Collaborating with companies through Business Involved

Sometimes a collaboration with a company is a great way to add something to your organization. And there are certainly companies that want to be socially involved and contribute. In the VCA projectBusiness InvolvedCompanies and social organizations are connected to each other. What is it exactly and does it work? How do you stand out and how do you create a complete profile? During an online inspiration session with social organizations, answers were provided to these and other questions.

What is Business Involved?

Business Involvedis started as an initiative of the Municipality of Amsterdam, Deedmob, and VCA and helps businesses and organizations connect with each other. The project has been continued as an independent project of VCA since the beginning of 2024. It is intended for companies and their employees who want to volunteer for an organization. Ultimately, the goal is to establish long-term relationships. This is where the difference lies with the job board of the VCA. On the platform, we do not talk about job vacancies, but about opportunities. In addition, we not only strive for supply – demand, but also the other way around: demand – supply.

What can you ask as an organization?

The request for help depends on the needs of the organization and what the company has to offer. It is not intended for donations from companies to consist of money. Money is not always the best thing to ask for. You can also achieve your goal in other ways. For example, a contribution could consist of a donation in kind. Think of coffee machines or laptops. Other good examples include sharing expertise, making spaces accessible, or deploying employees as volunteers. The request for help is ultimately answered without having asked for a cent. So think about hands, knowledge, goods, services, spaces, or networks. For companies, the added value of doing something for social organizations is that they fulfill their policy in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility.

How do you start a collaboration with a company?

• Ensure a clear help request. What is your motivation, what do you want to achieve, and what do you need? Knowledge, expertise, network, resources, or hands?
• Also know that you need to have time to guide and advise people. And that collaboration sometimes requires a long breath.
• Be aware that it concerns sustainable and impactful collaborations. For other inquiries, we are happy to refer you to the job board of the VCA.
• It is also important to consider what the organization has to offer the company. Why would they want to connect with this organization specifically?
• Think about which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fit the organization and connect to them. SDGs are seventeen goals to make the world a better place. They serve as a global compass for challenges such as poverty, education, and the climate crisis.Hereread more about it.

Create a complete profile

Once you have gathered all the information, you can register the organization on Business Involved and create an organization profile. Be clear, honest, and concrete. Companies can search using various filters such as: SDGs, location, activity, etc. So make sure to include all that in your profile. This way, you ensure that your organization is found by the right companies. Use clear images. This is often the first thing a company sees when they land on your profile.
Complete your profile by posting an ‘Activity’: start date – end date, summary of the opportunity, how many people you are looking for, any conditions. Finally, it is important to send an automatic personal message when someone has responded. This makes it more informal and creates a good start for a sustainable collaboration. VCA regularly reviews all posted opportunities and is happy to provide tips and tricks if needed.

Relationship management

For a sustainable collaboration, it is important to build this up. Relationship management is very important in this. Keep in touch with people who might be able to help you. It is very important that in relationship management you not only reach out when you need help but also when you have something to celebrate and invite them, for example, to an anniversary party/christmas gathering, etc. Building and maintaining contacts with companies is a matter of endurance. In some organizations, it is part of a role and there is time for it. This also ensures support within your organization.

Set social media in

Not everyone uses social media (optimally). The power of social media is in connectingstay meet your network and it is often larger than you think. A relationship does not end with just one connection on LinkedIn. For example, an organization received help from a glass company. The glass company may only be able to install glass once but also has a network that may be interested in helping you.

A few more tips

1. Discuss within your organization where the opportunities lie.Make arrangements for the follow-up. Who does what?
2. Bet on multiple horses.Despite the time investment, it can also happen that companies withdraw. Therefore, it is wise to bet on multiple horses to spread the risk.
3. Start well in advance!The platform does not guarantee that the request for assistance can be answered within a short period.
4. Advice from VCA.Activate VCA if you want advice on your approach, want to practice reaching out to a company, or want to see or share nice examples.
5. Talk to people, go to networking events, be genuinely interested.
6. Listen carefullyis open to new ideas.
7. Put time into it.
8. Stay in touchmeet your relationships. (Offline and online)

Need personal advice?

For questions and advice regarding the use of Business Involved, you can contactRachida el Alami.