Larger corporations often take advantage of all the marketing opportunities a new nonprofit partner might provide but we are happy to spotlight a partnership that you might have missed. FedEx and Truckers Against Trafficking announced a multifaceted partnership earlier this year that merits some applause.
Truckers Against Trafficking is a 501(c)3 that exists to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking and busing industries to combat human trafficking. FedEx is a Memphis based company that employs more than 40,000 individuals and operates 20,000 vehicles. It is often called the eyes and ears of our nation’s roads. The partnership provides training to FedEx employees to identify possible human trafficking during the course of their normal business day.
Not only does this partnership make sense by knowing just a tiny bit about both organizations, the partnership is even more nuanced. It empowers individual employees as agents of change by providing FedEx employees with specialized training and resources to recognize the signs of potential human trafficking. It also ties in with other FedEx initiatives including their Small Business Grants, where it was a grant awardee who helped drive the initiative forward.
The timing of the partnership was also strategic; it was launched to coincide with National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January, which augmented the social media exposure this partnership was already receiving and created activations beyond the corporation. In addition to that, FedEx executives took the opportunity to highlight the partnership at a visit to the White House while discussing health care issues.
This partnership has many elements of a strong nonprofit – corporate partnership: it engages employees directly and invites them to get involved way beyond only asking them to donate their own money; it is in natural alignment to the business’ goals and activities – meeting employees ‘where they are’; and it positions FedEx as an industry leader in thoughtful use of its resources for good.
Do you have a favorite nonprofit – corporate partnership that merits a spotlight? Let us know by tweeting us @StarfishMarta.
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