The direction of corporate community partnerships in Australia is towards an ‘integrative’ stage of collaboration, in which partners create new services and activities as a result of their collaboration, according to a recently released research report.

The report, ‘Relationship matters: not-for-profit community organisations and corporate community investment’, by the Centre for Corporate Public Affairs, was commissioned by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

The report has found that outcomes produced by these integrative partnerships include better societal outcomes, and improved delivery of services at a local level.

Corporate community partnerships are able to address, or assist in addressing societal issues and produce outcomes that governments cannot (or cannot do alone), and that businesses and not-for-profit organisations cannot achieve exclusively.

Relationship matters: not-for-profit community organisations and corporate community investment looks at how to best leverage the operations and activities of NFP organisations to enhance interactions with large businesses. The report also examines:
· barriers to corporate community partnerships developing further in Australia,
· differences between not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) and corporations
· positive and negative factors at play in these partnerships
· trends and developments in corporate community partnerships.

We acknowledge the contribution of the NFP organisations that participated in workshops, consultations and provided feedback via the online survey.