Paul Tchen - Mutual benefits of a corporate partnership

I have been privileged to serve on the KELY Board for over 20 years to be able to contribute to the empowerment of Hong Kong’s youths. One of the many needs of KELY and in fact of any charitable organisation which I quickly identified was the need to have strong and caring relationships with Corporate Partners.

I am often asked by friends about what the purpose of a Corporate Partner is. Simply put, it is an organisation which provides ongoing support to the beneficiary organisation. To better explain what I mean, I would like to highlight a few of our valued Corporate Partnerships.

KELY x KEE WAH BAKERY 
A cooking assortment with the theme of “Always By Your Side” (“伴您同行”) was created to promote the sheer importance of peer support, and encourage everybody to cherish their true friends. This special edition in commemoration of KELY’s 30th Anniversary in 2021 was sold at select KEE WAH shops with a donation from the sale, which helped raised much needed unrestricted funds in addition to the KELY donations boxes placed at the shops. The benefits derived included raising awareness of KELY’s work with their customers and raising funds for KELY.

KELY x SAR PHILHARMONIC
For several years, KELY enjoyed a partnership with the SAR Philharmonic Orchestra (the musical arm of the SAR Philharmonic Charitable Foundation) which held fundraising concerts with KELY as the Beneficiary. This kind gesture also provided an opportunity to thank supporters by inviting them to a musical evening.

KELY x THE PENINSULA BOUTIQUE
For 15 years, KELY was honoured to sell the famed and much in demand Peninsula Mini Mooncakes from The Peninsula Boutique from which a percentage of the proceeds was retained by KELY. We were grateful to gain exposure to the hotel’s influential clientele while raising unrestricted funding.

KELY x IMPERIAL PATISSERIE
2024 marks the beginning of the next phase of charity mooncake sales with a new partnership with Imperial Patisserie from which a substantial donation will be made to KELY for each box sold. This evolution in one of our signature fundraisers will substantially increase our exposure while fundraising under extremely favourable terms through their kind support. The mooncake vouchers are on sale in KELY’s online shop until 31 Aug 2024.

The above are some of the examples of the meaningful contributions that a Corporate Partnership brings to KELY. A corporate partner can contribute in many other ways:

  • Generate awareness on KELY’s work with their audiences
  • Fundraise to benefit KELY
  • Provide pro-bono space for KELY events
  • Organise volunteers from their companies to assist at KELY events
  • Donating professional services needed by KELY
  • Disseminating KELY press releases to the media to help secure publicity

In return, KELY can help them in the following ways:

  • Fulfil their internal CSR requirements
  • Fulfil their regulatory CSR requirements
  • Providing employees with an option on being involved in community service

I am delighted to be able to assist KELY in fostering corporate partnerships which is needed to ensure that the KELY team’s time each day is focused on performing impact actions rather than administrative ones.

If you or your friends are associated with a company which is looking for a Corporate Partnership, please send an email to donation@kely.org, so that we can draft a philanthropic arrangement to both organisations so as to ensure a win-win situation.

If you are inspired by our work and would like to help us continue making a difference, please consider making a donation to support KELY Support Group. Your contribution can make a real impact.

This article was written for and a featured piece in KELY’s monthly Newsletter. To subscribe, please click here.