.svg)
Nonprofits do extraordinary work every day. The opportunity is to convert corporate goodwill into durable, scalable funding that powers your mission all year.
Below is a practical playbook for working with companies that want to give. It blends relationship strategy with operational rigor so your campaigns are easy to say yes to and simple to scale.
Great partnerships begin with the right doors and the right prompts. Foundation teams are helpful, but they are rarely the whole story. Ask your contact to introduce you to the people who own growth and reputation.
These questions shift the conversation from a one-off donation to a cross-functional investment.
Before you pitch, study how the company talks about purpose. Scan the sustainability report, the last two earnings call transcripts, and recent LinkedIn posts from the CMO and Chief Sustainability Officer. Map their language to your impact. Climate resilience, workforce inclusion, local small business growth, or youth opportunity are themes you can echo. This homework makes your proposal feel native to their priorities.
Outcomes matter. So does brand value. Strong proposals show the company how your program delivers both.
Pricing should reflect these layers. Offer tiered options so teams with different budgets can act without delay.
If you are targeting a consumer brand, there is usually more money in the customer than in the company. Ask for a donation, but optimize for a campaign that lets customers give at checkout or through loyalty points. Small gifts at high frequency add up quickly, and they build a habit of support.
Customer activations create a triple win. The brand meets business goals. Your nonprofit gains repeatable revenue. Donors enjoy an easy path to action.
Marketers and legal teams move faster when the details are settled in advance. Bring a package that is compliant, operationally sound, and simple to launch.
Compliance protects donors and speeds approvals. It also keeps funds flowing without interruption.
Nothing undermines a partnership like operational friction. The fastest campaigns share two traits. First, funds move directly to a charitable account without detours. Second, reporting and payouts are automated.
This is where Change helps. We provide the rails that sit behind modern cause marketing. Our platform handles donation capture, nonprofit verification, state-by-state compliance workflows, and transparent payouts at scale. For campaigns run by professional fundraisers or large fundraising platforms, our drop-in donation checkout and DAF model keep funds clean and auditable. The result is a clear flow of funds and audit-ready records that brand teams and counsel can trust.
A strong narrative keeps internal champions aligned and executives confident.
Then attach a one-page campaign brief with visuals, a twelve-week timeline, and the layered ROI menu. Short beats long.
Set goals for both impact and business outcomes. For the company, track incremental conversion at checkout, repeat purchase rates among donors, and employee participation. For your nonprofit, track net dollars raised after fees, new-to-file donors, and retention at 3, 6, and 12 months. Share a mid-campaign update and a final report that ties numbers to stories. Close with two next-step ideas so momentum continues.
Hi [Name], your team’s focus on [priority from sustainability report] aligns closely with our work in [your impact area]. We have a turnkey campaign that lets customers support [beneficiaries] at checkout with transparent reporting and full compliance. Could we explore a pilot during [season or launch window]? I can share a one-page brief with layered brand, employee, and impact outcomes.
Keep it short. Lead with alignment. Offer a pilot!
The trust your community places in you is earned every day. Companies want to be part of that story, and customers are eager to join in. Ask bigger questions. Design layered ROI. Bring a compliant, ready-to-launch plan. Then make it effortless for donors to act.
If you are preparing a campaign with a retailer, a marketplace, or a professional fundraiser, Change can handle the payments, verification, compliance, and payouts behind the scenes so your team can focus on impact and storytelling. Reach out to explore how your next cause marketing campaign can launch faster, raise more, and run with less friction.
.png)