Ideas and Tips to Enhance Your Partnership
Schools and businesses know how valuable their partnerships are. It’s important
to share the story of your partnership with others – the media, company
employees and customers, parents and the community. Keeping your
partnership in everyone’s mind will help maintain support for the partnership and
enthusiasm among participants.
Tips/Ideas for Businesses to Communicate About the Partnership
Create a display highlighting partnership events in an employee gathering area
(cafeteria or break area/lobby). Include photos of employees interacting with
students.
Submit a short article for your employees’ newsletter, recognizing those
employees who participate in Partners In Education events and activities.
Add photos with captions and newsletter articles to your company web site or
Intranet. Partners In Education events could be a featured page on your site.
Send emails to your staff informing them of your School partnerships and
partnership activities.
When your company’s employees volunteer with students, send an email with a
photo to senior management and your board of directors.
Recognize those employees who participate in the partnership. Create an award
certificate to thank employees for giving their time to enhance student
achievement. Acknowledge employees at company meetings.
Include Partners In Education events in your customer communications.
Whenever possible, use photos of events to highlight your company’s activities in
support of the school.
Create a sign to recognize your school partnership. The sign can be displayed in
your lobby, cafeteria, and at company events.
Display a Partners In Education decal at your company’s location.
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Provide a banner to your school that can be displayed at the school in support of
your partnership. (All promotional activities and displays must be approved by
the school principal.)
Invite school staff to participate in company activities. Training and development
for businesses can often benefit school faculty and administration as well.
Teachers and administrators can be valuable in serving on company committees
when time permits.
Be sure to include Partners In Education boilerplate language in all press
releases.
Tips/Ideas for Schools to Communicate About the Partnership
At the beginning of the school year, set a calendar notice to be sure you
communicate with your partners on a regular basis. Mark holidays, anniversaries
or “Partnership Days to Remember” so recognition is not forgotten in the hectic
days of the year. Always mention the specific student achievement to reinforce
the focus of the program.
Prepare an email list of partner employees, so you can easily send them a
message to let them know of a special student achievement, an upcoming
activity or send a note of appreciation.
Following each partner activity, write an article for your school newsletter, use the
information for a press release and add the printed stories with photos to the
school’s bulletin board.
Include your partner on all school communications, including calendars and
special events notices.
Send emails to your school staff informing them of your business partnerships
and partnership activities.
Be sure to include Partners In Education boilerplate language in your press
releases.
Create posters and signs to recognize your partners. Prior to an event with a
partner, create a welcome sign so the business will be aware that you are
prepared to have them join you. If a marquee sign is available at your school,
add the partner’s name to the sign in advance, and post a thank you message
following the event.
Create posters and signs your partners can use at their business location.
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Send letters and/or drawings from students to the business partners to show
appreciation for all activities.
When you see your partner’s business publicized by the media, clip the article
and send it with a note to your liaison, congratulating them on the recognition.
Invite your partner to attend and speak at school functions – open house, parent
meetings, field days, athletic events, etc.
Create a volunteer recognition program and acknowledge the contributions of
your partners. Submit the winners’ names to local newspapers.
Be as specific as possible. Highlight student achievement in measurable terms.
