What could a contemporary, upscale hotel in a hip downtown district have in common with a pet adoption agency?
Maybe nothing at first glance.
Yet the relationship between the Aloft Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina and Charlie's Angels Animal Rescue in the nearby town of Fletcher is working out very well
Since August 2014, Charlie's Angels has brought one dog into the hotel about every 7 to 10 days. The dog lives in the lobby until he's adopted by a hotel guest. In the seven months since the program began, hotel guests have adopted 19 dogs. That's great news for the shelter – and the dogs.
And, as you'll see in this NBC News report, the dogs allow the hotel to create a unique experience for guests. The Aloft is seen as supporting a good cause, and may even be responsible for introducing a new best friend to many guests. That's a lifelong memory they're helping to create.
Who can you partner with for mutual benefit? If there's no obvious answer, start by considering organizations that you would like to help even if your company didn't benefit directly from the relationship. Acting on your authentic passion for a cause can pay many other types of dividends.
