What are corporations looking for from your Nonprofit?

I was always told the three most important words in real estate are

Location, Location, Location.

In the world of Corporate Fundraising, the most important words are

Partnership, Partnership, Partnership.

Why Sharon—what do you mean??

A donor is someone who gives you a donation.

A partner takes a seat in the boat and rows along with you.

They want to support your mission but be involved with your organization on a deeper level…a level that helps fund your mission but also helps them meet their goals.

A quick refresher:

Some of the reasons corporations want to support nonprofits.

It’s good for their business.

Studies suggest that individuals (particularly younger consumers) tend to buy more from companies that support missions important to them.

They can also tie in with their clients, retail partners, or others to increase their footprint (and increase sales)

Employee Engagement

Corporate philanthropy fosters employee engagement and generates value for the employees and their community.

Public Relations and Marketing

These are great opportunities to talk about their commitment to their customers, the Community, and more (and to get others talking about their products or services)

Mission Match

Your mission super serves their customer base or employees.

The reason you may never know

The CEO’s daughter had Leukemia, so he wants to support Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And, of course, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - a business model that helps a company be socially accountable to itself, it's stakeholders, and the public.

How do you learn the goals of a corporation?

Do some homework:

Review their website

-About their philanthropy to see if they have any focus (pillars) of giving

-Is their Impact report available for you to review?

-Their press releases and news coverage - what have they done in the past?

Check their social media accounts.

-Any photos of happy employees volunteering?

-What other charities have they supported in the past, and how did that support come to life?

Search for for any press they might have received and did not choose to post. You may find local stories that a major corporation did not find necessary to post but will be helpful for you.

The more engaged you are in your preparation, the more thoughtful you will be when creating your tailored opportunity for them.

And remember, there are usually different people who handle different goals.

HR might handle the volunteering, for instance.

Be ready to ask the right person the right questions to discover how to engage best.

There is SO much more about Corporate Partnerships that I would love to share with you, including a great flow chart on who handles what- Reach out to me,

And remember Team Kat & Mouse…The Training, Tactics, and Tools you need to be successful!

Read Our Other Blog: Partnerships that are OHHH, so Good