For many of us, today is the first day at work in 2020. You may have come to work equipped with a new water bottle, a home-cooked lunch or your running trainers, ready to crack on with your personal goals for the year – but have you thought about your work-based resolutions?

Below we’ve listed five we think everyone working in corporate partnerships should consider:

1. I will make the company the hero
   The best corporate partnerships managers are the ones that present companies with problems to solve, and let the corporate themselves do the solving – look at the partnership between Royal Mail and Missing People, where mail carriers are actually finding lost people, for example. Strive to make the company the hero in each of your approaches, communications and pitches.
   
2. I will define my top 10-12 prospects and ignore all others
   Focussing on roughly 10-12 prospects allows you to ensure that you are only working on partnerships that are realistic, valuable and long-term. Rather than a prospect list that weighs you down with the shame of never reaching all of them, your prospect list becomes your weapon for achieving game-changing success.
   
3. I will go for coffee with people outside of fundraising
   The best corporate partnerships are about creating value, not raising money. The best way to work out how corporate partners can support your cause is knowing the aches and pains of other departments – forming alliances with your comms and services team will serve you well in the new year.
   
4. I will say no to opportunities that do not fit with our cause
   It can be incredibly difficult to turn down an opportunity that presents itself to you, such as pursuing shopping tools that offer profits to a charity of the user’s choice or a company being founded by a friend reaching out – but it’s important to spend your time where it can have maximum impact. These opportunities can work, but don’t guilt yourself into saying yes if you know that it won’t.
   
5. I will move three forward every day
   And finally, one of favourite pieces of advice from Rob Woods: guarding time for business development in your diary is one of the secrets to corporate partnership success. If you take baby steps every day, you can learn to expect a quantum leap – guard the first hour of your day to speak to three prospects before looking at your to do list, and watch your results transform.

Whatever your goal, the Remarkable Partnerships team would love to hear what you’re up to this year – do let us know if we can help. We’re always happy to chat through questions or issues over a coffee or over the phone, so do get in touch.