Lincolnshire Co-op will continue its support of the Imps after agreeing a new three-year partnership with the club, including sponsorship of the Co-op Community Hub.
The locally-based organisation has been a long-term supporter of City, with the partnership focused on using the reach of the football club to create a positive impact across the local community.
The relationship goes beyond traditional sponsorship, with Lincolnshire Co-op working closely with the club on community initiatives and campaigns which give supporters the opportunity to make a difference locally.
One of the strongest examples of the partnership in action came last season, when City and Lincolnshire Co-op joined forces for the organisation's Secret Santa campaign.
The Christmas initiative encouraged Imps supporters to donate food essentials, sanitary and hygiene products, unwrapped new toys for children or make a monetary contribution to support vulnerable people across the local area.
Dedicated donation points were available in the Fan Village and on Sincil Bank, while supporters unable to attend the match could also contribute through Lincolnshire Co-op's network of food stores, travel branches and pharmacies.
The joint campaign proved to be the most successful Christmas giving campaign to date, highlighting the impact that can be created when the club, its supporters and a local organisation come together behind a shared cause.
The Co-op Community Hub is another key part of the partnership, providing a platform for Lincolnshire Co-op and the Imps to engage supporters and deliver activity with a community focus.
With both organisations deeply rooted in Lincolnshire, the partnership provides an opportunity to connect Lincolnshire Co-op's presence across the county with the reach and audience of the football club.
Lincolnshire Co-op chief executive Alison Hands said: “We're excited to continue our partnership with Lincoln City Football Club, an organisation that plays such an important role in our local community both on and off the pitch.
“Football has a unique ability to bring people together, and we saw that first-hand during the club’s promotion-winning campaign last season.
“As proud sponsors of the club for 25 years, we have developed an extremely strong relationship, so to see the team now play in the second tier of English football is very special."
City's chief commercial officer Bobby Copping said: “Lincolnshire Co-op is a fantastic example of what a strong, long-term partnership with a local organisation can look like.
“This partnership has always been about much more than having a brand presence at the stadium. It’s about working together to create something that has a genuine impact on our supporters and the wider community.
“Last season’s Secret Santa campaign was a brilliant example of that. To see our supporters get behind the campaign and help make it the most successful Christmas giving campaign to date was fantastic, and it showed what we can achieve when we work together.
“The Co-op Community Hub also gives us a great platform to continue that work throughout the season, bringing Lincolnshire Co-opcloser to our supporters and creating more opportunities to make a difference locally.
“There is a really natural connection between Lincolnshire Co-op and the Imps. We’re both organisations with deep roots in Lincolnshire and a shared commitment to supporting the communities around us.
“We’re incredibly grateful for Lincolnshire Co-op’s continued support and look forward to building on what has already been a really successful partnership.”
City chief executive Liam Scully added: “This agreement is a continuation of a long-standing relationship, and that’s the most important thing. We’ve worked together for several decades now and it’s been a partnership that has been built on trust and has continually evolved.
“Whilst there are the links between Lincolnshire Co-op and the football club, it’s all about community. It’s about our role and working together to support Lincoln and Lincolnshire and help it to be the best it can be.
“The Co-op Community Hub has created a tangible link between Lincolnshire Co-op, the football club and Lincoln City Foundation, and that community work is absolutely integral. It’s the heartbeat that runs through the football club and Lincolnshire Co-op. It’s exactly what both organisations are set up to do and strive to do every single day.
“When you see those two brands sitting next to each other, it represents trust and a genuine commitment to the community but most importantly, it’s about what that partnership does on a day-to-day basis, and that’s what we’re most excited about.”