Northwest Harvest | Partnership FAQ

Introduction

The mission of Northwest Harvest is to provide nutritious food to hungry people statewide in a manner that respects their dignity, while working to eliminate hunger.
Our vision is that ample nutritious food is available to everyone in Washington State.

Our values:

•    we respect and honor the dignity of every person
•    we practice careful stewardship of our resources
•    we hold ourselves accountable to clients, donors and each other
•    we foster the collaboration of individuals and organizations in addressing the issues of hunger
•    we embrace diversity in pursuit of our mission
•    we are passionate about our work

Northwest Harvest seeks to develop community partnerships where and when possible. These partnerships may be excellent resources of funds, food, in-kind goods, and volunteer time. At the same time, it is our stated policy to seek employees, volunteers and donors that are committed to our mission and values. To maintain this balance, most requests for partnerships above and beyond standard food drives must be approved by the executive director.

We ask that organizations interested in creating a partnership of this kind with Northwest Harvest give substantial thought towards the development of their proposals prior to submittal. Proposals that reflect our mission, place the fewest demands on limited agency resources, and readily impact our clients are the ones most likely to be accepted.

We ask that all proposals be submitted in writing.

We are grateful to you for considering a partnership with Northwest Harvest.

We work with hundreds of organizations throughout the year that host food drives, collect financial donations, offer a percentage of sales as a donation to Northwest Harvest, and so on. We welcome and appreciate participation from the community in support of our efforts.

Hosting a food drive is a straightforward and easy way to support Northwest Harvest and many groups find that a food drive suits their purposes well. Northwest Harvest can supply food collection boxes and in many cases can pick up your donation as well. Food drive information can be found here.

Many organizations seek to partner with Northwest Harvest by sharing logos and other resources. We follow an internal process to help us determine whether this type of partnership is a good fit for us at the time. We consider such things as scope, timing, and the mission and purpose of the organization when making our decision. Partnership proposals and requests must be submitted in writing to the Director of Communications or Director of Development for review and approved by Northwest Harvest’s Executive Director.

How will my organization’s contribution be publicly recognized by Northwest Harvest?

•    Events that are open to the public will be included on the Northwest Harvest events calendar on our web site.

•   Partnerships that bring in $1,000+ or 1,000+ pounds of food during a given fiscal year are included in our annual report and listed on our web site.

•   Partnerships that bring in contributions of between $10,000 – $50,000 are further recognized with an expanded presence on our web page including a description of the event.

•   Partnerships bringing in $50,000 or more are further recognized with the option to post their logo on our web site. They are also mentioned in our quarterly newsletter both before and after the event is held.

If we enter into a partnership with Northwest Harvest can you help us promote our event?

We’d be happy to review your press releases but we cannot promote your event. Please also note that Northwest Harvest does not sell or lend its mailing list to outside entities, nor does it engage in promotional mailings to its constituents on a sponsor’s or donor’s behalf. Northwest Harvest does not solicit donations door-to-door and does not authorize sponsors or donors to use this or similar methods when promoting their event or offer.

Can you help us attract other partners to participate in our event, such as a restaurant or television station?

No. We can make suggestions but rely on the wisdom of our partners to build the partnerships they feel will work best for their event.

The presence of Northwest Harvest volunteers or staff does not imply that the event is co-sponsored by the agency. Northwest Harvest also cannot be held liable or responsible for any activities associated with a special event held on behalf of the agency by a private party. The donor/host assumes all liability.

Can you send a speaker to my organization to talk about what Northwest Harvest does?

We have a Speakers Bureau of volunteers and staff that will happily accommodate this request should scheduling allow. If you would like to schedule a speaker, please contact our Development Coordinator, Tony Rashid, at tonyr@northwestharvest.org.

Must my organization raise a minimum dollar contribution in order to partner with Northwest Harvest?

How do you assign value to donated goods or services that an individual or organization may make to Northwest Harvest?

Northwest Harvest cannot assign value to any goods or services exchanged for the benefit of the agency. This responsibility lies with the party donating the goods or services. In some cases, documentation and/or further information from that party is required before Northwest Harvest can release a letter acknowledging receipt and providing a description of the item or service given.

Logo usage is permitted on a case by case basis. We require approval of all marketing materials before they are released to the public. Please contact Claire Acey, Director of Communications, at 206.923.7426 or clairea@northwestharvest.org with requests.

We have an idea for an event that could take place immediately. How much advance notice do you need to consider a partnership?

We request a minimum of 4-6 weeks lead time and more during the busy holiday season (September through December). Our greatest need is for events that take place in the spring and summer when awareness of hunger issues is low so we urge you to submit your requests with that in mind.

For more information or to submit a partnership request, please contact Claire Acey, Director of Communications, at 206.923.7426 or clairea@northwestharvest.org. Please note that all proposals must be submitted in writing in order to be considered.

Once again, many thanks for considering a partnership with Northwest Harvest.