In a multichannel fundraising strategy, corporate giving is one of the most effective fundraising avenues for nonprofits. According to 360MatchPro’s guide to corporate giving programs, these charitable initiatives offer nonprofits benefits like diversified funding sources, greater brand awareness, and stronger community relationships.

With that in mind, how can your nonprofit earn more from this lucrative fundraising avenue this year? This guide explores these strategies to increase corporate giving revenue:

  1. Share stories about the impact of corporate giving.
  2. Search for businesses with shared values.
  3. Highlight the benefits of corporate sponsorship.
  4. Make it easy for corporate donors to give.
  5. Personalize your corporate donation requests.

Businesses are ready to support charitable organizations in their communities, but is your nonprofit ready to take advantage of these opportunities? These tips will set your organization up for success with corporate giving.

1. Share stories about the impact of corporate giving.

A fundraising study found that one of the top reasons donors kept giving to a nonprofit is because they received information about who was helped because of their gift. The same goes for corporate donors; they want to know that their donations will be put to good use.

Use marketing channels like your website’s blog posts, email newsletters, and social media to share information about the positive impact of corporate gifts. This includes:

  • Projects and programs you’ve been able to start thanks to revenue from corporate giving, like a new afterschool program or construction project
  • Goals you’ve been able to achieve because of corporate support, such as helping a certain number of people in your community
  • Individual donors whose lives have been changed for the better because of corporate donations, whether through in-kind gifts, scholarships, or direct donations

Share specific data points that reveal the major difference corporate giving made. For example, explain that you were able to help 500 more people experiencing homelessness in the community because a generous corporate donation allowed you to add more beds to your shelter.

Include direct quotes from community members involved in your programs as well as photos to bring your impact stories to life.

2. Search for businesses with shared values.

It’s much easier to convince a corporate partner to donate or sponsor an event when you share values. Seek out partners with similar interests and motivations by taking these steps:

  • Identify business leaders who have previously donated to similar causes. Use a prospect research database or publicly available resources like The Philanthropy 50 to research past donations made by local businesses or business owners. Focus on companies that have contributed to nonprofits with similar missions to yours.
  • Prioritize local businesses. Companies often support nonprofits in their area because it allows them to engage with community members. Businesses can market their services to your volunteers, donors, event attendees, and other supporters, which helps to strengthen bonds with your community.
  • Look for companies that have a similar mission to your nonprofit. Businesses that already have similar offerings as your nonprofit are natural prospective corporate donors. For example, a pet store could be interested in sponsoring your animal shelter’s annual 5K to reach pet lovers in your community. This sponsor may also be able to offer relevant in-kind donations like leashes, dog beds, and pet food.

According to Nonprofits Source’s roundup of corporate giving trends, it’s not just large companies that are launching corporate giving programs. Small and mid-sized businesses are starting programs like matching gift programs, meaning there are likely plenty of businesses in your community willing to partner with your nonprofit. In other words, don’t overlook a smaller company just because of its size! These businesses tend to be enthusiastic and hands-on with their philanthropic support.

3. Highlight the benefits of corporate sponsorship.

Encourage potential corporate partners to give an enthusiastic “yes!” to your donation requests by highlighting the benefits they’d receive from the relationship. Partnering with nonprofits provides advantages like:

  • A positive PR boost. Nonprofit partnerships help businesses get their name out in the community in a positive way. Potential customers and employees will be able to see that the business values being responsible and community-oriented.
  • Greater employee engagement. Employees value working at companies that support charitable causes. CSR statistics indicate that 71% of employees believe it’s very important to work at a company that has a culture of giving. Businesses that offer flexibility in employee giving opportunities fare even better. That same resource indicates that 97% of donors want flexibility in where and how they give to causes they care about.
  • Potential revenue boost. Consumers increasingly want to purchase from businesses that prioritize corporate social responsibility (CSR). 69% of businesses reported increased sales as a result of CSR initiatives.

Share specific results from past partnerships. For example, perhaps a previous event sponsorship from a local restaurant directly led to a 50% website traffic increase and 100 more customers in the door the next weekend. This will help potential partners see the direct value of working with your organization.

4. Make it easy for corporate donors to give.

A convenient giving process makes it a no-brainer for corporate partners to get involved in your nonprofit’s giving opportunities. On your nonprofit’s website, highlight simple ways to give for corporate sponsors and individuals who work for philanthropic companies.

Employee donors

Individual employee donors have the opportunity to engage in corporate giving via programs like matching gifts. In matching gift programs, businesses match donations that their employees make to nonprofit organizations.

Make submitting a matching gift to your nonprofit as easy as possible by including a matching gift tool that offers auto-submission on your online donation page. With auto-submission, donors can complete their matching gift requests entirely within your online donation page rather than having to visit another website. Check out this graphic explaining how the auto-submission process works:

Graphic explaining the auto-submission process for matching gift requests

  1. A donor gives to your nonprofit using your website.
  2. The donor enters their email address to submit their match request.
  3. The request is automatically submitted to the donor’s company.

Autosubmission greatly simplifies the matching gift process, providing more convenience for donors and more donations for your nonprofit.

Corporate partners

Corporate partners may have different goals or varying capacities when it comes to what they can contribute to your nonprofit. Appeal to a wide range of corporate motivations by offering multiple ways to give, such as:

  • Direct monetary contributions
  • In-kind gifts
  • Pro-bono work or volunteer days
  • Cause marketing
  • Event sponsorships

Promote these giving opportunities on your online donation page and a comprehensive corporate partnership landing page. In addition, use marketing avenues like Google Ads to promote these pages to a wider audience.

Google Ads are a great way to spread awareness of corporate philanthropy opportunities to an audience of individuals who are already looking for terms related to your nonprofit. For example, a business leader searching for “local nonprofit sponsorship opportunities” could come across your corporate giving information page and be inspired to get involved.

5. Personalize your corporate donation requests.

Tailor your asks to the needs and preferences of each company you’re reaching out to. A personalized request is much more likely to capture potential sponsors’ attention and stand out from other requests the business may receive.

Take these steps to write compelling donation requests:

  • Address your requests to a specific individual at the corporation. If you’re writing a letter or email, address the message to a specific person. This could be the business owner, corporate philanthropy lead, or HR lead.
  • Reference past involvement. Thank the potential partner for any previous involvement they’ve had with your nonprofit, such as past donations, event sponsorships, or employee volunteer days.
  • Explain how your goals align with theirs. Share with the potential sponsor why you think your organizations would work well together. For example, you could say, “We believe our shared passion for saving the local environment through sustainable practices will make our partnership a successful, mutually beneficial one.”

Give potential partners contact information for a specific person at your nonprofit they can reach out to with questions. This helps personalize your correspondence even more and start your relationship off on the right foot.

Earning more through corporate giving starts with sharing information that potential partners need and making it as easy as possible for them to get involved. With these strategies, you can start to build relationships and solidify corporate giving as one of your nonprofit’s primary revenue streams.