Building New Partnerships for Young People’s Futures

When The Young Lewisham Project connected with Link UP London, they were looking to unlock a new area of fundraising that had the potential to strengthen their long-term sustainability. While the organisation had a strong track record of securing grants and fundraising support, corporate partnerships remained largely unexplored. They wanted to better understand the corporate landscape and develop a strategy that could help them build meaningful relationships with businesses.

About the Organisation

The Young Lewisham Project has been supporting local young people since 1974. Originally founded to reduce youth crime through practical skills training, the charity now provides vocational programmes that help young people build confidence, gain qualifications, and prepare for the future.

From motorcycle maintenance and carpentry to music, media, cooking, bike maintenance, and tutoring in Maths and English, the organisation offers a safe and inclusive environment where young people can develop lifelong skills, improve social connections, and explore new opportunities.

The Challenge

The team recognised that corporate partnerships could provide valuable financial support, resources, and long-term opportunities for the young people they serve. However, they needed guidance on how to approach businesses, develop a compelling sponsorship offer, and create a sustainable strategy for engaging corporate partners.

They were looking for support to understand the language of corporates, identify the most promising opportunities, and build a clear roadmap for future partnership development.

The Skilled Volunteer

That’s where Kay stepped in.

Bringing expertise in business development and corporate partnerships, Kay worked closely with Emma and the team to develop a corporate fundraising strategy that would help The Young Lewisham Project confidently enter this new fundraising space.
Together, they explored potential sponsorship opportunities, refined their corporate offer, and developed approaches for building relationships with prospective partners.

Reflecting on the experience, Kay shared: “I so enjoyed working alongside Emma Prior of Young Lewisham Project, supporting her work in developing new corporate partnerships. It was great to gain insight into YLP’s fantastic and wide-ranging work. I’m looking forward to staying in touch and hearing how this work progresses.”

The Impact

Through the project, The Young Lewisham Project gained the tools, knowledge, and confidence needed to begin building a sustainable corporate fundraising programme.

The team now has a clearer understanding of how to approach businesses, communicate their impact, and identify opportunities for partnership.

Emma explained: “We are now better equipped to explore a new area of work that could have a very positive impact for our organisation and service users.”

The potential benefits extend far beyond fundraising alone.

“If we attract more corporate funding and support, this will impact positively on our service users, as we will be able to provide more resources and build stronger programmes.”

Looking Forward

With a corporate fundraising strategy now in place, The Young Lewisham Project is well-positioned to develop new partnerships that can support its mission for years to come.

By connecting skilled expertise with community need, this project has helped lay the foundations for future growth-enabling more young people to access life-changing opportunities, develop new skills, and build brighter futures.