The American Revolution started over a broken contract. So, discussing partnership contracts the week before Independence Day seems only appropriate.

According to the Declaration of Independence, King George III broke the social contract between himself and his subjects, the American colonists….

An article in AdAge last week reports that one negative outcome of the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney drama is that ​personal attacks are a new risk for brand leaders.​**

There are three good lessons for causes.

First, it's a good reminder to companies AND causes that they need to be clear on brand purpose. It's too risky not to be. Now is not the time to be dabbling in gray areas...

The Chronicle of Philanthropy shared an interesting article last month titled ​Unrealistic Fundraising Expectations Are Causing Stress. Here's How to Set More Practical Goals​.

The writer was Rasheeda Childress, Senior Editor for Fundraising with the publication. She's one of my faves!

Boy, is this advice needed in fundraising - particularly in corporate partnerships, right? Let's apply some of Rasheeda's points to partnerships…

Thanks to everyone who emailed me last week about my ​"Shell-ebration" post​. I should have known that my readers would be huuuuggge turtle fans! 🐢🤩 Yay! 👏👏👏

👉🏻👉🏻 This week, I have another animal story for you that offers a few lessons about corporate partnerships.

Most of you know that I'm an ​AVID gardener​. I spend most of my spring and summer planting flowers and digging out my lawn to make new beds to - you guessed it - plant even more flowers! I'm even experimenting with a vegetable garden this year.🥕🍅🥒 My first one!

Dealing with wildlife is a common issue for gardeners….

Monday is the day I usually set aside for writing the "Note from Joe" section of my newsletter. That's the section you are reading right now.

This last Monday was different in two ways. First, Monday was a holiday, so it felt more like a Sunday than a Monday. Still, I was committed to getting my "Note from Joe"! Second, just as I started writing it, my wife came home and told me something that would upend my day….

had a great time at the Engage for Good Conference in Atlanta last week. It was fantastic to meet so many of my readers and catch up with many old friends! 🥰

I haven't seen the evaluations on my presentation - Creating Case Studies That Strengthen Your Programs: A Workshop For Businesses & Nonprofits - but it went well. I had a good crowd, people were engaged, and they asked lots of wicked smahht questions!

👉🏻👉🏻 Here are four key takeaways from my presentation…

As you read this email, I am on my way to the Engage for Good Conference in Atlanta. I'll be there all day today and tomorrow.

A few things...

🍸 This evening, my friends at Good Scout and I are hosting a mixer. This event is for friends of GS and for folks who registered for the conference with the special acronym "SGEFG" (which is basically secret code for "special guests" of Joe!). If you are in this special group, you should have received my invite to the event.

If you didn't get the invite…

I'm busy this week teaching in the New Strategies Program in the business school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

I'm teaching 30+ nonprofit leaders how to raise money with corporate partnerships. Woo-hoo! 🙌

For that reason, I'm keeping this week's newsletter short…

Don't forget to register for this week's live Q&A on maximizing corporate partnerships!

On  Thursday, May 4th, at 1 pm EDT , I'll be hosting a Q&A session with Charisse and Blair from Good Scout. ❤️❤️

👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻 The theme of this Q&A session will be how you can MAXIMIZE corporate partnerships with your current resources, assets, and staffing.

Here are a few of the excellent questions that have been submitted so far…

On  Thursday, May 4th, at 1 pm EDT , I'll be hosting a Q&A session with the fantastic team at Good Scout. We'll be answering all your questions about corporate partnerships.

👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻 The theme of this Q&A session will be how you can MAXIMIZE corporate partnerships with your current resources, assets, and staffing.

You probably hear enough from people about what you should be adding or planning for, but what should you do with the things you already have???

With this theme in mind, we'll be answering your questions around...

For the last two weeks, I've been talking about the Engage for Good Conference next month.

Two weeks ago, I talked about the conference and a special get-together I'm planning for people that sign up for the conference with this code:

👉🏻👉🏻 SGEFG 👈🏻👈🏻

(SG = Special Group!)

Last week, I made - what I thought - was a compelling case for why the conference was worth your time, energy, and money and how I could be your "Conference Concierge" next month. People loved that!

👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻 This week, I want to tell you about the workshop I'll be teaching at the conference on Thursday morning, May 18th. It's called: Creating Case Studies That Strengthen Your Programs: A Workshop For Businesses & Nonprofits….

Last week, I talked about my upcoming  triumphant return  🎺🎺🎺 to the Engage for Good Conference next month and a special get-together I'm planning for people that sign up for the conference with this code:

👉🏻👉🏻 SGEFG 👈🏻👈🏻

(SG = Special Group!)

The bottom line is that you should  register right now!  You'll also save $$$ as rates go up at the beginning of May.

But what's stopping you?

I think I know.

You're wondering if you should go.

"Joe," you ask, "Will it be worth the time, energy, and money?"…

I'm really excited to be heading back to the Engage for Good Conference next month.

It's been too long!

The EFG conferences in 2020 and 2021 were virtual, and last year's live conference fell on the same day as my daughter's graduation from college.

Boy, did I want to go last year. But family (and self-preservation 😬) always come first.

But I’m back in 2023, and I want to meet you!

Last week, I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger.

I told you about Todd Arrington, historic site manager at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site (JAGNHS) in Mentor, Ohio, and the tremendous job he's done building an audience on Twitter. He's amassed over 25,000 followers!

 You can read part one here.

📼 A bit of a review...

Building an audience - as Todd has done - is a critical first step on the road to success with corporate partnerships...and everything else….

If you've never heard of our 20th President James Garfield I wouldn't be surprised.

He only served for a few months before being shot by an assassin. He lingered for two months and died in September 1881. Still, he was an incredible man and showed great potential as a leader.

Whenever I read a history book I usually go down the rabbit hole on the subject. And reading about James Garfield was no different. I started exploring online and quickly discovered the National Park Service's  Twitter handle for the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio….

I'm busy teaching at the New Strategies Forum at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, but...

Tas Cassim from the Black Dog Institute has an important message about our case study presentation at Corporate Partnerships Everywhere, TOMORROW, Thursday, March 16th….

Last week, I talked about my upcoming presentation at Corporate Partnerships Everywhere on Thursday, March 16th.  Case study superhero Tas Cassim from Black Dog Institute in Oz and I will discuss case studies.

One of the reasons case studies are so darn effective is that they are helpful mid- and bottom-funnel. In short, when a prospect is beyond the awareness stage and is really considering partnering with your organization, case studies can move the conversation closer to a sealed deal.

👉🏻👉🏻 Today, however, I'm talking about top-of-funnel content for your partnership program because it's just as critical as case studies….

This week I want to tell you about my session on case studies. It's titled Write a Wicked Awesome Case Study & Close More Partnerships.

Joining me for my presentation is Tasman "Tas" Cassim, Head of Partnerships at Black Dog Institute in Australia.

Tas and I just finished creating TEN CASE STUDIES for his organization. I'll explain why case studies are so wicked awesome, and Tas will share his real-world experience working with a crazy Bostonian fighting for good as a CASE STUDY SUPERHERO!!!

🚨🚨During our presentation, Tas and I will share five critical insights on case studies…