NEW YORK - PRWeek, the leading trade publication for the public relations (PR) industry, along with PainePR, an award-winning national public relations agency, today announces the results of the PRWeek/PainePR Survey on Maximizing Cause-Related Relationships. Created to shed light on the growing number of corporations who are using cause-related programs as an integral part of their business approach, the survey reveals how, according to nonprofits, corporations can maximize these partnerships to create long-term, and successful campaigns. Additionally, findings reveal a recent upswing in corporate support of nonprofits and a healthy outlook for future corporate giving.

While a majority of nonprofit respondents (77 percent) report they've seen little or only a modest increase in corporate support since the 9/11 tragedy, the picture brightens considerably when respondents were asked about what they've observed more recently, notably this past year. Sixty-one percent of respondents say that they've seen increased interest in supporting nonprofit causes from corporations, and more than half (52 percent) report that this interest is translating into financial support.

Furthermore, optimism for the coming year is very high among nonprofit executives across the board. Their responses - a nonprofit/cause-marketing forecast - predict not only that the level of corporate investment will increase over the next 12 months, but also that, on average, they expect it to increase by 17 percent.

"It's great to see increased interest in social responsibility activities and funding, but the one thing we've learned in the 20 years we've engaged in cause-related programs for clients is that success is far from guaranteed. Corporations and nonprofits are a little like cats and dogs. They get along very well in the right circumstances and not so well in others," said David Paine, CEO of PainePR and President of nonprofit group One Day's Pay.

"Unfortunately, differences in perspective and objective create barriers to cooperation that ultimately hinder the ability of nonprofits to attract the funding they need to accomplish their objectives in some instances, and the ability of corporations to achieve the ROI they demand. We hope to use the findings of this and future surveys to help companies and nonprofits better understand each other and optimize their relationships for the mutual benefit of both parties and the important societal causes being served."

Nonprofits Reveal What Makes Corporate Partnerships Work for Everyone's Benefit When it comes to driving corporate investment in social responsibility programming, nonprofits say their own marketing efforts are the most important factor (75.1 percent), followed by press attention to relevant issues (56 percent), and individual business performance (53 percent). Respondents also overwhelming say that corporations expect more for their partnership investment than a year ago (75.2 percent), and that partnership opportunities with other sponsors (67.4 percent) and increased sales (47.6) are the two biggest reasons corporations should lend support to their organizations.

"When appropriately initiated and well-managed, cause-related partnerships benefit all involved," said Julia Hood, editor in chief, PRWeek. "After surveying seasoned, senior decision makers in the nonprofit industry, we were able to capture some incredibly valuable key learnings that can benefit corporations and nonprofits alike. Exploring these issues allowed us to develop tips and parameters that corporations and nonprofits can follow in developing future cause-related campaigns." Key findings from the PRWeek/PainePR survey resulted in the following tips for corporations and nonprofits to follow to develop successful cause-related programs:

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