Vice President
Growing corporate support requires a clear understanding of what your organization offers, which companies are most aligned, and how to best engage them. Depending on the opportunity, that may mean working with a corporate foundation, social impact team, public affairs, human resources or marketing department, or regional leadership. Each will bring different priorities, resources, and expectations to the conversation.
With several potential avenues for support, it is important to determine where there is meaningful alignment with your mission and where your team should focus its time.
In a previous piece, I shared guidance for companies on building effective nonprofit partnerships. Since Changing Our World works on both sides of the partnership coin, I wanted to share a few considerations for nonprofits seeking to build and strengthen these relationships.
1. Understand where your mission and the company’s priorities align
A strong partnership begins with a clear connection between your organization’s mission and the company’s priorities. That connection may be a shared commitment to addressing community needs, an opportunity to engage employees, or a workforce pipeline your programs help address. Understanding that link will help you explain why your organization would be a strong partner.
Before reaching out, take time to review the company’s public materials and existing partnerships. Consider:
- Giving priorities: Focus areas, geographic requirements, recent grants, and existing nonprofit partnerships.
- Business and community priorities: Where the company operates, its purpose, the communities it is investing in, and relevant workforce or business needs.
- Employee engagement: Volunteer programs, employee resource groups, workplace giving, and other opportunities for employees to participate.
Use this research to shape how you present the opportunity, then refine your approach through conversations with the company. Public information can help you assess fit more broadly, but it may not reflect a company’s current priorities, funding availability, or giving timeline.
2. Be clear about what you bring to a partnership
Review how you currently present your organization to companies. Do your website, sponsorship materials, and outreach clearly explain your work and the ways a company can engage? Consider the assets a partnership with your organization could offer, including:
| Asset | What a company may be looking for |
| Community relationships | Local knowledge and trusted relationships that inform community investment |
| Programs and expertise | Experience and capabilities that help advance shared impact goals |
| Employee engagement | Practical ways for employees to volunteer, lend skills, or fundraise |
| Brand and reputation | An established reputation for credible work on a shared issue |
| Geographic footprint | Programs in communities where the company has a presence |
| Data and outcomes | Evidence of results and learning that can help demonstrate impact |
| Events and communications | Relevant opportunities for recognition and sharing the partnership’s work |
The goal is to clearly articulate what distinguishes your organization and why those strengths matter to a prospective partner. Use program outcomes, examples, and testimonials to support your case, and be realistic about what your team can deliver.
3. Prioritize prospects and identify the right point of entry
As you develop your prospect list, consider both alignment and access. Existing partners, board members, donors, and volunteers may be able to offer insight or make an introduction. Prioritize companies based on their interests, geographic presence, giving potential, and relevant relationships. The appropriate point of entry will depend on the opportunity:
- Corporate foundations or corporate responsibility teams: Giving priorities and community impact.
- Marketing, brand, and sponsorship teams: Audience engagement, recognition, and relevant campaigns.
- Product or business unit teams: Partnerships connected to a particular brand, product, or business priority.
- Employee engagement teams: Volunteering and workplace giving programs, which often sit within corporate responsibility and sometimes within human resources.
- Talent and workforce development teams: Education, training, and pathways to employment.
- Sustainability teams: Programs that support relevant environmental or social commitments.
- Local leadership and community relations teams: Needs in communities where the company operates.
Some of these teams may influence a partnership without holding a dedicated budget. Ask how decisions are made, who else needs to be involved, and when funding is considered. Your contact may also need to present the opportunity internally. A clear overview of the proposed partnership, anticipated outcomes, and funding request can help them do that.
Where you do not have an existing connection, a more deliberate outreach effort may be needed. A few approaches to consider:
- Share a focused prospect list
- Look for employees already engaged with your work
- Use established channels, such as foundation portals and employee resource groups
- Identify relevant contacts
- Tailor your outreach
- Consider an initial opportunity: A well-planned volunteer activity or event sponsorship may give both organizations a chance to work together before considering a broader partnership, provided it makes sense for your programs and capacity
Relationship development takes time, and the pace will vary by company. Assign responsibility for each prospect and document conversations, follow-ups, and next steps so outreach is coordinated across your team.
4. Build understanding before developing the proposal
Where the company’s process allows, use initial conversations to understand its interests and expectations before developing a full proposal. Be prepared to discuss your work and a few relevant opportunities, while allowing time to hear what the company is looking for. These discussions should help you assess:
- Is there a clear connection between our mission and the company’s interests, geography, or employees?
- What would each organization contribute, and do we have the staff and resources to deliver?
- Would this relationship be consistent with our values and the expectations of the communities we serve?
- What is a realistic first step, and is there potential to build on it over time?
A short concept note or one-page overview may be helpful at this stage. Once there is interest in a more defined opportunity, develop a proposal that reflects those conversations. Outline the level of investment you are seeking, what the funding will support, each partner’s role, and the anticipated outcomes. Where a formal application process is required, follow the company’s guidelines.
5. Set clear expectations for managing the partnership
Before finalizing a partnership, make sure both organizations understand what will be required to support it. Volunteer coordination, communications, and reporting all take staff time and should be considered in the scope and budget. Agree on:
- Shared objectives and a realistic approach to measuring progress.
- Roles, points of contact, and the resources each partner will provide.
- A manageable schedule for reporting, recognition, and check-ins.
- Expectations for communications, recognition, approvals, and consent for sharing stories.
Regular communication helps both teams understand what is working and address challenges as they arise. Share progress, invite feedback, and discuss any adjustments that may be needed. Understand the company’s planning and budget cycle so renewal discussions take place with enough time to consider continued or expanded support.
How Changing Our World can help
Changing Our World brings experience in both nonprofit fundraising and corporate responsibility. We help nonprofits develop corporate partnership strategies that fit their strengths and capacity, informed by our experience advising companies on how to invest in their communities.
We can help you:
- Clarify your value proposition for prospective corporate partners.
- Identify and qualify prospects, including relevant relationships and points of entry.
- Plan and manage partnerships with clear goals, responsibilities, and measures of success.
To learn more about our approach, download our corporate partnerships overview or contact Maureen Flynn, Vice President, at [email protected].