

The attendees heard from Landcare Australia partners, Telstra, Konica Minolta Australia, South32 and Hawke’s Brewing Co, about their diverse partnerships and the business benefits they derive from them. Jeff Cottrell from Landcare group, Friends of the Colo, spoke to the group about the impact his group of volunteers have on the ground and the difference corporate funding makes to them. Participants also heard about the diverse range of communications offered by Landcare Australia and had the opportunity to work together to build business relationships.

So what are businesses looking for from their work with Landcare Australia? A few hot topics came out of the day.

Funding the right opportunities

Jeff Cottrell’s presentation about his group’s on-ground work illustrated that targeted funding can have a big impact. Through funding to purchase boats, Jeff’s group was enabled to engage more volunteers, significantly increasing the on-ground work the group was undertaking and having a bigger impact. This provided food for thought when considering what projects and groups should be funded, and where corporate funding can have an impact.

Communications
Working with our partners to tell their best Landcare story is what we love to do. A key take-away from the workshop was the fact that there are many different ways we can tell stories and the method of storytelling can be tailored to each partnership. We also like to help our partners engage their stakeholders by telling their best Landcare stories.

Volunteering
Following a great presentation from longstanding Landcare Australia partner, Telstra, a number of people in the room took away ideas about how to better leverage their existing volunteering programs or how to implement one. Landcare Australia has been running its Corporate Environmental Volunteering program for more than 20 years and places thousands of volunteers with Landcare groups across the country every year.

Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs)
The development or implementation of a RAP is high on the agenda of many companies, and an area that a partnership with Landcare Australia can help support. Engaging with and making a positive difference to Indigenous Landcare projects and groups has multiple benefits across environment, community and education and can help achieve RAP objectives. More information on developing a RAP can be found at Reconciliation Australia’s website.

How to better leverage a partnership with Landcare Australia
A partnership may start off focusing on one area, but with success comes opportunity. The number of audiences Landcare Australia reaches and the diverse programs we run, mean there is always opportunity for a partnership to develop and diversify. This could be to engage a new stakeholder group, help a business achieve objectives from a new sustainability or CSR strategy, engage a community, or reach a new consumer base.

Thanks to everyone who took part in this year’s Corporate Partners Workshop. If you would like to speak to someone about exploring the idea of a partnership with Landcare Australia, please contact 02 9412 1040 or [email protected]