Newsletter: Partnership Newsletters: Your Questions Answered 🙋 ; How to do Cause Marketing with Furniture Stores🪑; Preparing for De Tocqueville’s Last Stand ⚔️
👉🏻👉🏻 Today, I'm answering readers' questions on my upcoming presentation at this year's Corporate Partnerships Conference (CPC25), How to Create a Lead-Generating Partnership Newsletter.
💡 Joe, Can you elaborate on why a partnership newsletter is so important to corporate partnership programs? - M.Y., Chicago
Great question! Let me answer this in two ways:
Keeping current partners engaged. How are you currently keeping partners informed about your partnership program? Chances are, it’s weak and inconsistent. Maybe it’s a mention in a donor newsletter or an occasional social media post—buried among other priorities. That’s a problem. Partners who don’t feel connected and valued are less likely to renew or deepen their commitment.
A dedicated partnership newsletter solves this. It ensures regular, direct, and meaningful communication with your partners, keeping them informed, engaged, and invested in your success.
Nurturing prospective partners. Once a prospect is aware of your organization, how are you staying on their radar and moving them from awareness to decision? You can’t just rely on one meeting or a follow-up email.
A newsletter creates ongoing touchpoints—a way to consistently showcase impact, highlight success stories, and keep your value proposition top of mind. And unlike direct sales pitches, a newsletter provides value-driven content that builds trust over time. It’s a low-pressure, high-impact way to guide prospects toward a “yes.”
Bottom line? A great partnership newsletter makes retention easier and acquisition smarter—and that’s a winning formula.
💡 Joe, I’m one of several salespeople on my partnership team. Does a partnership newsletter need to be a team effort, or can an individual team member successfully publish their own? - J.M. Tampa, Florida
This reminds me of when I launched Selfish Giving in 2004. At the time, I led a cause marketing team and on a whim started a blog to engage partners and prospects.
So yes, an individual team member can absolutely start a partnership newsletter—and it can be a game-changer. A newsletter allows you to build relationships, stay top of mind with prospects, and provide value without constantly making direct sales pitches.
That said, transparency is key. As I did then, you’ll want to loop in your boss and explain how the newsletter will support your team’s partnership efforts. A well-executed newsletter isn’t about personal branding; it’s about adding value to your organization’s outreach.
And don’t overcomplicate it! In my presentation, I’ll show you how to launch a simple yet effective partnership newsletter using something as basic as Gmail or Outlook. No fancy software required—just consistency and great content.
💥 Bonus Benefit: A newsletter isn’t just valuable for your current role - it’s portable. It goes with you from job to job. Building an audience and a voice in your industry can open doors, create opportunities, and make you stand out. In short, starting a newsletter isn’t just a smart partnership move - it’s a great career move.
💡 Joe, you clearly enjoy writing your newsletter—you’ve even said so yourself. What type of person is best suited for publishing a newsletter, and how do they differ from other salespeople? - D.C., Washington, D.C.
Great question (and I do love writing my newsletter)! To be clear, a newsletter is just one of many lead-generation tactics. You have to pick the one(s) that best fits your strengths and personality.
So, who is best suited for publishing a newsletter? Here’s what I’ve found:
Brainy vs. Brawny. Some salespeople thrive on cold calls, networking, and closing deals in the moment. If that’s you, a newsletter may feel too passive. But if you prefer attracting and engaging prospects over time, enjoy inbound strategies, and like building trust rather than chasing leads, a newsletter is a perfect fit - especially for strategic or introverted thinkers who want to create a steady pipeline of opportunities.
Voraciously Curious. A great newsletter isn’t about you—it’s about curating valuable insights. If you’re already reading, learning, and sharing industry trends, you have the raw material. A newsletter is simply the next step if you’re the go-to person for interesting, thought-provoking articles.
Strong Communicator & Organizer. You don’t need to be a Pulitzer-winning writer - I’m certainly not - but you do need to articulate ideas clearly, whether in writing, video, or audio. You also need organizational skills - planning topics, collecting links, and sending it on time. If you struggle with structure, it might feel like a chore. But if you enjoy bringing order to ideas and creating consistent content, it will feel natural.
Long-Term Thinker. Unlike cold outreach, a newsletter isn’t about instant results. It’s a relationship-building tool, where value compounds over time. You’re not hunting for a sale - you’re nurturing an audience that knows, likes, and trusts you, so they come to you when the right opportunity arises.
If you have the patience to play the long game, a newsletter is one of the most powerful assets you can build for your current job and your entire career.
Do you have other questions about creating a lead-generating partnership newsletter? Just hit reply to this email.
And if you are ready to create your own, you can sign up below. When you enter SELFISH15 at checkout, you'll save an additional 15%.
✍️ Partnership Notes
1. Ontario-based Heather Nelson and I had a great conversation about closing more partnerships with case studies. It was fitting that I spoke with a Canadian because I stand with our friends to the north (I am half-Canadian, after all!). 🇨🇦 Plus, I may need a place to stay down the road! 😬
2. How to do cause marketing with a chain of furniture stores - and why the "Bob" in Bob's Discount Furniture was a perfect fit for this campaign.
3. Seven misconceptions on lead generation. Some really good nuggets here!
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
1. My friend Ephraim Gopin is raising a red flag for nonprofits 🚩 - because donors don’t trust you. Here’s how he says you can win them back.
2. Is Gen Z a target audience for your nonprofit? You need to read this to understand better how to market to them.
3. Whoa! Rocket Social Impact 🚀 launches Project Launchpad, a pro-bono initiative to help nonprofits expand their reach and accelerate corporate partnerships. You have until April 4th to apply here.
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
1. Fundraising Proposal Writer, American Humane Society, Washington D.C. or Palm Beach, FL ($65k - $80k)
2. Program Director for Sponsorship Alliances, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX ($103k - $155k)
3. Senior New Partnership Development Manager, American Lung Association, Boston ($90k - $100k)
4. Sr. Director of Corporate Partnerships & Foundation Giving, The Everglades Foundation, Miami ($120k - $140k)
🧠🍌 Brain Food
1. A powerful, sobering opinion: Nonprofits must prepare for De Tocqueville’s last stand. Will nonprofits heed the call?
2. In the age of AI, leaning in to our humanity will be a competitive edge. That's why I'm picking up this new book on how to write notes that connect, comfort, encourage, and inspire.
3. Why settle for the Gulf of America when you can name your own gulf?
