Sponsoring skills at nonprofit : how does it work?

In a context where associations are constantly looking for resources to reinforce their impact and effectiveness, skills sponsorship offers valuable support. This scheme enables companies to make their employees available during working hours for missions benefiting associations. It's a unique opportunity to transform associations' projects and maximize their effectiveness.

Why do skills sponsorship?

By giving associations free access to skills, professional or otherwise, skills sponsorship strengthens their ability to carry out their projects. It also fosters the creation of lasting partnerships between the associative sector and the corporate world, while adding a new dimension of meaning and commitment for the employees involved.

What are the different forms of skills sponsorship?

Missions can be strategic or operational, one-off or regular, depending on the specific needs ofnonprofit and the types of commitment available from partner companies. Skills sponsorship can take the form of a wide variety of actions, such as :

Volunteering for a few hours at a time, without requiring any particular skills (outings, calls to isolated people, meal distribution, etc.).
Mentoring with regular support (helping people back into employment, learning French for refugees, etc.).
Sharing professional skills (accounting, HR, communication, etc.)
Team-building activities (treasure hunts, urban walks, cooking with unsold goods, activities co-hosted by homeless people, etc.).

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What are the needs of associations in terms of skills sponsorship?

Skills sponsorship brings many advantages to associations and can meet a variety of needs. It can contribute to improving internal management, developing specific projects, implementing new technologies, or training teams withinnonprofit.

In the end, however, depending on the type of skills sponsorship desired, employees don't necessarily have to bring any particular business expertise to the associations. They can also bring their labor force and help with missions such as collecting or sorting materials, distributing meals or gardening activities.

By benefiting from the professional or operational skills of employees, associations can optimize their operations and increase their impact in the field.

What types of companies are involved in skills sponsorship?

Numerous companies of all sizes and from a wide range of sectors are involved in skills sponsorship. Among the larger companies are Generali, Carrefour and Groupe La Poste, all of which are committed to Wenabi's services. Many mid-sized companies are also involved in skills sponsorship, as are SMEs and VSEs.

These organizations see this scheme as a way of forging links with the associative world. It also enables them to make a commitment to social issues, while enhancing the status of their employees. Wenabi's solutions simplify connections between companies and associations. By giving greater visibility to the activities of associations, the Wenabi platform also facilitates the management of employee volunteer registrations.

How to set up skills sponsorship as anonprofit ?

To benefit from skills sponsorship, nonprofit must follow several steps:

1. Assess the eligibility of thenonprofit

Check thatnonprofit meets the criteria of general interest. For an organization to benefit from skills sponsorship, it must meet three criteria:

Benefit an unrestricted number of people: for example, a cultural center open to all city residents would be eligible, whereas a private reading club reserved for members would not.
Disinterested management:nonprofit must be managed in such a way as not to generate personal profit for its directors or members. This means that financial surpluses must be reinvested innonprofit 's activities to serve its social purpose, and not distributed among members.
Non-profit-making:nonprofit 's activities must be non-commercial and must not seek to make a profit. It may, however, carry out profit-making activities, provided they are used exclusively to finance the general interest activities ofnonprofit.

2. Identify your needs

Before applying for skills sponsorship, it's crucial that nonprofit has determined its needs. This involves :

Carry out an internal analysis: evaluate the areas wherenonprofit needs support, whether in operations, management, IT, etc.
Prioritize needs: prioritize needs according to urgency and potential impact onnonprofit objectives.
Create mission sheets: for each identified need, draw up a mission sheet detailing whether skills are required, the mission objectives, duration, location and expected results. This helps clarify expectations and facilitates the search for employees who really matchnonprofit's needs.

3. Find partners

The next step is to find companies willing to make their employees available. Here are a few ways of doing this:

Matchmaking platforms: use expert solutions such as Wenabi, which facilitates contact between associations and companies interested in skills sponsorship.
Networking and partnerships: establish contacts with local companies, chambers of commerce, business networks and professional federations. You can also presentnonprofit and its needs at forums, trade fairs and other solidarity events.
Direct approach: contact companies directly whose activities match your values and needs. It is essential to prepare a presentation that clearly highlights the impact ofnonprofit and the benefits of skills sponsorship for the company.

4. Organizing collaboration

Once nonprofit has identified relevant companies for its project, the next step is to organize the collaboration. To do this, it is essential to schedule a meeting betweennonprofit and the selected company. This step ensures that the company fully understands the challenges and values ofnonprofit , and that it has the resources required for the project. It is also an opportunity to clarify expectations and answer any questions.

5. Project follow-up

To ensure that skills sponsorship is beneficial for bothnonprofit and the company or companies involved, it is important to set up a rigorous follow-up system:

Regular follow-up: organize more or less frequent check-ups, depending on the agreement established with the company or companies, to assess how the collaboration is progressing, resolve any problems and make any necessary adjustments.
Evaluating the experience: at the end of a project, or even during a partnership, evaluate the progress or results achieved. Gather feedback from employees and the company to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Impact measurement: calculate the impact and benefits of skills sponsorship atnonprofit : quantifiable results, internal capacity-building and impact on your organization's beneficiaries. This report can be used to enhance the value of the actions implemented with stakeholders and to motivate new collaborations.

Testimonials and feedback

Encourage the employees involved to share their experiences and feelings. These testimonials can be used to :

Enhance the company's commitment: demonstrate the positive impact of skills sponsorship on employee motivation and personal development.
Promotenonprofit: use testimonials to attract new partners and raise public awareness of thenonprofit cause.

Improving the program: feedback is invaluable for adjusting and improving future skills patronage collaborations.

By following these steps, a nonprofit can effectively integrate skills sponsorship into its development strategy and take full advantage of the resources offered by this scheme.

Skills sponsorship represents an exceptional opportunity for associations to access material and human resources without incurring any additional financial costs, enabling them to develop and increase their impact. Thanks to careful preparation, associations can structure and formalize their requests to guarantee fruitful collaboration with partner companies. Skills sponsorship can become a powerful lever for the development of associations, and Wenabi supports them in setting up coherent partnerships. Register your nonprofit free of charge on the Wenabi platform and let our experts help you with your skills sponsorship project!