The Real Value of Partnerships Goes Far Beyond Dollars

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“We trust them with their money, but we can’t trust them with their expertise?”

That statement from John Bacon, ASAE’s Vice President of Enterprise Sales, isn’t a criticism. It's a challenge for associations to go beyond the dollars and recognize partners as strategic allies in advancing their mission.

Association sponsorships are evolving. The traditional gold, silver, and bronze tiers are giving way to more strategic, year-round partnership programs. The goal? Sustainable revenue, deeper engagement, and stronger mission alignment. But making the shift from sponsorship to partnership requires more than a change in terminology. True partnership means moving beyond predefined deliverables and instead collaborating with partners in ways that leverage their expertise to shape the industry itself.

Bacon knows both sides of the partnership and association relationship. After 15 years with Naylor Association Solutions, he moved to the association side and brought with him a question too few are asking: Why aren’t we making our partners part of the solution?

“We're talking about all these programs and all these things that we're trying to do, these tools that we're trying to use, and we're never talking about the partners that provide that to the space,” Bacon said at the PAR RevUP Summit.

When it comes to problem-solving, ideating and innovating partners at times feel adjacent to the conversation instead of as part of it. That was the case for Michelle Brien, formerly of Matchbox and TopClass, who shared it wasn’t until the pandemic in 2020 that she experienced a new level of belonging within the association community – in part because of the rise of online educational events.

Brien says instead of trying to ‘get in the heads’ of partners, associations should include them in the conversations and tap into their knowledge and expertise. The outcome is mutually beneficial to the growing relationship between the association and the partner.

“It's about associations opening the door to let us in as well, so that we can understand your needs and then better understand how we can work with you to help achieve them together.”

EDUCAUSE, an association that helps higher education institutions advance through technology, is taking that approach. For years, it followed a traditional tiered sponsorship model.

But the shift to a new association strategy – bringing higher ed and industry together to evolve the technology market – necessitated a shift in its model.

“We needed a different strategy beyond spending a certain amount of money to get recognized," said Leah Lang, Senior Director for Partnerships and Corporate Engagement. “We actually need these companies to engage with our membership and to make some significant changes to help progress higher education.”

So EDUCAUSE launched a partnership program focused on year-round engagement with select companies. Each partner collaborates with EDUCAUSE on a mission-driven project — like AWS working alongside EDUCAUSE to develop an AI-readiness assessment for the higher ed community.

But the most transformative piece of EDUCAUSE’s approach is their Partner Summit – a one-day in-person event that brings together industry providers, higher ed leaders, and peer associations.

“We spent all day talking about what good partnership is, where the roadblocks are right now, how industry and higher ed can partner better together, and how industry and industry can partner together a little bit better,” Lang said.

The impact was immediate, and attendees requested a follow-up virtual event just six months later to keep the momentum going. Additionally, the group laid the groundwork for a corporate recognition program by identifying seven values of a trusted partner.

In just one year, EDUCAUSE’s new partnership program grew from 11 companies to 21. Lang says the partnership program is more than a source of non-dues revenue. It’s a way to advance the higher ed community with the expertise and insights of the partner community.

“It's not just about growing their spending with our organization. It's about, how do we mentor companies to become great partners of higher education over time.”